2012 Copp-Dash Inspire Award Grant Recipients Announced

The Copp-Dash Inspire Award, sponsored by Black Diamond Equipment, La Sportiva, Mountain Hardwear and Patagonia (and with in-kind support from Adventure Film Festival, Alpinist Magazine, the American Alpine Club, Jonny Copp Foundation and Sender Films), announced the 2012 winners of the climbing grant established in memory of American climbers Jonny Copp and Micah Dash who were killed in an avalanche in China in May 2009, along with filmmaker Wade Johnson. In addition to providing financial support to perspective expedition teams, the goal of the Copp-Dash Inspire Award is to provide mentoring before and after the expedition to help the climbers bring back and share inspiring multimedia stories of their adventures.

“The Inspire Award is not just a climbing expedition grant,” says Black Diamond Equipment’s Marketing Director, Laura Fryer. “One thing we all learned from Jonny and Micah is that it’s as much about the stories and experiences that we take away from our climbs, as the climb itself. This award has been designed to support small teams with big goals in the high mountains and empower them to bring their adventures back and share their stories of inspiration.”

The 2012 Copp-Dash Inspire Award winners and their objectives are:

• Chris Wright with Geoff Unger. Southeast face of Lunag IV (6781m). Other possible objectives include Little Lunag (6492m) and Lunag III (6795m), all in the Khumbu Himal, Nepal, and unclimbed.

• Sam Johnson with Ryan Johnson. 1400-meter southwest face of Kizil Asker (5842m) in western Kokshall Too of Kyrgyzstan.

• Mike Libecki with Freddie Wilkinson. Belgica—Fabiola—BirgerBergensenfiella area, Antarctica. First ascents on previously unclimbed big walls.

• Joshua Lavigne with Jon Walsh. Northwest face of the South Tower of Mount Asgard, Baffin Island, Canada.

• Pat Goodman with Jeremy Collins and Brad Jackson. First ascent of Peak 2600m (aka The Phoenix) via a new all free route up the 700-meter east face, Logan Mountains, Canada.

For more information on the Copp-Dash Inspire Award, go to http://www.americanalpineclub.org/grants/g/5/Copp-Dash-Inspire-Award.

About the Copp-Dash Inspire Award: Sponsored by Black Diamond Equipment, La Sportiva, Mountain Hardwear and Patagonia, the Copp-Dash Inspire Award will help support small teams tackling difficult climbs in the great mountains of the world who plan to personally document and share their ascents through a multimedia blend of storytelling elements. Proposed trips or climbs should be focused on unclimbed objectives in distant ranges and regions, requiring a high level of skill and commitment and climbed in a fast, light and clean style that stays true to the progression of expedition climbing. Proposed documentation styles can include any mix of photos, video or writing that will vividly capture the essence and adventure of the trip or climb. Proposed sharing of these storytelling elements could aspire to involve slideshows, viral film clips, magazine articles, multimedia presentations, etc. The Copp-Dash Inspire Award is supported with in-kind support from Adventure Film Festival, Alpinist Magazine, American Alpine Club, Sender Films, and the Jonny Copp Foundation.