Outdoor USA Magazine

Montana Fly Co. (MFC), manufacturer of high-quality flies, fly tying accessories and fishing gear has added Cody Townsend to the MFC Pro Team roster. Townsend is a professional freeskier and is also sponsored by outdoor brands Salomon Sports and Smith Optics.

The North Face athlete Cory Richards has been named Adventurer of the Year by National Geographic and is also in contention for the National Geographic Adventurer of the Year People's Choice Award.

National Geographic has crowned an Adventurer of the Year for six years. The award goes to individuals chosen for extraordinary achievement in exploration, conservation and adventure sports. Richards is not the first North Face athlete to win this honor, previous North Face athletes recognized include Diane Van Deren and Alex Honnold.

The North Face athletes Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk have summitted the Shark's Fin route on the northwest face of the 20,700-foot Meru in the Garhwal Himalaya, one of the last great unclimbed features of the range.

The North Face Speaker Series will be taking place from September 15 through November 10. The series, presented by Gore-Tex and sponsored by Primaloft, brings outdoor outdoor athletes and their stories to stops around the nation.

Fila has signed a multi-year endorsement agreement with bouldering prodigy Alex Puccio as part of its commitment to expand its outdoor and minimalist category, led by the brand's Skele-Toes. She will be featured in Fila USA's summer 2011 Skele-Toes print and outdoor advertising campaigns.

Fans of the popular Discovery Channel show Man vs. Wild were recently treated to an appearance by A-List actor Jake Gyllenhaal, who was filmed in Iceland sporting Vatnajokull fleece bibs from 66° North. Together with Bear Grylls he ascended the Eyjafjallajokull glacier amidst a raging winter snowstorm.

Ueli Steck, renowned Swiss alpinist, is taking his speed style to the Himalaya. Holding impressive speed records on the Eiger, the Matterhorn and les Grandes Jorasses, Steck is now focused on bringing his light and fast, solo approach to the tallest peaks on the planet in what he dubs "Project Himalaya." On April 16, Steck summited the Tibetan giant of Shisha Pangma (8027 m and 14^th highest in the world) in a mere 10.5 hours, but that's only the beginning, he says.

Alan Hinkes, the first Briton to conquer all 14 of the world's higest mountains, and the 13-person expedition team he's leading to the summit of Mount Everest will experiment with Viagra to help get them to the top. The expedition doctor, George Rodway, an expert in high-altitude medicine, believes Viagra will help their oxygen intake by expanding blood vessels in their lungs. The doctor has advised the team that any unwanted "side effects" of the drug can be avoided by keeping their minds away from sexual thoughts.

The team hopes to raise £1 million for the Alzheimer's Society though the trip. To sponsor the expedition visit justgiving.com/icelandeverest.