All images in this piece are courtesy of Outdoor Women's Alliance.

Empowering Females Worldwide: An Interview with Gina Bégin of Outdoor Women's Alliance

February 06, 2017 by Sabrina Carlson in Women Work Wits

Being female and breaking into the world of outdoor recreation isn’t easy. For many of us, we grew up with messages, some subtle and some not so subtle, that physical prowess, survival skills, and navigation in the backcountry were simply not for us. This was the domain of men. The boys were taken out to split wood with dad. Girls learned to cook with mom. Boy Scout troops learned to backpack and canyoneer while Girl Scout Troops sold cookies and did crafts.

As adults, not only are women having to push through this deeply embedded psychology, but we are also working against an outdoor culture that still treats outdoor women with suspicion and disbelief. (As a woman in a leadership role in an outdoor organization myself, I could fill an entire article with stories about being treated like I’m incapable while men 20 years my junior are regarded with respect.) On top of all this, when women want to learn new skills in the outdoors they often don’t have other women to learn from (see back to the things we were taught as children). Men teach and learn very differently than women. The way men approach teaching each other, is not a comfortable way for many women to learn.

Gina Bégin, founder of Outdoor Women’s Alliance saw these obstacles and is turning them into an opportunity to change the experience for women looking to break into adventure.

Asked what exactly OWA does Gina responded, “Outdoor Women’s Alliance (OWA) is a volunteer-run nonprofit media and adventure collective that engages, educates, and empowers females worldwide. Through the lens of human-powered adventure, we work to inspire confidence and leadership in women of all ages, believing that confident women have the power to build healthy communities and — quite literally — change the world.”

No big deal...Let’s just change the world. And the way OWA is growing, I have no doubt that they will.

Empowering women outdoors is important to Gina for the same reason it is important to many of us, because she herself has been transformed and shaped by experiences in it. She shared with me one particularly memorable experience.

“Sleeping under the northern lights in Yukon Territory in 2012. I was on my way to Cordova, Alaska and decided to drive rather than fly. I lived from my car for three years and at this point, it was much more natural to sleep in my car or a tent than it was to get a room with a bed. (Besides, lodging in the winter in the Yukon is hard to find when you’re not in the towns.) Being that it was -14ºF out, I knew I’d be sleeping in my car, rather than a tent, that night.

There was no moon. Mountains ripped into the sky as black silhouettes, lit only by stars. The road was desolate, single-laned, and its borders were uninhabited.

It was then that I saw it.

Shapeless, white, and faint. It was like a city illuminating a cloud cover, but I knew there was no city other than Whitehorse, and no cloud cover in this moonless night. Anyway, I had passed Whitehorse ages ago. There was nothing here — except that light.

And suddenly, realization. I pushed down on the brakes and moved onto the shoulder before cranking on the e-brake and turning my lights off. The window rolled down, frozen air rushing in to replace the heat. My numb fingers fumbled with a camera lens, trying to focus on something that wasn’t quite there yet. But it was growing, it was shimmering, it was beginning to dance.

The northern lights.

I hung out of that car window until my stomach, pressed against the sill, ached and my fingers were nearly drained of color from the cold. I cranked the heat and chased the lights, looking for a place to sleep for the night. Once I found my car campground, I watched until I fell asleep underneath the lights’ movement.

Though I’ve never shunned off-season outings, this experience forever cemented my preference for them. I loved that no one else was around and the wild thrill from this private showing. The only regret was that there was no human-power involved in “earning” this experience, but the impact shaped my perspective deeply.”

The idea and impetus for OWA came from first hand observation of how positive and powerful outdoor adventure can be for women, especially for young women.

Gina tells us, “The concept of using adventure sports to empower women came to me after I returned west from my home state of Florida and discovered a connection between self-confidence and participation in adventure sports.

Born and raised in Florida, I spent a few years of grade school living in the West. I learned to love skiing, hiking, camping, climbing, and exploring but, with my return to Florida for middle and high school, I found access to these healthy activities out of reach.

As I grew away the outdoor lifestyle and aged into high school, I saw many of my female peers—in their quest for acceptance—become pregnant, end up in juvenile court, or drop out of school.

It wasn’t until I moved back west for college that I rediscovered adventure sports and with it, a boost in confidence. I credit my growing confidence to adventure sports’ focus on individual skill progression.

Thinking back to my high school experience and the female friends who fell prey to social pressures, I realized adventure sports would have been a positive avenue for these young women to gain confidence, choose healthier paths, and pursue life with clearer purpose.

It was then that I began planning a way to connect young women with this tool for self-empowerment, with the intent of rerouting young people from risky paths to positive avenues of self-value.

As I continued with the idea of helping young women, I was approached locally by adult peers who wanted to participate in adventure sports but felt uncomfortable in co-ed situations. Achieving confidence in one aspect of life can spill over to all areas of life, and here, I saw the interplay between outdoor adventure and leadership qualities and confidence for all women, regardless of age or environmental upbringing.

Out of these realizations—and over the next several years—Outdoor Women’s Alliance grew into what it is today: a volunteer-run nonprofit organization that serves women worldwide through the lens of adventure.”

Outdoors Women’s Alliance isn’t just about inspiration. It’s about action. Through their Grassroots team OWA works to connect women with opportunities and community to grow their skills and confidence outdoors.

They provide meaningful mentorships and internships for women looking to learn the behind the scene skills they need to grow careers in the outdoor industry. Their media mission is to provide channels to support and uplift women for their skills and accomplishments in the outdoors, rather than for their sexuality. And let’s face it, we can use more recognition of women that is unrelated to their appearance.

On a personal level Gina is working to recover from a serious knee injury that has left her sidelined, with all the emotional roller coaster and self doubt that goes along with it.

When I asked her what was next for OWA she said, “We’re building an online platform that women everywhere can use to connect, grow skills, and build in-person communities right where they are. This new platform will bring the offerings OWA has at the team level to those who wouldn’t otherwise have access, allowing smaller groups of women to meet together in their locations to get outdoors, put on events through OWA, and continue our mission of instilling confidence and leadership skills in each participating member.

Starting February 6th and through March 3rd, we’re running a crowdfunder to get this new platform and program on its feet. With OWA, we’re very organic in growth, relying on the feedback of needs from our community and the efforts of volunteers. We have no debt, no investors — just a community and hard-working women determined to meet the needs of #outdoorwomen.

We hope women will join with us to help provide for each other’s needs through this crowdfunder.”

We are all called to do big work in this world in some way. Gina and Outdoor Women’s Alliance are stepping up to their work and answering the call. If you too want to support getting more women outdoors and the incredible mission of OWA, please consider a donation to their crowdfunding campaign.

Want to keep up with all OWA is doing? Follow them online!

www.outdoorwomensalliance.com/about-owa

Facebook: http://facebook.com/outdoorwomensalliance (@Outdoor Women’s Alliance)

Twitter: http://twitter.com/womenoutdoors (@womenoutdoors)

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/outdoorwomen (@outdoorwomen)

Instagram: http://instagram.com/outdoorwomen (@outdoorwomen)

This post is the second in the "Women, Work, Wits" series. Read about the why of this series and find each interview linked HERE.

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Are You Badass Enough To Hang With Me?

January 23, 2017 by Sabrina Carlson in Philosophy

Her matter-of-fact, straightforward words smacked me in the face like hitting the ground cheek first crashing my bike.

“I’ve missed out on too many opportunities to ride and have fun with friends because I was afraid I couldn’t keep up. I was worried I would hold everyone else back...you know?”

I could. Not. Believe. My. Ears. It’s not that I’ve never felt this way or that the concept was unfamiliar. Quite the contrary. This has been me nearly every group mountain bike ride I’ve EVER been on. Every time I’m invited to ride with someone I know is faster and/or more technically skilled than me. For sure everytime I’ve been invited to ride with a new person who’s rhythm I don’t know. In any given group, in any given activity, my inner critic shouts at me that I’m not good enough. I’ll never keep up. Everyone will think I’m lame. I will hold everyone back. The anxiety takes hold like you cannot believe.

No, it wasn’t the concept that floored me. It was the source of the comment. My friend who said this just happens to be the former professional mountain bike racer friend. You know, like US national champion pro racer, turned professional cycling coach. Fastest little lady on the mountain? Yeah. Her. SHE was the source of this comment. It rocked my world and shifted my entire perspective.

Wait? Do we ALL have those anxieties? Do we ALL worry that we will not be good enough, strong enough, fast enough, badass enough? Does it actually have NOTHING to do with our skill and fitness level and everything to do with some kind of inner itty-bitty-shitty committee? Really...it seems so.

Where does this come from? This notion that we must do a mental measuring of ourselves against everyone else, place ourselves into some badassery pecking order, and then apologize profusely to everyone we perceive as “above us”? Why do we think we can only hang with the friends who skill and fitness levels are exactly the same as ours? Why do we feel ashamed of our efforts?

Is this a female thing? Do men have this issue too? Maybe they do internally, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard a man giving a constantly rambling apology for how he is showing up to ride, climb, or paddle on any given day. Maybe a quick, “Dude. I’m so hung over. I’m gonna be riding like a little fat kid today” by way of letting his companions know where he is at. But not the nervous, apologetic, repeated self flagellation to make sure everyone is clear that he isn’t worthy to be here. But women? I hear it ALL. THE. TIME. I see it in her eyes, I hear the tremble in her voice as she dodges my invitation to join me for a ride. As she explains that she doesn’t think she can. That this might be way over her head. That she just isn’t as “badass” as me so she doesn’t want to hold me back. Do we feel this way because we are stepping into a formerly male dominated activity? Because we have internalized the messages that women are weaker, slower, or less capable than men? Have we had experiences of being put down by someone about our abilities and now feel like we must provide context for our existence every time? I’m not entirely sure where all parts of this attitude comes from. But dang it needs to stop.

This day. This ride. It was a shit show in so many ways. Bike issues. Shoe issues. But that doesn't matter. It was an awesome day because it was a day on the trail with my bestie. How far, how fast, how epic...unimportant. Image Credit to Kelsey Col… — This day. This ride. It was a shit show in so many ways. Bike issues. Shoe issues. But that doesn't matter. It was an awesome day because it was a day on the trail with my bestie. How far, how fast, how epic...unimportant. Image Credit to Kelsey Colby

Mama, let’s clear some things up. If I have invited you to come play with me, that invitation is without condition. I didn’t invite you with a “but only if you can keep up with me at every moment” clause. You don’t need to feel badly about yourself or excuse your existence, your value, your worth. If I have invited you to play with me it is because I want your company in the beautiful outdoors. Because I want to share an experience with you. If you fall behind, I will wait for you at the next intersection and cheer for you when you come into sight. I will help you learn the skill you are lacking, or more likely, we can both laugh at our shared difficulty with that particular skill.

Listen, I am no olympic athlete. Heaven knows the chronic illness of the last 3 years has left me unequivocally in the worst physical shape of my life. If I thought I couldn’t keep up before, I really can’t now. But you know what? It’s ok. I still get to hit the trails, the slopes, the crag and I get to do it without hand wringing and self deprecation. And so do you. Yes, inform your adventure buddies of where you are at today. It’s important to know if one party was planning an 8 mile trail run and the other was thinking 2. But once we are all clear on what we are doing today, can we just go have fun together?

Yes mama. You ARE badass enough to hang with me. If you are getting out there and doing it...it counts. There is no pace or special trick required to be in this club. The outdoors welcomes everyone. Whether you can hike 2 miles or run 20 is irrelevant here. You are out there. You are showing up. You are lapping everyone who is on the couch. And you are a stone cold badass.

And if you have friends who do try to make you feel bad about where you are in this journey? We need to get you some new friends. Ain’t nobody got time fo’ dat.

More Than a Hashtag: Putting An End To "Shrink It and Pink It"

January 17, 2017 by Sabrina Carlson in Women Work Wits, Interview

The night I first heard Jen Gurecki, founder and CEO of Coalition Snow, speak at an event in Boulder, Colorado I knew I needed to know more about her. I needed to hear more about her mission, her passion, her perspective.

Among an inspiring round up of speakers who represented women in the outdoor industry, Jen’s passion, laser focus, and no bullshit attitude made her standout. She rallied the hearts of both women and men in the crowd as she pointed out the inequity in the outdoor sports world. While advertisers use images of women, hashtags about women and gear targeted at women to drive sales (after all, women ARE sort of trending now) are we actually being invited to the table? Is the gear being made really excellent and aimed at our needs? Are women athletes finally being offered sponsorships at the level that men are? Or are we just a convenient marketing tool? Just a hashtag?

Jen sees women in this industry as more than just a hashtag. This was the driving force and greater global mission behind founding Coalition Snow. She wanted first and foremost to finally make women’s skis and snowboards that don’t suck. Boards and planks aimed at performance with women in mind, rather than the standard “shrink it and pink it” routine that neither supports women, nor creates a quality product.

And Jen knows her skis and snowboards. She was first hooked on snowsport in highschool when she joined the ski team at 16 years old. She quickly threw herself into training and skiing full force. She took that love with her when she specifically selected Northern Arizona University (small world...that’s my alma mater too!) for college since it was a school in the shadow of a ski resort. Rather than seeking the typical college jobs waiting tables, babysitting, or working retail, Jen went after work in the Arizona Snowbowl rental shop. There she learned how to tune skis and snowboards from the pros. After college she moved to Tahoe where she continued her love for snowsport as she worked in wilderness therapy and for the California Conservation Corps.

But her mission for Coalition Snow is so much bigger than the quality of women’s gear. It’s about recognizing women as legitimate athletes who deserve sponsorship opportunities. It’s about seeing, cheering, and advancing their accomplishments in the SPORT, rather than focusing on their appearance. (See Lynsey Dyer’s Open Letter to Freeskier HERE) As someone deeply invested in snowsport herself, and a self proclaimed fierce feminist, the frustrations of female athletes were hard to miss.

Jen believes deeply in the power of business as a tool for social change, and that is just what she is hoping to do through Coalition Snow. To offer a real voice, and quality sponsorship opportunities to women athletes, and women in the boardroom. To shift the status quo in the outdoor industry from predominantly white and male, to something more diverse. When booths at Outdoor Retailer, the faces on industry panel discussions, and the distribution of pay in the industry look radically different, she will feel she has accomplished her mission.

Jen is quick to point out that being pro women, doesn’t mean being anti-man. The white males who dominate the industry are mostly pretty nice guys. They have worked hard and become accomplished at their sports to be recognized at the level they are. She just wants to see women and people of color being given the same recognition for their accomplishments too. To be offered better than ⅓ the pay of their male counterparts. She drives home her message by reminding men that feminism isn’t just for women. They can choose to participate in, or help dismantle the patriarchy. She believes that even the baseline idea that women are a “weaker sex” or that we are just not capable of performing at the same level as men needs to be challenged at every level. “The fact is”, she emphatically states, “We have no idea what women can actually do, because we’ve never expected as much out of them. I want to change the expectation and find out what we can really do.”

When it comes to being a woman CEO in the outdoor industry, Jen has found both benefits and roadblocks. On the one hand, women are trending. In many ways, people are paying attention to Coalition Snow because they are by women, for women. If they were men, they would be just another ski and snowboard company. On the other hand, she has found it surprisingly difficult to get investors to take her as seriously as her male counterparts. She repeatedly has potential investors refer to her company as a “project” or treat her like she is a know nothing little girl instead of a 39 year old women with a laundry list of accomplishments under her belt.

But despite the hurdles, Coalition Snow is well on its way to Jen’s ultimate goal of total global domination. They are heavily in recruitment for their ambassador program, are touring ski resorts around the country this year to demo their products, and will be carried in three REI stores this year. They have also launched the Sisterhood of Shred, and online community for women skiers and snowboarders to come together and share events, tips, tricks and skills. She knows not every women snowsport lover will use her gear, and that’s ok. Sisterhood of Shred provides the opportunity to support all women regardless of what they ride.

When asked what advice she would give other women looking to start an outdoor focused business she responded, “Get crystal clear on what you are willing to suffer for. If you aren’t willing to suffer for it, you won’t want to get up everyday and do it.” Going into the launch of her business she had no idea the sheer volume of work it would be or how many moving pieces there are. She advises anyone wanting to start a business to hire experienced business advisors on day 1 and start fundraising immediately.

Once things begin to settle down for Jen, she looks forward to reconnecting with her snowboard. Preferably exploring the mountains of Japan and mainland Asia.

Follow Coalition Snow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/coalitionsnow/

Check out Coalition Snow’s full line of skis and snowboards: http://coalitionsnow.com

This post is the first in the "Women, Work, Wits" series. Read about the why of this series and find each interview linked HERE.