The Copp-Dash Inspire Award on Wednesday announced the 2019 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.
The awards are sponsored by Black Diamond Equipment, La Sportiva, Mountain Hardwear and Patagonia (with additional in-kind support from Adventure Film Festival, the American Alpine Club, Jonny Copp Foundation and Sender Films).
In addition to providing financial support to prospective 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 Jonathan Degenhardt, marketing director for La Sportiva NA. “It’s as much about the stories and experiences that we gain 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—as storytellers—to bring their adventures back and share their stories of inspiration.”
The 2019 Copp-Dash Inspire Award winners and their objectives are:
- Anne Mariah Tapp: East face of Breakfast Spire in the Torssuqatoq Spires in Greenland’s Cape Farewell region
- Roberto “Tino” Villanueva: North Face of Chilling II, Zanskar Himalaya, India
- Chris Wright: First Ascent attempt of Link Sar via East Face, Karakoram Range, Pakistan
For more information on the Copp-Dash Inspire Award, go to coppdashinspireaward.com or americanalpineclub.org/cdia
Photo courtesy Copp-Dash Inspire Award
