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North Face athlete Manoah Ainuu on Bingo World in Hyalite Canyon, Montana (Photo: Courtesy Austin Schmitz/The North Face)
Sponsored athletes are a staple of outdoor gear brands, from Salomon to ski maker DPS to Red Bull, lending credibility to a company’s products by employing them to notch impressive feats in enviable locales. The athletes also serve as brand marketers, walking or climbing, or wingsuit-jumping billboards. The North Face (TNF) began sponsoring expeditions soon after its inception in 1966, and sponsored climbers have been central to its identity ever since.
With one of the largest teams, TNF athletes have notched some particularly impressive feats recently. In 2018, Nelson and Jim Morrison became the first to ski the Lhotse Couloir from the summit of the world’s fourth-highest peak 27,940-foot Lhotse, which straddles the Nepal-Tibet border. That same year, David Lama summited 22,661-foot Lunag Ri, Nepal’s highest uncli