Women in the Outdoors Pushing Boundaries and Expectations
Outdoor Research’s women ambassadors do so much more than guide the design of our outerwear and apparel. They provide mentorship to aspiring climbers and skiers, donate time to their communities, and inspire us all of us at Outdoor Research to push beyond the status quo in our own lives.
In light of International Women’s Day on March 8, we reached out to a few of our ambassadors to get their thoughts on women’s equality in their respective sports, the challenges and benefits they’ve had and continue to experience, and shed a little light on how they approach fear and expectations in largely male-dominated activities.
BETH RODDEN - Climb
I think that living by example per se is a great way to encourage people to get into the outdoors. I know when I started there were hardly any women in the sport of climbing. However, all the women I did meet were very inviting and welcoming. I've tried to pay that forward by hosting clinics specifically for women, helping out with Junior Team girls, etc. I think that the more women see that there is a place for them in climbing, and not just a place to be, but a place to thrive, then the more they'll want to invest their time and energy into the sport. It really can be a lifelong pursuit and what better way to enjoy that than with your girlfriends along the way.
I love being a woman in climbing…women use their heads more and don't muscle their way through things, which is so much more fun.
I teach a lot of clinics on [fear] because I think it's a very stigmatized thing in climbing. Our community has historically had the bravado and macho response that you shouldn't be afraid, or you should embrace fear to conquer or reach the summit, which never worked for me. I've found that the more I can acknowledge my fear and be open about it and understand it, the less I'm ashamed of it. I love teaching this and talking to other women about fear at clinics because it can be such an eye-opening experience for everyone to know that it's okay to be afraid, in fact it's pretty normal.
I love being a woman in climbing. There's so much problem solving and camaraderie, as well as individual goals and challenges. I think women use their heads more and don't muscle their way through things, which is so much more fun.
ZOE ATKIN - Ski
One of my biggest role models is my older sister Isabel. She demonstrated to me what a woman freestyle skier is capable of, and I always wanted to be just like her. As I got older, I found love and passion in putting my own style in my skiing.
For me, inspiring the next generation of women skiers means so much to me. I want young girls to be excited to get into the halfpipe, or any part of the mountain, and be inspired to make their skiing their own.
I love OR for having a range of designs, cuts, and colors to allow my ski kit to be an extension of my skiing style. The inclusivity that OR represents is so important, because women, and everybody deserve a place in the outdoor industry.
The inclusivity that OR represents is so important, because women, and everybody deserve a place in the outdoor industry.
SOPHIA ROUCHES - Ski
In skiing, it feels like we’ve made some big strides for increasing women representation in the sport, but we still have so far to go in creating equal opportunity for women. I don’t really find there to be any advantages to being a female in the sport. I think the outdoor industry still carries a lot of bias around women in skiing. It feels like I constantly have to prove myself just to be taken seriously. I hardly ever feel welcome because the industry continues to reinforce that I’m not as valuable as my male counterparts. Instead of trying to claw my way in, I’ve focused on surrounding myself with people and brands that value me and want to see me ski and succeed.
When I’m handling fear while skiing, I try to analyze where it’s coming from. Am I scared because of avalanche conditions, or not feeling confident on my line? Or am I scared to fall because I don’t want to be perceived as incompetent? For me and I think for many women, I’m very sensitive to being perceived as weak because of the sexism I’ve internalized. When you grow up hearing how women are laughed at if they fall or told they shouldn’t have tried to ski that line. It’s easy to feel scared to push yourself out of fear of being told the same thing. By analyzing my fear, I’m able to see if it’s something I should listen to, or if it’s something I should push through.
When I see another woman hitting a big feature or jump, I can see myself doing it as well.
Skiing with other women is so important to me. When I’m surrounded by women is when I feel most comfortable being myself. I don’t have to fit into the box that the industry has created for women, but I can show up authentically as myself. It’s also where I’m able to push myself the most, because I don’t feel like if I fall I’m going to be perceived as weak. Representation is so important in everything. When I see another woman hitting a big feature or jump, I can see myself doing it as well.
I think outdoor companies are all across the board when it comes to actually pushing for inclusivity in the outdoors. It blows my mind that there are so few, if any, expert level ski boots made for women. That’s a huge barrier in being able to ski at a high level. I’m excited to continue to see outdoor companies’ trend away from the stereotypical “shrink it and pink it” mentality when designing women’s gear.
Learn More About Sophia:
JESS BAKER - Ski
As my career has developed and I have moved into more of a leadership role, I realized that my influence on others was a powerful role. I do my best to educate and empower those looking to expand their time and skills in the outdoors. I want to support other women so that they feel like they have a safe space to learn and be vulnerable in order to grow.
In many ways it’s been a disadvantage to be a woman in my sport, I have fought to get to the top at every step of the way. However, now that I have worked so hard to be where I am, I realize the strength of my skill sets include being hypersensitive to people's emotional state, being hyper aware of my environment and really tuned into nature and the weather. Tuning into the subtleties that perhaps some of my male counterparts aren't always tuned into.
I want to support other women so that they feel like they have a safe space to learn and be vulnerable in order to grow.
I've been told women aren't supposed to be in my line of work. I've been told I'm not strong enough for the line of work I'm in. I've been overtly and passively told I do not belong in leadership or role model roles in my line of work, simply because I am a woman. I have had to build a tough skin and push through it all to prove myself. I hope I can eliminate some of these barriers for other women.
I love skiing with other women. I love making collaborative decisions and keeping the communication really open. I think women are so fun to ski with, and there are so many badass women out there. It often just feels so free and natural so ski with other women in the mountains. I love skiing with my male counterparts too, but skiing with women is special.
It's great to see OR making plus sizes and covering more shapes. I think we can do more, but it’s a great start, and I hope to see more. The right fitting and sized gear should not be the barrier to playing in the outdoors.
BENNETT RAHN - Climb
I teach a lot of women to rock climb. Partly through my work as a Single Pitch Instructor and partly just because I strongly believe in fostering mentor and partner relationships that bring other women up with me.
I learned to climb by soliciting mentorship and instruction from anyone I could get it from - largely men, early on. Many women I know learned most of their climbing skills from their boyfriends (this was something that made me feel very left out early on, because as a queer woman I didn't feel I had access to knowledge that way).
I have had to learn how to take up space and take charge of my own adventure and destiny and I love inspiring other women to do the same.
Often in all women's spaces we talk about how different it feels to be surrounded by women: how it feels safer to be vulnerable and try new things, how we feel supported and encouraged, how cool it is to be empowered to be the leader rather than relying on men to take charge. I have had to learn how to take up space and take charge of my own adventure and destiny and I love inspiring other women to do the same, as I was inspired by the badass women who came before me.
Learn More About Bennett:
