NOLS Instructor Wins Copp-Dash Inspire Award

LANDER, WY– The American Alpine Club (AAC) awarded NOLS Instructor Craig Muderlak the Copp-Dash Inspire Award last week in Golden, Colorado.

The Copp-Dash Inspire Award is a $22,000 grant split between four climbing teams who plan to share their adventures by telling stories through multimedia; including photo, video and social media platforms.

The award was established in memory of climbers Jonny Copp and Micah Dash, and videographer Wade Johnson who were killed in an avalanche in China in 2009. The grant supports small climbing teams who have ambitious goals.

Copp and Dash believed climbing was as much about the stories they brought back to share; as completing the climbs in good style. In that same spirit, recipients of this award are required to share stories of their expeditions.

The goal of this award is to provide mentoring before and after the expedition, in order to share climbing stories with a larger audience. Winners of this grant frequently choose to attempt first ascents in remote locations.

Grant winner Muderlak has been a NOLS Instructor since 2004, and has spent many weeks in the field teaching students backpacking, rock climbing and river courses. He also is a popular local artist.

This award was given to climb the Enchainment of the Neacola Bells which is located in the Aleutian Mountain Range in southeast Alaska. Then, Muderlack plans to packraft out 51 miles to Lake Clark National Park.

Drew Thayer and David Fay will join Muderlak as his expedition-mates on this climb.

In addition to Muderlak, Thayer and Fay’s award three other climbing teams were awarded grants for their climbing expeditions.This grant is given annually and sponsored by: Black Diamond Equipment, La Sportiva, Mountain Hardwear and Patagonia.

About NOLS

Since legendary mountaineer Paul Petzoldt founded the school in 1965, more than 285,000 students have graduated from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), the leader in wilderness education. Whether through field-based courses offered in some of the most awe-inspiring locations in the world or classroom-based courses, the school provides transformative educational experiences to students of all ages. Graduates emerge as active leaders with lifelong environmental ethics and outdoor skills. To discover the NOLS experience or to bring a course to your business or organization, call (800) 710-NOLS (6657) or visit www.nols.edu.