The Copp-Dash Inspire Award is Accepting Applications

The Copp-Dash Inspire Award is currently accepting applications through March 3, 2017 for small climbing teams attempting fast and light alpine climbing objectives with a desire to creatively document and share their experience. 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.

Sponsored by Black Diamond Equipment, La Sportiva, Mountain Hardwear, and Patagonia, with support from the Jonny Copp Foundation, American Alpine Club and Sender Films, the Copp-Dash Inspire Award will distribute $20,000 this year to North American applicants.

In honoring Jonny and Micah, 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.

“Although we will always miss Jonny and Micah, the Inspire Award serves as a fitting tribute to their passion for adventure and climbing in the great ranges of the world,” says Jonathan Degenhardt, La Sportiva USA’s marketing director. “We look forward to supporting another collection of outstanding alpine climbs in 2017 and have those stories shared at the Adventure Film Festival in Boulder as well as throughout our community of climbers.”

Applications due on Fri., March 3. Only teams/individuals from North America are eligible for expeditions occurring between April 1, 2017 and Feb. 28, 2018. Award winners will be announced by March 30, 2017. To apply visit here.

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 that 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 stay 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. The Copp-Dash Inspire Award is sponsored by Black Diamond Equipment, La Sportiva, Mountain Hardwear, and Patagonia, and is supported by American Alpine Club, the Jonny Copp Foundation, and Sender Films.