The North Face awarded Summit Member of EOCA with its winter conservation program EPIC Day

The North Face, the world’s premier supplier of authentic, innovative and technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear wins the first ever Summit Member Award from EOCA (European Outdoor Conservation Association) at the 2013 OutDoor Show in Friederichshafen on July 13th, for its new winter conservation program EPIC Day funded by The North Face Explore Fund in partnership with Respect the Mountains.

The Summit Member is a new award to recognise companies who have committed to be involved in conservation and support an entire project through EOCA, the European Outdoor Conservation Association.

The North Face Explore Fund is funding EPIC Day, a brand new winter conservation program implemented by Respect the Mountains and designed for young people. EPIC Day is about:

• Educating the youth in respecting mountains

• Engaging the participants in hands on conservation work

• Enabling the youngsters to experience a winter mountain activity

• Inspiring young people through discussions with Respect the Mountains and The North Face athletes and ambassadors

The North Face has partnered with Respect the Mountains, one of EOCA’s Conservation projects to develop and implement EPIC Day in the French Alps, in February 2014. The goal of EPIC Day is to provide impactful entry-level mountain awareness training for youngsters between the ages of twelve to sixteen. This training will encompass mountain awareness education, hands-on work around conservation, and new outdoor skills development whilst exploring these fragile mountain environments.

Hubertine Roessingh, Sustainability Manager The North Face EMEA, comments: “We are thrilled to contribute to EOCA’s great conservation work by partnering with Respect the Mountains. There are many ways to get involved in spreading the message about conservation, we believe that engaging children in conservation work and to connect their passion for the outdoors to environmental responsibility is of great importance.”

About The North Face Explore Fund:

The North Face introduced Explore Fund for the first time in2010 intheUSAand in 2011 it was

launched inEurope. The aim of the program is to fund non-profit, community-based organizations that work to help the next generation of explorers and conservationists to discover nature’s playground. Over the last two years we have funded over 60 projects acrossEurope, inspiring hundreds of children to go outdoors to discover nature and adventure. For further information on

The North Face Explore Fund visit our

website: http://explorefund.eu

For more insights on The North Face sustainability program, please visit:

http://expeditionsustainability.com

About Respect the Mountains:

Respect the Mountains is a non-profit organisation that creates awareness about mountain areas. The organisation empowers mountain tourists and the mountain industry to adopt the 7 Ways to Respect the Mountains.

About EOCA:

The European Outdoor Conservation Association is an initiative from the European outdoor industry with the objective of protecting the wild areas it cares so passionately about.