Hello, friend!

I started this project after years of searching the web for the documented experiences of and reviews by regular (i.e., not sponsored champions) women mountain athletes. As a very experienced (read: 20+ years) rock climber and an always stoked but less experienced biker, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I know what I know about being in the mountains in any discipline. It takes not only guts and desire to be outdoors but actual skills to even find the right trailhead let alone go on a hike, ride, run, or climb without sh*t going wrong. Actually, a lot of things will go wrong, and somehow I learned how to minimize risk and maximize fun. How did I learn what I know about playing in the mountains? Honestly, a lot of it is through the help of knowledgable friends along with massive amounts of trial and error. I am fortunate to have lived in places with easy access to the mountains in Colorado, Kentucky, New England, and California for most of my adult life. But I’m even luckier to have friends, especially women, who go outside with me for sporty, dirty, “exciting” shenanigans on trails or cliffs.

I see the lack of real women’s trail/mountain knowledge online most prominently in the world of mountain biking, which markets primarily to men with few exceptions. When I was a beginner rider in my late 30s (I’m now in my mid-40s), I found mountain biking especially hard to access and gain comfort in the community as a woman rider. I used to think rock climbing was bro-y, but it’s practically feminist when you compare it to mountain biking. (I will save my trail mansplaining stories for another day when I need the catharsis.) However, I also want to correct the myth that being in the woods or mountains alone is inherently more dangerous for women than it is to be anywhere else. (Blair Braverman says this better than I can.)

I intend for this blog to be a place where I can share what I think and what I’ve learned in my own experiences of and love for mountain-related pursuits. Maybe it will be useful for you in one way or another. Or maybe you think I’ve got it all wrong – that’s fine too. If all it does is add my own perspective to the fray, as a woman who really loves the mountains, that’s enough for me.