Copp-Dash Inspire Award Accepting Applicants for 2011

February 4, 2011 (Boulder, Colo.) – The Copp-Dash Inspire Award, sponsored by Black Diamond Equipment, La Sportiva, Mountain Hardwear, Patagonia and the Jonny Copp Foundation, is currently accepting applications for 2011. The award was 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.

“We are excited that four cornerstone outdoor brands have come together to keep the spirit of Jonny, Micah, and Wade alive,” says Laura Fryer, La Sportiva’s Marketing Manager. “This November, we plan to highlight the 2010 Inspire Award winners at the Adventure Film Festival and showcase the creative work that comes out of these expeditions which inspire us all. As more climbers become familiar with this grant, we are confident that the Copp-Dash Inspire Award will continue to be a tradition for years to come.”

In honoring the late Jonny Copp and Micah Dash, the award supports climbers who choose to follow a similar path, both in life and in the mountains. The fund’s goal is to assist climbers before, during and after expeditions with financial grants and multimedia instruction to help empower them to share their current and future adventures with a wider audience.

The 2010 Copp-Dash Inspire Award winners and their objectives were:

• Kevin Mahoney with Ben Gilmore and Freddie Wilkinson. South Face of Nuptse, Nepal. Alpine-style ascent via a new route on the perimeter of the Cobweb Wall.
• Madaleine Sorkin with Lorna Illingworth and Emily Stfler. Southeast Face of Mt. Proboscis, Canada. First complete free ascent of the 2,000-foot Original Route.
• Matt McCormick with Jim Shimberg and Tim Deroehn. Southeast Pillar of K7 West, Nepal. Alpine-style first complete ascent of a major sub-summit of K7 West.
• Sam Johnson with Ryan Hokanson. South Face of Mt. Shand and traverse of Mt. Hayes massif, Alaska. Alpine-style first ascent of 1,500-meter face on Mt. Shand and 12-mile traverse of Hayes massif, entailing thousands of vertical meters of climbing.
• Sarah Garlick with Danika Gilbert, Jim Surette and Dave Nettle. Northwest face of the Baroness, Greenland. New free route on 2,000-foot northwest face of the Baroness.
• Will Meinen with Fred McGuinness and Scott Thumlert. North Face of Mt. Geikie, Canada. First ascent on 4,000-foot face.
• Zack Smith with Renan Ozturk and Freddie Wilkinson. Traverse of the Moose’s Tooth massif. A full traverse of the massif, entailing an estimated 12,000 feet of ice, rock, and snow climbing.

The Copp-Dash Inspire Award provides a pool of $20,000 in grants to North American climbers for expeditions between May 1, 2011, and February 28, 2012. Applications for the Copp-Dash Inspire Award will be accepted from January 1, 2011 to March 31, 2011. Only teams/individuals from North America are eligible. Award winners will be announced by April 30, 2011.

For more information on the Copp-Dash Inspire Award and application downloads, go to:

https://www.americanalpineclub.org/grant/coppdashinspireaward

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Copp-Dash-Inspire-Award/136549863045377?ref=ts

About the Copp-Dash Inspire Award:
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 should be focused on unclimbed objectives in distant ranges and regions, requiring a high level of skill and commitment. Climbs should be done 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 of the trip or climb. Proposed sharing of these storytelling elements could involve slideshows, viral film clips, magazine articles, multimedia presentations, etc.

With over 80 years of heritage, La Sportiva has unrivaled experience in building the world’s finest performance mountain footwear. Creating innovation through passion, La Sportiva offers the most versatile technical climbing, mountaineering, Mountain Running®, hiking shoes and ski mountaineering equipment on the market. For more information on La Sportiva visit www.sportiva.com or check out the new online interactive community, La Sportiva LIVE, at: http://www.sportiva.com/live