For Immediate Release

November 1, 2008

Contact: Chris Pranskatis -Phone: 970.708.7359

Telluride, CO-Ryder-Walker Alpine Adventures will celebrate its 25th Anniversary during the 2009-hiking season, and the company will offer three new hiking tours for 2009 in honor of the celebration.

The Heart of Austria, available as guided and self-guided options, will explore the magical mountains and lakes that characterize the Salzkammergut region of central Austria. The self-guided Italian Lakes District: Como to Bellagio, offers a taste of Italian paradise in a land known for great food, inspiring culture, and spectacular hiking. Jubiläum, the flagship of the new tours and a special 25th Anniversary celebration, will revisit the Swiss mountains and valleys that inspired Ryder-Walker’s inception. Peter Walker will guide the tour, offering guests an exclusive opportunity to hike with the company’s Founder and President.

According to Walker, “Our special "Jubilee" trip, designed by Tour Leaders Daniel Sundqvist and Ken Fuhrer, will explore three of our most cherished mountain retreats, Zermatt, Saas Fee and Kandersteg.” He added, “To put the icing on the 25th Anniversary cake, we chose truly exceptional accommodations in each of the three villages. These are our favorite kitchens and hostelries in the Alps.”

Ryder-Walker guests have hiked thousands of miles since the company’s founding in 1984, and many of them pride themselves on their first-hand knowledge of mountain retreats. They’ve hiked the Alps of Europe, explored the mountains and deserts of North America, and they’ve even ventured as far as Japan.

“If we laid out every foot hiked since our company’s inception, then Ryder-Walker guests have hiked to the moon and back,” said Walker. "If we added vertical feet hiked, then Ryder-Walker guests hiked the equivalent of base camp to the summit of Everest 114,118 times.”

He added, “It has been an incredibly varied and dynamic quarter of a century. We wouldn't trade one moment for anything.”

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