International Explorer and Outdoor Industry Icon Visits Asheville

Helen Thayer To Share Stories From Best-Selling Books

Wichita, KS - May 6, 2010 - INVISTA’S CORDURA® brand team is bringing world-renowned adventurer and international athlete Helen Thayer, to Asheville, N.C., on Thursday, May 13, 2010, to captivate audiences with stories from her best-selling books, “Polar Dream” and “Three Among the Wolves.” A special CORDURA Cares(sm) program event - co-hosted with Mast General Store - will be held at 7 p.m. at the Diana Wortham Theatre.  As part of the community outreach pillar of the CORDURA Cares(sm) program, the CORDURA® brand team will donate backpacks made with CORDURA® EcoMade fabric to be filled with canned foods and donated to the MANNA FoodBank.

Named “One of the Great Explorers of the 20th Century” by National Geographic, Thayer will stimulate the hearts of outdoor enthusiasts and animals lovers with presentations based on her best-selling books. “Polar Dream”captures the unique journey of Thayer and her loyal husky dog, Charlie, as she becomes the first woman to travel on foot to the magnetic North Pole.  In “Three Among the Wolves,” Helen chronicles her experience living in the Canadian Yukon Territory above the Arctic Circle, where she lived a mere 100 feet from a wolf den for six months and documented their daily lives.

“Her daring, adventurous lifestyle of trekking across rough terrains in unpredictable conditions constantly puts the durable quality of CORDURA® brand fabric to the test,” said Cindy McNaull, global CORDURA® brand and marketing director.  “Not only is she a role model to outdoor aficionados everywhere, she also inspires the CORDURA® brand team to maintain the brand’s ultimate focus on the needs of its durable fabric end-users.”

Thayer is also the celebrated author of “Walking the Gobi,” a compelling true story depicting the courage and perseverance it took to become the first woman to trek the entire 1,600-mile Mongolian Gobi Desert.

Thayer will be giving presentations at the following Asheville, NC locations on Thursday, May 13, 2010:    

•  Mast General Store
• Book Signing – “Polar Dream,” “Three Among the Wolves” and “Walking the Gobi”
• Time - 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Address – 15 Biltmore Avenue

• Diana Wortham Theatre
• Three Among the Wolves Presentation
• Time – 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
• Address – 2 Pack Square
• Mast General Store will be donating all proceeds from this event to the MANNA FoodBank.

Originally launched at the 2009 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market trade show in Salt Lake City, INVISTA’s CORDURA® brand team is excited to bring the CORDURA Cares(sm) program to the Asheville area. INVISTA’s CORDURA® brand team is joining forces with the Mast General Store for this event, and all proceeds from Helen’s Three Among the Wolves presentation on Thursday, May 13 at 7 p.m. at the Diana Wortham Theatre will be given to the MANNA FoodBank.  Admission is $5 or 5 cans of food. Tickets are available at Mast General Stores in Asheville, Hendersonville, and Waynesville, NC.

Thayer’s previous expeditions across the world (noted below) have made her a true outdoor industry icon:

• Trekked across Africa’s Sahara Desert, the Atlas Mountains and the Serengeti plains while living with several indigenous tribes in 2009
• Trekked  the North Pole in 1988
• Walked across the Gobi Desert in 1996 – an astounding 2,400 miles
• Kayaked the 1,200 miles of the Irixana and Jaquere Rivers in a remote area of the Amazon.

For more information on INVISTA’s CORDURA® brand, please visit www.CORDURA.com.

About CORDURA® Brand

INVISTA’s CORDURA® brand essence celebrates individual durability: As Long As The World Is Full Of Durable People, We’ll Keep Making Durable Fabrics™. Known for its resistance to abrasions, tears and scuffs, CORDURA® fabric is a primary ingredient in many of the world’s leading high-performance gear and apparel products ranging from luggage, upholstery and backpacks to footwear, military equipment, tactical wear, workwear and performance apparel. The CORDURA® brand is a registered trademark of INVISTA, one of the world’s largest integrated polymer, intermediates and fibers businesses. To distinguish the CORDURA® brand, the word “CORDURA®” must be spelled out in all caps in and used with an ®, and it must be followed by the word “brand” or “fabric.”

To learn more about INVISTA’s CORDURA® brand, end-use products, and marketing tools please visit www.CORDURA.com. and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

About INVISTA

INVISTA is one of the world’s largest integrated producers of polymers and fibers, primarily for nylon, spandex and polyester applications, a business presence in over 20 countries, INVISTA’s global businesses deliver exceptional value for their customers through technology innovations, market insights and a powerful portfolio of global trademarks including: ADI-PURE®, ANTRON®, AVORA®, C12™, COMFOREL®, COOLMAX®, CORDURA®, CORFREE®, DACRON®, DBE®, DYTEK®, FRESHFX™, LYCRA®, PERFORMA™, POLARGUARD®, POLYSHIELD®, POLYCLEAR®, SOLARMAX®, STAINMASTER®, SUPPLEX®, SUPRIVA®, TACTEL®, TACTESSE®, TERATE®, TERATHANE® and THERMOLITE®. More information on INVISTA can be found at www.INVISTA.com.