A while back, I authored a post on Moja Gear around maximizing your time on rock when traveling on the road alone.
Recently, I was reminded of all the incredible climbing destinations I’ve had the good fortune to travel to, and wanted to share a shortlist here:
It’s been a minute.
Or 1 year, 2 months, and 25 days, to be exact.
When we last connected, the world (for women in particular) was a different place: Hillary was still a serious contender as a changemaker of our country, and Donald was just a not-yet-realized nightmare. But I digress.
What remains the same is that we stand behind our vision in creating an encouraging space for extraordinary women to connect, now more than ever. That there is value in bringing together women who otherwise may not have met.
Like Kirsten, with whom I connected in the New Year, and whose email touched me and reminded of the extraordinary warmth and intimacy of our incredible climbing community, locally and globally:
Jeanne,
I read your article both before and after embarking on a solo climbing trip to Spain. Some of the bravery I mustered was from your article, so I would like to start with my thanks and appreciation. So now, I have the climbing travel bug. Going to Spain by myself was the best decision I’ve made so far in this life, and now have the itch for more. In my travels I found this amazing climbing hostel in El Chorro, Spain. I met many other international climbers traveling solo, and felt and instant connection, an instant family, an instant community. It was wonderful to have a genuine connection with another person over dinner or breakfast, and then figure out where to go climbing the next day…
Thank you Kirsten, and I hope you all have an amazing 2018!
xo,
Jeanne
Words are our most powerful means of communication, and what they mean sometimes require additional context and clarification.
When we started Bouldering Babes nearly two years ago, it certainly occurred to us that we might be misconstrued as ‘a sexy diversion from proper climbers.’
But we were so deeply entrenched in our ethos of empowering women through climbing, that we nearly forgot that misunderstanding would be inevitable.
Bouldering Babes takes back the view that ‘climb like a girl’ means anything but awesome, mighty, strong, and a force to be reckoned with.
Bouldering Babes is about owning our strength and athleticism as women climbers as much as it is our femininity; it is a play on and parody of the word ‘babe,’ which has generally been used in a diminutive and diminished way when referring to women.
We stand behind our vision in creating an encouraging space for extraordinary women to connect. That there is value in bringing together women who otherwise may not have met.
So climb on, ladies! Let’s do this.
“What if jealousy really is a matter of geometry, just a matter of where we allow ourselves to stand in relation to another? And maybe then we wouldn’t have to resent somebody’s excellence. We could align ourselves with it.”
Sometimes envy can be our enemy, and other times it can be our motivation. Its power lies in metamorphosis; when we transform envy into empowerment, we become our better selves, and open up a playroom full of possibilities.
Photo by Sasha Cox
Bouldering Babes 