Climb Africa's tallest mountain? No sweat

Shana's climb took her to the top of the roof of Africa.

Shana "Klimbs for the Kure"
with a little help from Duluth

A New Pursuit

She's already a world-champion lumberjill athlete, personal trainer, fitness competitor, and the national spokesperson for the Huntington's Disease Society of America. Now, Real Woman Shana can add "mountain climber" to her résumé.

Since 2008, Duluth Trading Company has sponsored Shana as she competes worldwide in lumberjill sports like boom running and log rolling. And we've supported her fight to find a cure from Huntington's Disease, the incurable brain disorder from which her mother suffers. So when Shana told us she was going to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in February to raise funds for research, we sent her lots of luck and a boatload of products. "With thanks to our wonderful Duluth gear, dedication to our cause of curing Huntington's Disease, and the assistance of wonderful friends, we made it to the top of the roof of Africa: Mt. Kilimanjaro," says Shana. "My mom will never get the chance to do something like this."

"With thanks to our wonderful Duluth gear, dedication to our cause of curing Huntington's Disease, and the assistance of wonderful friends, we made it to the top of the roof of Africa: Mt. Kilimanjaro,"

Here's how Duluth handled the world's tallest free-standing mountain

"I had several of the new Action Shirts and couldn't recommend a better shirt for hiking or daily work. The sun protection was key, as the ONLY day I didn't wear this shirt, my neck got terribly burned. The wicking polyester kept me from feeling slimy during the hike, and the button tabs for the sleeves were great for the constantly changing temperatures. Best yet? The new Action Shirt is form fitting! I actually felt somewhat good-looking, despite the fact that I hadn't showered in 8 days. P.S. Snaps are much nice than buttons, thank you!"

Her Action shirt was versatile
and tough enough for the climb.

"My Crusher Hat was one of my favorites. Not only did it make me look like the ultimate safari leader, it kept my face from getting burned all over! It also survived being crammed and crushed in every conceivable position in my daypack."

"I believe I wore my Nearly Naked Tank the entire trip. It made for the perfect first wicking layer and was VERY comfortable! The length was also nice, as some tanks come up way too short. I believe belly shirts went out of style years ago."

"I am so happy I had a pair of Nearly Naked Performance Underwear. They were extremely comfortable, and so easy to wash and hang up every night along the hike. They dried very quickly!"

"The Shoreline Fleece made for a perfect fleece jacket. It is much sturdier than a regular fleece jacket, and did a fantastic job blocking the high winds and frequent rains on the mountain. Despite how heavy duty it was, it wasn't so bulky that I couldn't fit my other Duluth jacket over the top of it on summit day. Did I mention it's comfy, too?"

She climbed Kilimanjaro for her Mom and a cure.

"A dear friend of mine once told me she will only wear SmartWool® Socks. I thought she was crazy, as I was only willing to pay for my $1.99 pack of 20 socks at [insert chain store here]. Wow, what a difference! They were cushioned in all the right places and so breathable I didn't even need to wear my polyester "wicking" socks. My SmartWool Hat and Scarf were also fantastic on those cold mornings. I was initially worried because wool is usually itchy and annoying, but thank God these SmartWool items were not!"

"I'm usually quite sensitive to wool. But not this time! No itch, great wicking power, AND the Merino Wool Long Underwear Top kept me warm on those very cold mountain nights!"