Outdoor Bunnies

Le Pigne d’Arolla, Switzerland

How did your outdoor adventures begin?

The beginning of my outdoor adventures: An Awakening

I remember very distinctly the first time I climbed a mountainous peak in the Swiss alps, le Pigne d’Arolla (3,796 meters), in 2000.  Although I felt like I would keel over due to exhaustion and that I would vomit on the spot, something was awaked within me through that experience. In writing this profile, I ask myself, what was it that was awakened? I believe it was the engagement of the created world in a meaningful way, the intensity of the physical challenge and the achievement of an audacious goal that is only possible through working together with others. I felt very strongly that there was much more to discover about myself, about the world around me, about others – about life.

This first mountaineering course was the springboard for me to pursue further alpine experience. Over recent years, I have had the privilege of gaining more training in France and Switzerland in the context of their alpine clubs. I am a French teacher and bilingual, which has opened many doors. In recent years, have become an assistant leader in summer mountaineering camps for French and Swiss adolescents. It has been in the context of these camps that I have discovered rock climbing which has become a growing passion of mine and the focus of my outdoor experience. Recent winters have also initiated me into ice-climbing, another activity that I look forward to pursuing in upcoming seasons.

Why do you love the outdoors?  What kind of outdoor activities are your favorites and what do you learn through them?

El Portrero Chico, Mexico

Climbing: A School for Life

The outdoors has become a school of life for me in which I learn so much about myself, about the world around me, and about life. I am passionate about rock climbing in particular, a pursuit which resonates deeply with who I am. It has become an activity through which I learn lessons that are relevant to my life experience, in concrete ways. Learning to taking risks, to trust, to face fears and to let go, represent just a few. Taking risks: It is through taking risks that we discover new things. Risks take me outside of my comfort zone and when I assess and commit to them, I open myself to growing. Trust: trust is not easy in life. Through climbing, I have the opportunity to practice trust, whether it’s trusting my belayer, my assessment of a situation or my own feet!  Facing fears: I believe we all face some form of fear in our lives. Opportunities to face fears and go beyond them in climbing are abundant! When I commit to an intimidating move or embrace a hold that makes me feel uneasy, I am going beyond my fear. When I place protection while traditional climbing or when I must climb despite fear of a lead fall – each of these initiatives cultivates new depths of courage within me. Finally, letting go…perhaps the toughest lesson for me. Although there are times when letting go would be unwise in a climbing context, there are other moments when letting go is essential. For example, leaving a comfortable hold in order to move forward on a route is a most uncomfortable feeling because I am leaving my comfort zone; I am releasing control of a comfortable situation. Yet not doing so prevents me from moving forward on the route. Although the loss of this control can often feel (extremely!) disconcerting, I find that it is ultimately liberating. The very tangible act of letting while climbing, has helped me identify the things that I need to release in my personal life. It also contributes to the strength I need to do this. Ironically, I find that often it is fear that I am letting go of!

What do you hope to bring to the community of outdoor women as a contributor to Outdoor Bunnies?

• to share my passion for and knowledge of the outdoors, as well as the ways my outdoor experiences have changed me
• to provoke reflection and discussion among women about how engaging in outdoor activities affects their life experience

• To encourage women of all ages to discover more about themselves through climbing; their body, their mind and their emotions
• To initiate women into lead climbing and into long multi-pitch sport routes.

• to affirm girls and women in their identity through accomplishing goals that they thought they thought were unattainable
• to continue to learn and grow in knowledge of the outdoors and personally, along side of other women and men, through our shared outdoor experiences

Szu-Ting (right) and me (left). Red Rocks, Nevada, 2007