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EXPEDITION: HUAYHUASH
 
20,000-FOOT PEAKS. 16,000-FOOT PASSES. STUNNING ALPINE LAKES.
This is Cordillera Huayhuash in the Peruvian Andes, where one of our Eddie Bauer guides
and two of our athletes came to experience mountains in a completely different light.



 
Eddie Bauer ski athletes Drew Tabke and Lynsey Dyer shred steeps all over the world.
Alpine guide Adrian Ballinger leads summits in the Himalaya, Andes, and Africa.

These people are in their element in the mountains. But in Huayhuash, they also
wanted to be out of their element. So, they put away their skis and the impulse
to go downhill as fast as possible. Set aside ice axes and the single-pointed goal
of reaching a remote summit.

And they just walked—all 85 miles of the Cordillera—
to experience the place on different terms.

PURE. SIMPLE. DIRECT.

Adrian, Lynsey and Drew’s 85-mile trek through the Cordillera Huayhuash began with
two days in the city of Huaraz to get acclimated to the Andean elevation. This was an
essential step, because once in the Cordillera, their first camp would be above 13,000 feet.

Over the course of their 5-day journey, they crossed six high passes, including the highest, Cuyoc Pass, at 16,404 feet above sea level.




The challenge of sustained high elevation was heightened by the fact that the trio
did the full circuit-including two days in Huaraz-in just seven days. Ordinarily, groups
take 10 days on the trek alone; the Eddie Bauer team cut that time in half.

To help them in their quest, they hired a burro team to carry their gear and a local
cook to prepare their meals, freeing them to focus simply on their task.

But mountains are still mountains.

MEET THE TEAM



 



















ADRIAN BALLINGER
Alpine Climbing Guide (IFMGA)

In his two decades as a professional guide, Adrian has led more than a hundred clients to the summits of several 8000-meter peaks, including Everest, Lhotse, Manaslu, and Cho Oyu. He's personally summited Everest eight times, most recently in 2017, when he reached the top without the use of supplementary oxygen. In 2011, he and two Sherpa teammates became the first to summit three 8000ers in only three weeks. He's also the only American to make three complete 8000er descents on skis.




















LYNSEY DYER
Skiing Athlete
A pioneering pro freeskier, Lynsey is no stranger to accolades. In 2004, she was the Freeski Tour Overall Winner. In 2010, she was named Female Skier of the Year by Powder magazine. In 2014, she was given the same honor by Freeskier magazine. That year, she also directed and produced the film Pretty Faces, an all-female ski movie that was nominated as Best Ski Film at the 2014 Powder Awards. She has appeared in ski movies for TGR, Sherpa's Cinema, and Warren Miller.





















DREW TABKE
Skiing Athlete
A two-time freeride world champ and Sickbird award-winner, Drew has been a professional skier since 2004. In the summer, he heads to the Chilean Andes where he's notched multiple human-powered first descents. While not on the tour, Drew coaches the Crystal Mountain Freeride Juniors at his home resort outside of Seattle, and guides summer skiing in Chile. He holds wilderness medical, technical rope rescue, and professional avalanche certifications, and writes regularly for Powder magazine.

GEAR HIGHLIGHTS FROM HUAYHUASH
For our Guide and Athlete team, these expeditions are more than just adventure. They’re office hours. Because the
team is testing new gear and validating existing styles every time they head out and up. Here are a few of the
pieces that Adrian, Lynsey, and Drew carried with them on their trek through the Cordillera Huayhuash.
SHOP WOMEN'S HIKING KIT SHOP MEN'S HIKING KIT