Brooks-Range Mountaineering Welcomes Four New Athletes to its 2016 Ambassador Team

January 27, 2016

San Leandro, Calif. – Brooks-Range Mountaineering, manufacturer of innovative and high-quality backcountry and outdoor equipment and accessories, adds four new athletes, Ali Criscitiello, Eric Layton, Miranda Oakley, and Drew Smith, to its 2016 Ambassador Program.

The Brooks-Range Ambassador Program includes a select group of the top U.S. mountaineering, rock climbing, and backcountry professionals that use Brooks-Range products regularly for their mountain adventures. Ambassadors assist with product feedback and field-testing, and will represent the brand in outdoor pursuits, sharing their experiences through blogging, videos, and social media.

“We are thrilled to welcome our new ambassadors to the Brooks-Range family,” said Jeff Blakely, general manager of Brooks-Range. “Feedback from these athletes, who have incredibly impressive, varied backgrounds, serves as an essential tool in continuing to develop the best gear and apparel possible. They’re the perfect team to represent outdoor enjoyment and exploration – what Brooks-Range is all about. Look forward to seeing some amazing adventures in 2016.”

About Ali Criscitiello:
Ali loves the cold. She is a post-doctoral fellow and glaciologist at the University of Calgary, and holds the first PhD in Glaciology ever conferred by MIT. When she’s not busy shivering for science, Ali seeks out the cold for fun, whether working as a climbing ranger in national parks or guiding expeditions to major peaks in the Andes, Alaska, and the Himalayas. Ali has fearlessly led the first all-women’s ascent of Pinnacle Peak in the Indian Himalaya, and completed an all-women ski traverse of the eastern Pamir Mountains. Most recently, Ali was named one of the 2016 Mugs Stump Award recipients to attempt the unclimbed Brahmasar II in the Garhwal Himalaya of India.

About Eric Layton:
Eric’s love for the mountains and passion for backcountry snowboarding is contagious. Guiding professionally since 2007, his passion and expertise for mountaineering and backcountry splitboarding has led him to work as a guide for operations throughout the world. Eric is one of the first snowboarders in the United States to pass the American Mountain Guide Association Ski Exam on his splitboard. He is also an AMGA Single Pitch Rock Instructor and is a Certified Heli Guide through the American Mechanized Ski Guide Program. Now owner of Splitboard Guides International, a dedicated splitboard guide company, Eric is proud to share turns all over the world with people who share the same passion.

About Miranda Oakley:
Miranda Oakley grew up in Washington, D.C. and started climbing in a local climbing gym at age 15. After graduating from college, Miranda moved to Yosemite National Park where she worked odd jobs in order to have access to endless granite. After a few years climbing in Yosemite and the High Sierras, she started working for the Yosemite Mountaineering School as a climbing guide. Miranda’s enthusiasm for rock climbing has taken her all over the world, for sport climbing destinations in Asia to first ascents in Patagonia. She has onsighted climbs as hard as 5.13-, free climbed big walls and done speed accents of almost all of Yosemite Valley’s major formations.

About Drew Smith:
Drew grew up in Montana on a ranch with the fields and mountains as his backyard. He’s made it a goal to become an all-around climber in trad, sport, bouldering, aid, ice, mixed and alpine, and has established new routes in El Chaltén, Argentine Patagonia; Cochamó, Chilean Patagonia; Colorado and California. For the past eleven years he hasn’t lived in a place longer than six months, doing jobs ranging from commercial fishing in Alaska to leading 49-day expeditions with at risk youth. Drew is currently on the Yosemite Search and Rescue Team for six months out of the year and the other half he spends running around in the mountains.

Criscitiello, Layton, Oakley and Smith join Brooks-Range Ambassadors Kevin Tatsugawa, Charlie Barrett, and Aaron Richards. Be sure to follow their adventures and updates at www.brooks-range.com.  

About Brooks-Range:
Brooks-Range Mountaineering Equipment Co. offers an innovative, top-quality selection of backcountry and outdoor equipment, gear, apparel and tools for professional guides, recreational travelers and users alike for a safe and enjoyable mountain experience. Brooks-Range equipment is tested and trusted by their team of ambassadors comprised of the world’s top mountaineering, avalanche and outdoor experts. Designed with utility, comfort and safety in mind, Brooks-Range also promotes education and safety in the wilderness by supporting a variety of organizations. Mainly produced in the USA, Brooks-Range can be found at outdoor retail shops nationwide and online at www.brooks-range.com.