This Friday the 13th was a lucky day for participants who got to rappel off the rooftop of 514-foot high Rainier Tower. Media personalities including Q13's Bill Wixey, and, Seattle skiing icon Mike Hattrup, kicked it off, or rather, slid it down, during the first of the two-day Special OlympiWashington fundraiser "Over the Edge" that on Saturday, Aug. 14, welcomes over 100 participants rappelling that vertical rectangle resting on the upside down pyramid on 5th Avenue, three people every 15 minutes. (Friday's event was "Media Day.") Each will have raised at least $1,000 to rappel.

West Seattle resident Mike Gutt, Global Marketing Manger, K2 Skis, helped organize K2 Sports' sponsorship and involvement in the fundraiser. He rappelled side by side with Hattrup on Friday.

K2 Sports officially moved off Vashon Island and is now at 4201 6th Avenue South, two blocks east of the 4th Avenue South Costco. Roughly one third of its over 250 employees, like Gutt, live in West Seattle.

Gutt, a longtime outdoor enthusiast, explained how K2 Sports President Robert Marcovitch tapped him to organize the event. Marcovitch is a Special Olympics Washington board member.

Gutt (rhymes with root) recalled, "He asked me midway through a meeting point blank, 'Would you want to rappel off of a building in downtown Seattle?' I was like, 'Hell yeah I want to, like legally? I'm not going to get in trouble?'

"It's a great fit for K2 in terms of an event that gets you excited, gets your adrenaline rushing, very similar to the sports we do on a regular basis with skiing, snowboarding, inline skating and the rest of the portfolio," said Gutt, whose 4 year-old daughter Payson is showing an interest in rock climbing.

"What the Special Olympics organization does for individuals with special needs, giving them a chance to succeed and a feeling of worth in the community, it's an amazing thing they do, and the legacy of it in Washington, DC with the Kennedy family." Eunice Kennedy Shriver help to establish the Special Olympics.

"K2 Sports has been an incredible ambassador for the Special Olympics, and helped get over 100 people to rappel," said Ashley Stanfield, Development Director, Special Olympics Washington. "Mike Gutt was able to get (K2 Athlete) Mike Hattrip, who is very recognizable."

According to an article in Powder Magazine, "Hattrup has one of the more diverse resumes in skiing. An upstart mogul specialist on the U.S. freestyle team in the mid '80s, his life changed dramatically with the 1988 release of Greg Stump's landmark Euro-extreme flick 'The Blizzard of Oz.' Along with co-stars Scot Schmidt and Glen Plake, Hattrup forever became a cultural fixture in the hallowed halls of ski history."

"This is an inaugural event and we're very excited about it," added Stanfield, based in Seattle. "Instead of running up stairs, it's climbing down a building. A similar fundraiser was recently held in San Francisco (July 24) and they used the Grand Hyatt near Union Square. A large crowd stopped as others were passing out flyers that said 'Look up for Special Olympics.' People would then look up."

Laura Thomas, Property Manager, Unico, that operates Rainier Tower, lives near the Alaska Junction. "We're excited to work with Special Olympics, something exciting to do." she said. "I'm usually not on the roof for anything fun, just building maintenance reasons, and maybe to see the Blue Angles."

The 100 or more other participants decended Saturday, Aug. 14, 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. The descent takes eight to fifteen minutes and industrial strength cables are used.

You can still donate to Over the Edge. If you donate through K2 Sports, they will match the first $2,500 raised, here: www.firstgiving.com/k2sports

Also check out Special Olymics "NW Ride of Dreams" event in Ellensburg Aug. 28: www.nwrideofdreams.org which is also sponsored by K2 Sports, and law enforcement and others.