Dream Big, Train Hard, Win $9,000 Adventure

Dynafit, together with Gore-Tex and GoPro, launched a new challenge on September 26th of this year. Dubbed ‘Mountopia,’ the premise is simple: name your mountain sports dream, train and share everyday, win gear and $9,000 for the trip.

That’s right, the winner will receive €8,000, close to $9,000, to make their dream become a reality. Dynafit, a core ski touring and mountain sports brand, hopes to get people to answer the question, “What’s your Mountopia?” and encourage them to train and dedicate themselves to the pursuit of that accomplishment.

What Counts As A Mountopia?

The competition guidelines for your “Mountopia” are vague, and for good reason. It can be an epic dream you can’t seem to shake, a mountain climb, a race, an expedition, or even your first ski mountaineering attempt.

Applicants can plan their “Mountopia” in any mountain range around the world, and it can involve any mountain sports discipline or participation in any competition. Sports include mountaineering, climbing, ski touring, trail running, canyoning, and more.

The goal is to get people motivated to pursue their passion and train for their personal ‘holy grail’ mountain adventure, whatever that might look like.

How To Enter

1. Create a profile at Mountopia.com, describe your Mountopia, and outline your training program.
2. As you train, upload your photos to the Mountopia site and collect votes on your profile posts from the rest of the Mountopia Community (Tip: also tag your other social media posts with #mountopia and @dynafit). The goal is to rack up as many training sessions and votes as possible before the competition closes on Jan. 8th.
3. In mid-Jan., 10 finalists will be chosen and given a GoPro to introduce themselves over a period of 4 weeks. On Feb. 16th, a panel of mountain guides and athletes will select a winner.
4. The winner will receive Dynafit gear, €8,000, and will have Dynafit athletes at their disposal for consultation and for the trip itself. With their support, you’ll be embarking on your Mountopia project between March and July 2017.

Cody Barnhill’s Mountopia

We caught up with professional skier and Dynafit athlete Cody Barnhill to get insight into his pursuit of his Mountopia:

What’s your Mountopia? “The Tordrillo Mountains in Alaska.”

Why would you like to reach your Mountopia? What is special about it? “I would like to be in the Tordrillos because it is a beautiful, expansive, glaciated area with limitless options and objectives. It is also a place that is very remote, and hard to get to, so it is a great place of solitude.”

When did you first have this dream? “The Tordrillos are across the bay from where I grew up; behind the ocean to the west, so I have spent many nights watching the sun set behind the Tordrillos. I have been thinking about being in them since I was young and growing up in in Alaska.”

What would a typical day look like as you train for the Tordrillos? “Just keep hiking… I would hike with a heavy pack daily near my house in Idaho. I would also ski every day possible for the whole winter beforehand to make sure my skiing was as sharp as possible.”

What will it look like when that day comes when you set off to take on that Alaskan mountain range? “It is crystal clear, and breathtakingly cold. The sun is above the horizon, but not for long. All around there is only snow, ice, rock, and wind. All around, there are as many lines as you could hope to ski in your lifetime. Many of them never skied. The rest probably only a few times at most. Perfect, timeless, limitless.”

Unique Opportunity

We’re interested to see how the competition plays out over the next few months. If you have a mountain sports dream that could use some support, look to enter and start training. Who knows, next spring/summer you might find yourself jetting away to the start of your dream adventure.

– This post was sponsored by Dynafit. Check out the new Mountopia competition here.