Originally published in the Mazama Bulletin—view the full October 2018 issue.
I’ve spent a lot of time being the only woman in the room, in a tour planning session, or at the top of a rad ski line. Now, I’m taking it one step further and am working toward being the Mazama Ski Mountaineering course’s only (current) female tour leader. I’ve volunteered on tours full of male students. I’ve served on the Ski Mountaineering board and am often the only woman present. I recently spent two days on an incredible leadership training trip with 11 fellow male tour leaders.
Don’t get me wrong – the men I’ve encountered in all aspects of the Ski Mountaineering course are fantastic teachers, ski partners, and friends. Without mentors like Layne Russell and Wei Chiang, I wouldn’t be pursuing being a leader at all. These guys helped me get to where I am today and encouraged me along the way.
So now here I am, most of the way through my tour leader development and training. I’ve learned about teaching backcountry ski skills and leading a group. I’ve taken MFA. I’ve purchased an AIAIRE field book ($35, really?), and upped my avalanche knowledge game. But most importantly, this last season I led a group of awesome women on an all-women ski tour at Mount Saint Helens as part of my provisional leader training.
It was AMAZING. These ladies rocked it. One of our students, Carly, is an ace compass navigator and helped explain techniques to her fellow tourers. Rachael, our lone splitboarder, was concerned about the icy runout through the trees. But everyone stepped up and offered encouragement in a way that just doesn’t happen in a group of guys. Oh, and Rachael did amazingly well on the runout – don’t doubt yourself, girl. Tracy, Hannah, and Carey volunteered as assistants, providing awesome insight about things on and off the mountain, sharing jokes, and smiling all day long. Thanks much, ladies!
Getting women out in the mountains together is so important. It builds community and gives our female students and volunteers the opportunity to connect with like-minded women. With the Ski Mountaineering course, we want to create a space where all people in the program feel welcome, no matter their skills or who they are. We want to encourage our female-identifying students to come back and volunteer, and maybe even become a tour leader in years to come. We want to make the backcountry as a whole more inclusive.
Experience shows us that women – some women, anyway – struggle to find their voice in groups of men. I know I feel more confident speaking up and sharing my opinions with a group of women. In the backcountry, this can be dangerous – not speaking up about terrain that intimidates us or conditions that seem unsafe can help lead the whole group into bad situations. In contrast, I think being in a group of women creates an atmosphere of honesty and openness, where everyone’s physical and emotional needs are more easily met. In women-only or women-majority groups, we feel less pressure to prove ourselves as being “one of the guys”, and spend less time doubting our capabilities in the presence of more outspoken men.
I think our tour was a resounding success, and as far as I know, the other women involved agree. I hope the tour created a space where all of us could be ourselves, and just go out in the mountains and have fun. I know I had tons of fun. Here’s to this year’s upcoming ski and Mazama Ski Mountaineering season – see you out there!
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