The North Face is Giving Money Away!

While we all know that The North Face is a great outdoor gear company, it also has some highly successful charitable ventures that it funds throughout the year as well. Two of those project are underway right now, and the company is giving away hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result.

The first of these ventures is the Explore Fund, a program that provides funding for nonprofit organizations that encourage people to get outside and interact with nature in a meaningful way. While the program is open to any outdoor-related nonprofit, it puts a particular emphasis on those that   are focused on motivating young people to get outside and pursue their own adventures. 

To be eligible for an Explore Fund grant, an organization must be a 501(c)(3) or in a formal relationship with such a qualified fiscal sponsor. Applications are being taken through April 17, with more than $500,000 available to help launch major initiatives. To start the application process, click here.

The other program that is currently accepting applications is the Hot Planet/Cool Athletes initiative, which is being conducted in association with the Protect Our Winters organization. The mission of Hot Planet/Cool Athletes is to educate future generations about the threats we face from global warming and climate change. With that in mind, middle schools and high schools are invited to submit a plan to receive a Powder Grant that would help fund projects that address environmental action in their schools or communities. The grants are valued at up to $10,000. Schools can also request an assembly given by a pro outdoor athlete, or a DVD that can be shown multiple times. For more info, visit HotPlanetCoolAthletes.com.

While both of these initiatives are quite different from one another, they demonstrate The North Face's commitment to protecting the environment and encouraging future generations to get outside and enjoy our planet to its fullest. While I respect the company for the often excellent gear that they produce, these kinds of programs give me an even greater sense of satisfaction about what they do.

Protect Our Winters Hot Planet/Cool Athletes Promo from protect our winters on Vimeo.

Afghan Women Use Climbing to Break Down Barriers

If you're in need of an inspiring story today, take a look at this article that comes our way via NPR. It tells the tale of some very courageous women in Afghanistan who have taken up climbing in a culture where women have few rights and their freedoms are greatly restricted.

The women who are taking this bold step are working in conjunction with a nonprofit called Ascend. The organization is looking to instill leadership and confidence in a new generation of Afghani women by showing them that they are capable of extraordinary things if given the opportunity. The hope is that these women can then serve as role models to others in their country, encouraging them to step forward as well. Climbing is providing them that strength and self-assuredness, as they test their own physical and mental limits on the rock.

The women face a number of challenges in their pursuit, not the least of which are cultural and religious barriers. Afghanistan is a conservative Muslim country after all, and what is typically permitted of women is very different than what we are use to here in the West. For many Afghanis, women should stay home, tend to the chores and children, and seldom speak their mind. Ascend's program runs counter to all of those deeply ingrained beliefs and challenges a way of life that has remained largely the same for hundreds of years.

That isn't the only challenge however. While Afghanistan is a rugged, mountainous country, climbing and mountaineering are only just now starting to become more popular there. This isn't too surprising considering the challenges that the country has faced over the past 50+ years. Only a handful of men there have taken up the pursuit of climbing mountains, which makes it all the more extraordinary that these women are doing it as well.

Ultimately, the goal is for an all-female team to travel to remote Mt. Noshaq – Afghanistan's tallest peak at 7491 meters (24,580 ft) – and attempt to summit it. To date, just two men have ever climbed the mountain, and if a women's team could repeat that feat, it would send a powerful message to others throughout the country, and the entire Muslim world. The ladies hope to achieve that goal sometime later this year, although they face a number of logistical obstacles to making that happen.

This is a great story and one that I highly recommend reading. It is inspiring to see climbing and mountaineering being put to good use in this way, and I hope these women get the chance to launch their expedition. What a great story that would make too.

Video: Breathe Easy Nepal - Gamcha 2015

My good friends over at the Himalayan Stove Project have produced an excellent video that not only gives viewers a glimpse of life in rural Nepal, but also the important work that the nonprofit organization is doing to improve the lives of people that work there. If you're not familiar with the HSP, it is working tirelessly to replace old, inefficient cook stoves in Nepal with clean, efficient ones that are greatly altering the way of life for the people who are using them. Check out the short film below to get a better idea of their work, and to witness first hand how these stoves are improving conditions in the Himalaya.