Albuquerque,NM Dec 27, 2006 All of us at The Mountain Fund are deeply saddened by the news from China today that in all likelihood, Chris and Charlie have been found. We hold out hope that the body located today is not one of them, but hope is fading quickly. While we have played but a bit part in a large effort organized by Mountainfilm this bit part has taught us something important. The climbing community needs a resource in times like this, the families need a resource in times like this as well.
Climb-Aid, The Climber's Alert Network Established
The Mountain Fund announces that it will provide such a resource, with the help and support of our partners in the outdoor industry. Climb-Aid, The Climber's Alert Network, is being established immediately to provide assistance to the families of missing climbers.
Climb-Aid will provide a way for climbers to register their anticipated itineraries and return dates, maintain a database of contacts around the world that can be called upon for search and rescue, provide airline tickets to family members to be present at the location of the missing loved one, provide emergency funding to the family to tide them over, provide press assistance to the family, retain an attorney to provide legal consultation, maintain press contacts, coordinate fund raising efforts and communications, rush sat phone equipment to the location to establish real-time communications and provide any other aid or assistance to the family that may be necessary and possible.
Climb-Aid will also maintain a knowledge base so that the lessons learned in searches like the one for Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler are available for future use.
The Mountain Fund is working now to have this support system in place within the next 30 days. We will be asking our industry partners to help us establish a permanent fund so that financial resources can be made immediately available in times of need. Climb-Aid is not a rescue team, it is a support system for the families of missing climbers in their time of need
When fully functioning, the Climb Alert Network, Climb- Aid will provide;
* 24 hour hot line
* Private message board for posting trip itinerary and other information helpful to a search effort
* 24 our monitoring of the expected return dates posted on the message board
* Search effort actions launched within 48 hours of due dates
* Sat Phone Fed-x to location to establish real time communication
* Airline tickets overnight to family members
* Emergency funds for family members
* Legal counsel, press agent and other assistance to the family
* Immediate contacts to rescue teams and other resources
* Most importantly, compassion and caring.
If you are willing to serve on an advisory board and help shape the future of Climb-Aid, The Climber's Alert Network, please contact us.
About The Mountain Fund
Our mission is to organize grassroots nonprofits and NGO's from a diversity of disciplines and support and coordinate these organizations' efforts to eliminate poverty, its causes and symptoms, in mountainous communities.
Website: http://www.mountainfund.org
Mountainfilm in Telluride
The staff of Mountainfilm and friends in Telluride and elsewhere have been working around the clock to conduct the search for Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler. Please follow their progress at the link below. The Mountain Fund wishes to thank this fine group of people for their extraordinary efforts and tireless hard work. They are to be commended in the highest possible of terms.
Website: http://fowlerboskoff.blogspot.com/
