MAROLT BROTHERS USE SOLAR POWER TO FEND OFF FROSTBITE,
DOCUMENT JOURNEY
LAFAYETTE, Colorado, December 30,
2013
Portable solar power innovator
AspectSolar is pleased to announce their sponsorship of Mike and Steve Marolt,
the 8000m (8K) descent skiers behind the 2009 documentary Skiing Everest. After a tour of festivals, ESPN bought the film in
2011 for a series of primetime broadcasts. The brothers, their friend Jim Gile,
and Ski Channel owner Steve Bellamy are gearing up for the follow-up series, Beyond Skiing Everest. To film their
expeditions, the Skiing Everest team
relies on the best equipment available for their movie, and for their survival.
Naturally, the powerful lightweight batteries and portable solar panels of
AspectSolar were the perfect fit.
For their new documentary, the
Marolt brothers and Gile aim to show the challenge and beauty found in some of
the world’s lesser-known peaks. Despite the commercialization of Everest and
other famous mountains, a sometimes more enjoyable experience can be found on summits
with fewer expeditions. For their goal in Beyond
Skiing Everest, the Marolt brothers want as few people as possible on the
mountain. They are attempting to be the first crew to ski down from a 7K+
summit in winter. They’ve spent the last few years preparing for their January
2014 expedition to Muztagh Ata, a mountain in China along the Tibetan Plateau.
With temperatures plummeting
below -50°F in the winter, Mike searched for the most reliable heated in-soles
and the best portable batteries to power them with. These are the “golden
gadgets” – gear that puts the expedition’s lofty goals safely within their
reach. Along with powering their film equipment, an electrical source is needed
to recharge the heated in-soles and fend off frostbite. AspectSolar is
sponsoring the crew with two each of the EnergyBar 250 and EP-55 solar panels,
all made with the same technology as their CES Innovation Award-winning
SunSocket Solar Generator. Marolt’s previous experience with solar power on an
expedition involved heavy, cumbersome solar panels and inefficient car
batteries.
“It will completely revolutionize
expeditions,” Mike says of AspectSolar’s products, engineered in Singapore.
“Outside of technical gear, it is the coolest gadget we’ve ever come across.
Our last batteries took two or three days to charge, and they lasted a fraction
of the time.” The crew was enthusiastic about the potential of their new gear
and what it meant for mountaineering. “This is the first device with the
potential to take a power source to higher camps. That’s unheard of.”
If the Marolt expedition
successfully manages to ski down from Muztagh Ata, not only will it be the
world’s first ski descent from a 7K+ peak in winter, it will also be the first
winter ascent of the mountain. Though famed for being an “easy” 7K, the brutal
winter temperatures of Muztagh Ata make it dangerous for the inexperienced. Beyond Skiing Everest will open the door
to winter ascents and ski descents, and AspectSolar’s technology will make the
film possible and the journey safer thanks to award-winning, portable solar power.
# # #
Media Gerry Demple
Contact: Vice President of Operations
1.877.717.7778
gdemple@aspectsolar.com