"Those years"—just three simple words, yet they carry memories that are always profound. What happened in those years? What was missed? And what was achieved? On February 19, the 2014 ISPO Beijing Exhibition was held at the China National Convention Center, with numerous well-known domestic and international outdoor brands participating. At the exhibition, Gore unveiled its "Journey into the Outdoors, Achieve Your Dreams" Seven-Year Manual, which chronicles the seven-year journey of the "Experience Unlimited – The North Face® Outdoor Dream Realization" campaign from its first edition in 2007 to the seventh in 2013, alongside countless outdoor enthusiasts forging ahead toward their "outdoor dreams". It also shares the stories of dreams fulfilled "in those years", aiming to convey the power and charm of realizing outdoor dreams, encouraging "the fulfillment of every outdoor dream", and paying tribute to everyone who dares to dream.
In 2007, inspired by the American "Simpson & Thurlow Expedition Fund", Gore introduced this campaign to China, launching the "Experience Unlimited – The North Face™ Outdoor Dream Realization" initiative. It provided a more standardized and expansive platform for Chinese outdoor enthusiasts to engage in outdoor activities. The campaign widely solicited outstanding travel plans online, with Gore and its partners offering funding and equipment support to the annual winners. Over the past seven years, the event has continuously honored the outdoor dreams achieved "in those years", each one touching the hearts of people with the power of dreams, as if taking them back to those dreamed-of places.
In 2007, the winning plan of the first edition, titled "Pilgrimage to Guge’s Primitive Art, Distributing Loving Sunglasses", was born. On April 30, the "Pilgrimage to Guge Civilization" team officially set off from Chengdu, returning to Beijing from Lhasa on May 28. Over the course of a month, they left the first mark of a dream on a journey spanning nearly 10,000 kilometers. In 2010, the champion of the exploration travel category in the fourth edition, the "In Pursuit of the Snowland Postal Route" team, retraced the snowland postal path at the foot of Meili Snow Mountain and along the Lancang River, which national model worker Nyima Lamu had walked for 10 years. Team members followed in Nyima Lamu’s footsteps through three seasons from summer to winter, paying tribute to her husband Nongbu and her successor Lazhu, while also delivering school supplies to local children, adding deeper meaning to their dream-fulfilling journey. In 2011, the fifth edition’s "Into the Pema Valley" team set off from Chengdu, driving Subaru Forester vehicles deep into the Tibetan hinterland. Crystal-clear blue skies, mysterious high-altitude no-man's-lands, and valleys like hidden paradises… With the roar of their vehicles, they left tire tracks—and the imprints of dreams—on the beautiful land. In 2012, the sixth edition’s outstanding outdoor category winner, the "Let Gongga Regain Its Youth" team, hiked up Gongga Mountain, picking up trash along the way and calling on more people to protect the outdoor environment. They hiked 92 kilometers in four days, crossed raging rivers by building makeshift bridges, carried heavy loads for long stretches, and traversed high mountain passes… Persisting relentlessly for one environmental dream.
2012 Sixth Edition Outstanding Outdoor Category “Let Gongga Regain Its Youth” Team
Over seven years, participants grew from 285 in the first edition to 460,000, with 24,240 outstanding travel plans submitted. Thirty champion teams were helped to realize their dreams, accumulating 7,680 hours of travel. By the seventh edition, the routes of all champion teams spanned all provinces across the country... These figures not only witness the growth and maturity of the outdoor dream realization campaign over seven years, but also show its impact and transformation on the lifestyles of Chinese outdoor enthusiasts, encouraging more people to enjoy nature, experience the outdoors, and reflect the maturation of China’s outdoor sector.
Sixth Edition "6252 Unnamed Peak Climb" Team “Tough Guys” Roped Up Climbing on the Glacier
Seven years—a period that represents an increasingly passionate journey for outdoor enthusiasts, as well as the growth and flourishing of the outdoor dream realization campaign. Upholding a dedication to the outdoors and a sincere commitment to dreams, a brand-new outdoor dream journey has begun anew: the eighth edition of 2014 launched in March, with the call for proposals now in full swing. As in previous years, The North Face