Mindfulness and Inclusivity in the Mountains

Have you had the experience of following a well-set skin track in the backcountry? One that someone else broke in, that leads to your drop in point where there are beautiful curvy tracks already leading the way down? I love it when this happens because it eases some of the sweat & effort to climb – and there is a feeling of reassurance that it’s going to be okay because you can see that someone has been there before. It makes me feel inspired, safer, and gives me the reassurance that I can do it too. 

When I think about women in snowsports that’s the feeling I get. I feel gratitude for generations of women before us, who had little representation of their identities in the mountains and broke down barriers and made tracks anyway. Seeing other women doing the things that I wanted to do helped remove some of the invisible barriers for me, I wonder how my experiences in the outdoors would be different if I hadn’t been able to see others who shared my identities represented in these outdoor recreation sports. I hope that all people get to experience these feelings in some way shape or form – of belonging, of being represented, of fun and play, and risk and reward outside.  

We certainly have come a long way for white women, but the industry has a lot of catching up to do especially when it comes to seeing Black, Indiginous, and women of color, trans & non-binary folks, and other marginalized identities on the slopes, in the rivers, and on the ice. Just like that skin track – having models of yourself and your own identities as a form or reassurance that ‘you can do this too’ is so important.