Would you please support my Alps climbs to benefit KIPP?
Dear friends,
I'm doing it again! For the third summer in a row, I'm going to climb some very hairy peaks in the Alps to raise money for my favorite charity, KIPP charter schools.
Might you be willing to support me (and KIPP)? Here is the donation page.
One of KIPP's primary mottos, which appears on the walls of every school, is "climbing the mountain to college," so I can't think of a better way to support and honor the 6,400 hard-working KIPP students in NYC than to do some challenging climbs of my own.
Over the past two summers, I have raised more than $200,000 by climbing five Alps giants: Mt. Blanc, the Matterhorn, Eiger, Jungfrau and Monch (click here for pics and details). To top that, next month I'm heading to a different part of the Alps, Italy's Dolomites, a few hours from Venice. I've hired a top-notch professional guide and, over three days from July 15-17, we're going to be tackling numerous routes up the most iconic formation in the Dolomites, the Tre Cime di Lavaredo ("three peaks of Lavaredo"). Here's what they look like:
There are an almost infinite number of routes up these peaks – here are pics of three that we plan to tackle:
Große Zinne Normalweg
Westliche Zinne Nordwand – Cassin
Kleine Zinne-Gelbe Kante
These climbs will be very challenging for a relatively inexperienced climber (and old geezer) like me, which is why I've hired a world-class guide who knows these routes well and to whom I'm roped at all times. I'm going to be training like a madman for the next three weeks (I depart for Italy on June 28), climbing every day to build my technique, strength and endurance, and get my hands nicely calloused. But there's a huge difference between a one-minute route in a rock gym with a short drop to the mat vs. an all-day climb on an exposed face with heart-stopping drops the entire way. I can't wait!
Serving on KIPP NYC's board for nearly two decades, I've seen firsthand the transformative education the schools provide, so I would be grateful if you would make a donation to support my climbs and help more KIPPsters make it to and through college. Again, here's the donation page.
Thank you!
Whitney
PS – Here's a picture of me wearing my KIPP shirt on the summit of Mt. Blanc two summers ago:
