Jonny Copp

It's with great heartache that we share news that our friend, ambassador and hero, Jonny Copp was killed in an avalanche on Mount Edgar in China. Our Patagonia community has been deeply saddened by this news. Jonny was very much a part of our identity and an integral part of our community. Jonny’s writing and countless images have graced the pages of our catalog for many years. His stories are among the greatest, his character among the brightest. He was an ambassador to the company, a role he didn’t take lightly, and we were so proud to have him as a partner whether in the mountains, at a festival, or casually over beers. We were honored to partner with Jonny’s Adventure Film Festival and help bring his inspiring format of film and adventure to as many audiences as possible. When we had Jonny out to our Ventura office, he always had a lot of friends to visit. On his last trip here, after working hard for several days, we rallied a crew and skipped out before dark to surf under an amazing Pacific sunset (Jonny was scoring wave after wave like a machine!), then headed up to Santa Barbara where we danced 'til the town shut us down, and then in the morning discussed our next adventures over coffee and muffins. This is how Jonny lived, making the most out of every moment, a lesson we are reminded of when the people we love are taken away. Our hearts go out to Jonny's friends and family and all who are aching with this tragic news.

Jonny climbed serious, first ascents in Argentina, Pakistan, Chile, Alaska, India, the Yukon and other steep places. He was best known for his skills as an alpinist, including the first alpine-style ascent of Grade VII (longest vertical climbs in the world). He applied the idea that less is more in terms of equipment and supplies, and believed that the summit means something but that ascent style is everything. He was the recipient of many grants to fund his explorations. Jonny’s photography, writing and video footage has been published in magazines, journals, books and film. He was also the founder and director of the Boulder Adventure Film Festival and the Dirt Days Environmental Fair (now called Earthfest) in Boulder, Colorado.

"I started climbing in Joshua Tree with an electrician’s harness, a nylon towrope and friends who were out there for the sheer adventure of it all. I don’t even think that’s called “trad” – and maybe it’s called dangerous – but I’ve felt the same sense of adventure on the biggest climbs from Patagonia to Alaska to the Himalaya and the Karakoram Range. I get a kick out of all types of climbing, from boulders to walls to big mountains. And I love the getting there too, and the in-between, and the people you sometimes run into in the out-there places, and the music you hear at 5 a.m. from a mosque outside the hotel window, and the curses that turn to laughter at some heinous bivouac where we’ve run out of food and gear and nerve and yet somehow joke about it enough to come up with something new."

We'll miss you Jonny.

Ambassadeurs (alpinisme)