The 9th "Experience Unlimited – Gore-Tex Outdoor Dreams Realization" Awards Ceremony and Departure Ceremony ...
Nine Questions About Outdoor Dreams
To fulfill a childhood dream of becoming the "King of the Western Xia," an armed police officer challenged the highest peak of the Qilian Mountains — the "Tuanjie Peak," the birthplace of the Western Xia Dynasty. Hiking through the ten "lesser-known peaks," 88-year-old beauty designer Diao Zha Ga Na put down her design drafts, picked up her backpack, and sought lost creative inspiration. Mom and photography enthusiast Xiao Qian strolled through the sea of clouds on Gongga Mountain — even a small lens can capture a vast world. Driving along the sheer cliffs of the Taihang Mountains, one can feel the "miracle of mankind" created by ancestors at the cost of sweat and blood. These dream journeys heading in different directions all converged on the stage of the 9th "Experience Unlimited – Gore-Tex Outdoor Dreams Realization" Awards Ceremony, embarking together on a journey to realize their outdoor dreams.
On July 29, 2015, the 9th "Experience Unlimited – Gore-Tex Outdoor Dreams Realization" Awards Ceremony and Departure Ceremony was grandly held. Awards such as the "New Explorers' Dream Destination" and the four annual champions were announced one by one. Nearly 40 well-known domestic outdoor sports personalities, 200 brand representatives, industry experts, media reporters, and numerous outdoor enthusiasts gathered together.
A highlight of the awards ceremony came during the "Whole Audience Applause Segment," where guests on stage and the audience below jointly launched the departure ceremony.
The overall champion received funding and equipment support from the Gore-Tex® brand and its partner brands The North Face®, KOLON SPORT, BLACK YAK®, NORTHLAND, Lafuma, and Subaru. As a landmark brand event in China’s outdoor industry, the "Experience Unlimited – Gore-Tex Outdoor Dreams Realization" is not only an annual gathering for the outdoor sector but also a platform for ordinary people to realize their outdoor dreams. There are nine essential questions you shouldn’t miss about it.
1. Q: What is the "Experience Unlimited – Gore-Tex Outdoor Dreams Realization"?
A: The "Experience Unlimited – Gore-Tex Outdoor Dreams Realization" is a broad platform provided by the Gore-Tex® brand for Chinese outdoor enthusiasts to engage in outdoor activities. Upholding a positive and healthy outdoor philosophy, the event collects outstanding outdoor travel plans through online and mobile platforms, and ultimately provides winning teams with travel funding and equipment support from the Gore-Tex® brand and its partner brands.
2. Q: What does the event organizer, the Gore-Tex® brand, do?
A: The "GORE-TEX" logo you see on waterproof jackets and pants is the English mark of the Gore-Tex® brand. Globally, the Gore-Tex® brand provides professional protection for those who love the outdoors and enjoy traveling. Gore-Tex® fabric is a lightweight, thin, durable, and strong membrane exclusively invented and produced by W.L. Gore & Associates in the U.S., offering waterproof, breathable, and windproof features. Gore-Tex® fabric is used not only in various outdoor sports such as mountaineering and hiking but is also widely applied in urban casual wear, and is hailed as the "fabric of the century."
3. Q: The Gore-Tex Outdoor Dreams Realization event has been held for nine years. What achievements has it made over the past nine years?
A: From 2007 to the present, the event has collected 63,626 proposals and attracted participation from over 2.58 million people. Over nine years, it has supported 32 teams in successfully completing their trips, enabling more than 200 outdoor enthusiasts to realize their outdoor dreams. This year, 23,283 proposals were collected, making it the year with the highest number of entries in the event’s history.
4. Q: What kind of people are the participants?
A: Whether seasoned outdoor pros, beginners just starting out, or simply ordinary people who enjoy traveling, everyone can participate by submitting travel plans, voting for favorite proposals or destinations, and more.
5. Q: Is having a dream enough? How can one join the event?
A: During the submission period, participants can join by submitting a travel plan or selecting a dream destination via the event's official website, mobile platform, or dedicated pages on the three sub-sites. An “Outdoor Mentors Group,” composed of mentors from the Gore Outdoor Pioneer Camp and seasoned outdoor experts, answers participants’ various questions online and offers advice on proposal writing, idea development, and creative expression. This year, the photography and self-driving groups have also lowered the entry barrier — participants only need to complete the itinerary plan for one day in detail. Additionally, you can take part in the “Most Dreamed-About Destination” vote. Simply casting your vote could earn you a chance to travel with a “Dream Destination” team led by professional outdoor experts.
The Gore-Tex Outdoor Dreams Realization event supported participants in reaching their dream destination, Namtso Lake.
6. Q: Why is the Gore-Tex® brand able to support the realization of these outdoor dreams?
A: Outdoor gear made with Gore-Tex® fabric offers waterproof, windproof, and breathable features, providing all-around protection from head to toe for the wearer. The Gore-Tex® brand, together with partners The North Face®, KOLON SPORT, BLACK YAK®, NORTHLAND, Lafuma, and Subaru, provides winning teams of the Gore-Tex Outdoor Dreams Realization event with a full set of top-tier Gore-Tex® equipment and travel funding. The 9th edition of the event also received support from Beijing Jin Yuan New Yan Sha Mall and Shuang An Shopping Mall.
Gore-Tex® fabric equipment ensures the successful departure of the championship team.
7. Q: What outdoor dreams have been realized over the past nine years?
A: In 2007, the first winning team of the inaugural event, the "Pilgrimage to the Ancient Guge Civilization" team, set off from Chengdu and arrived at their destination, Lhasa, after a month-long journey covering nearly 10,000 kilometers. In 2010, the Adventure Travel Group Champion, the "In Pursuit of the Snowland Postal Route" team, retraced the snowy postal path at the foot of Meili Snow Mountain — a route repeatedly traveled by national model worker Nyima Lamu for 10 years. Aside from paying tribute to the labor model, they also delivered sports and cultural supplies to local children. In 2013, the Professional Mountaineering Group, the "Challenge the Untouched Dayantianwo Peak" team, successfully tackled the untouched peak — Dayantianwo Peak in Aba Prefecture, Sichuan, setting a new record as the first Chinese ascent of this big wall-type untouched peak and successfully opening two new climbing routes. There are many such examples. Over the past nine years, the teams of the Gore-Tex Outdoor Dreams have continued to grow, breaking personal limits or setting records as they strive forward on the path toward their outdoor dreams.
At the "Whole Audience Applause Segment," over 200 audience members jointly launched the departure ceremony.
8. Q: What is an outdoor dream?
A: There is no fixed mold for an outdoor dream. It could be the dream of escaping the routine of daily life and immersing oneself in nature, dreaming of traveling the world to experience local customs, dreaming of meeting friends with shared passions on the road, or dreaming of capturing beautiful moments with a camera... Everyone has an outdoor dream in their heart, and no matter how big or small, it should be realized. Lian Xiaofeng, a member of a previous event, said: “I used to look up to and admire those outdoor pros, but when I finally set foot on my dream route, I suddenly realized that the outdoors actually belongs to everyone — as long as you’re willing to take that first step.”
9. Q: Is really wanting to go to a certain place considered an outdoor dream?
A: Really wanting to go to a certain place is an outdoor dream. The meaning of the outdoors is not just about exploration and challenge, but also a lifestyle that stands in contrast to urban living. The goal of the outdoors is to return to nature, relax the mind, dispel fatigue, and relieve the pressures of life and work — something everyone needs and is capable of doing. The Gore-Tex® brand has held the Outdoor Dreams Realization event for nine consecutive years, precisely in the hope that more people will start trying outdoor activities, transforming monotonous lives into art and repetitive exercise into fun.