Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) hiking season is underway in Southern California amid record snow levels, and for the third year, Kahtoola has partnered with the Trevor Spikes Program and the Fowler-O’Sullivan Foundation to promote hiking safety in honor of late hiker Trevor Laher. Laher accidentally slipped to his death in 2020 and current conditions are making for a precarious start of the PCT season.
Starting in March, Idyllwild, California-based outdoor retailer Nomad Ventures, in partnership with the Trevor Spikes Program, will offer discounted Kahtoola MICROspikes® footwear traction exclusively to PCT thru-hikers while supplies last.
“After Trevor’s accident, our goal as a family has been to increase thru-hiker safety on PCT before hikers reach the potentially treacherous conditions of the San Jacinto mountain range,” said Doug Laher, Trevor’s father and founder of the Trevor Spikes Program. “This season, hikers will encounter deep snow and additional icy challenges, and our number one priority is to get Kahtoola MICROspikes into their packs and onto their boots so that when they encounter snow and ice, they are prepared and can potentially avoid a life-threatening emergency. No one thinks it will happen to them, but it can and it does. In 2020, Trevor’s MICROspikes and ice ax were unfortunately not with him when conditions warranted. The Trevor Spikes Program’s mission is to save lives by encouraging safety gear before it’s needed.”
New for the ‘23 season, hikers can order online and include their estimated ETA for picking up the spikes at the Mountain Market in Mountain Center, Calif. Mountain Market will also offer package pick-up for hikers for resupply items. Due to high snow levels, hikers can also request their MICROspikes be shipped to the Campo Post Office in the event of encountering wintry conditions on the trail sooner than expected.
“Kahtoola is honored to continue our partnership with the Trevor Spikes Program to encourage hikers to plan ahead before tackling the PCT,” said Danny Giovale, Founder and Owner of Kahtoola. “A huge part of hiking safety is making sure you have the proper gear when needed. This is especially important in Southern California where trail conditions can vary from low desert heat to freezing peaks. We hope getting MICROspikes traction to hikers when they need it will help to avoid preventable accidents.”
Local weather and up-to-date trail conditions in the San Jacinto mountains can be found on the San Jacinto Trail Report. For additional hiking safety tips and information, please visit the Pacific Crest Trail Association.
About Kahtoola:
Since 1999, Kahtoola has been creating reliable gear that makes the outdoors more accessible and rewarding. Kahtoola’s gaiters, hiking crampons, and flexible footwear traction systems, including MICROspikes®, EXOspikes™ and NANOspikes®, are built to improve safety and performance in wintry locales around the globe. Every product is thoughtfully designed and vigorously tested at the brand’s Flagstaff, AZ headquarters high on the Colorado Plateau. Owned and operated by founder Danny Giovale, Kahtoola proudly grants 1% of annual sales to fund projects that support indigenous cultures and improve communities, healthcare, education, resources and the environment. For more information, please visit Kahtoola.com.
