Yahoo! Launches Richard Bangs Adventures, Featuring Untold Adventure Stories From Around the World; Richard Bangs Adventures First Series Chronicles John Harlin III's Heroic Eiger Climb

Expert adventurer Richard Bangs -- who has traversed treacherouswhite water and challenged precarious peaks around the globe -- andhis fellow adventurers will bring some of the world's most excitingjourneys to consumers through digital storytelling -- video,photography and personal accounts.

Richard Bangs Adventures' first series will follow American JohnHarlin III's recent ascent of the Eiger, the same Swiss peak thatclaimed the life of Harlin's father 40 years earlier. The climb byHarlin's father became the story line for the classic film, The EigerSanction, starring Clint Eastwood. Richard Bangs Adventures takesYahoo! users into the life of Harlin III, an avid climber, and thejourney of his tribute climb.

"We want to share stories that quicken the pulse and appeal to thegrowing interest in adventure travel," said Scott Moore, vicepresident content operations, Yahoo!. "We are attempting to use theInternet's unique attributes as a rich storytelling medium to helpconsumers make discoveries that they wouldn't otherwise have a chanceto."

The Eiger is just the start. Each month, Richard Bangs Adventureswill set out to take consumers on unique paths. The next two in theseries, include:

-- November 2005: The Sea Gypsies of the Andaman Islands is the next series. Users will learn about this unique culture and their plight during the tragic tsunami of 2004.

-- December 2005: Follow the lucky winning family of the Richard Bangs Adventures sweepstakes (which kicks off October 24th) as they go on a heart-pounding quest into the heart of Panama. The families will document the experience using a Casio camera and give insights into their journey.

"I am delighted to be able to tell the poignant stories of peopledoing extraordinary things," said Bangs. "Yahoo! allows us to bringconsumers into these stories through a variety of capabilities and wehope that will inspire a new generation of adventure travelers."

Yahoo! Survey Shows Adventure is Key to Travelers

Americans spend upwards of $115 billion annually on everythingfrom rock-climbing outings and white water rafting trips to Africansafaris and Antarctic cruises(1). In a new survey conducted on Yahoo!,72 percent of the respondents said they had been on or are planning atrip that involves adventure travel in the next five years. In thesame poll, there was a number of notable adventure travel destinationsthat ranked high on places people wanted to visit, including:Australia, Africa and Alaska.

Richard Bangs Adventures is supported by Casio, Inc. as the leadsponsor. Consumers can get a glimpse of views Harlin saw on hisadventures as captured with his personal EX-Z750 digital camera.Additionally, Casio is sponsoring a family contest in which familieswill write essay submissions to win a grand prize "adventure" andseveral other prizes being provided by Casio. Other sponsors includeSwitzerland Tourism and Swiss Air, who sponsored the Eiger climb.

Harlin and Bangs were joined on the Eiger climb by MacGillivrayFreeman Films, the IMAX(R) theater film production team that gave usEverest and Mystery of the Nile. The company is producing a giantscreen documentary film featuring Harlin's Eiger climb, The Alps:Giants of Nature, which will be released in 2007 (www.alpsfilm.com).Richard Bangs' Adventures on Yahoo! will feature exclusive footagefrom the future film, giving consumers a sneak peek before the filmhits IMAX theaters.

About Richard Bangs

Richard Bangs is considered one of the founders of adventuretravel as we know it today. Bangs co-founded Mountain Travel-Sobeknearly 30 years ago and the company is now America's oldest andlargest adventure travel firm. Bangs is an entrepreneur, worldadventurer, international river explorer, Web pioneer andaward-winning author. He led first descents of 35 rivers around theglobe, including the Yangtze in China and the Zambezi in SouthernAfrica. Bangs offers unparalleled expertise in the adventure travelfield. He has published more than 500 magazine articles, 14 books, ascore of documentaries and several CD-ROMs, and recently co-directedthe IMAX Film, Mystery of the Nile.

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. is a leading provider of comprehensive online productsand services to consumers and businesses worldwide. Yahoo! is the No.1 Internet brand globally and the most trafficked Internet destinationworldwide. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Yahoo!'s global networkincludes 25 world properties and is available in 13 languages.

(1) Rocky Mountaineer Vacations, September 2005