EXPLORATION GRANTS:

Joe Stock of Anchorage, Alaska was awarded an exploration grant to fund his
team¹s proposed first ski traverse and documentation of the unexplored areas
of the Tordillo Mountains in the Aleutian range of Alaska.

Jaimie Laidlaw of McCall, Idaho, was awarded an exploration grant supporting
his participation in an international team¹s attempt to climb and ski
Himalaya¹s 8163 meter Mount Manaslu.

Scott Cordner of Big Bear City, California, and his team have been awarded
an exploration grant for their proposed attempt at first ski descents on
Russia¹s Kamchatka Peninsula. The Corder expedition will be one of the first
foreign ski expeditions to visit Kamchatka and will have the opportunity to
raise awareness of the cultural and geographic features of the Peninsula.

Jason Thompson of Bozeman, Montana has been awarded a grant to support his
ski exploration and documentation of the Caucasus Region of Georgia, an
expedition that will focus not only on skiing, but also the political and
social nature of this remote mountain region.

EDUCATIONAL GRANTS:

Sara Lundy of Stanley, Idaho, has been awarded an education scholarship to
fund her participation in the American Mountain Guides Association ski guide
course.

Educational grants were awarded to the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club in
Port Angeles, Washington to support a Level I Avalanche Course for club
members and to the Montana Mountaineering Association in Bozeman, Montana to
help fund the Junior Mountaineering Team¹s ski and avalanche curriculum.


THE HANS SAARI MEMORIAL FUND:

Grants provided by the Hans Saari Memorial Fund present a unique opportunity
within the mountaineering community. The grants encourage the development
of skills and qualities consistent with Hans Saari¹s approach to skiing and
travel in the mountains. Saari believed that mountains are an integral part
of the cultural and spiritual lives of the people who live amongst them and
understood that physical pursuits are only a part of mountain exploration.
The grants support mountain education, innovative ski expeditions, and
progressive exploratory projects in alpine environments while also
encouraging the creative documentation of the experience through film,
photography, writing and other media.

Applications for the fall cycle of education grants are due
August 30, 2008. Exploration Grants will be next be awarded in March 2009.
Applications and information can be found at hansfund.org