A Women's Climbing Festival That's Open to All Genders
Plus, winter layering for plus-size hikers
This morning got away from me, so here I am in your inbox tonight.
What I’m reading
Are Women Closing in on Men at the Boston Marathon? In April 2012, a minor milestone passed without (as far as I can tell) anyone noticing it. That year, for the first and so far the only time, the average time for women who finished the Boston Marathon, 3:36:45, was faster than the average time for men, 3:48:46. [Alex Hutchinson for Outside]
The 19th-Century Writer Who Braved the Desert Alone: Mary Austin wrote about the Mojave as brilliantly as John Muir wrote about the Sierra. Why was she forgotten? [Kate Siber for Outside]
Female Ranchers Are Reclaiming the American West: “There’s less ego.” [Amanda Lucier and Amy Chozick for The New York Times]
Winter Layering for the Plus-Size Hiker: Yes, there are layers out there for you, and yes, they're good. [Jenny Bruso for Outside]
What Happens When You Drink a Gallon of Water a Day? Notes from a monthlong hydration quest [Aleta Burchyski for Outside]
Why Is Everyone I Know Bouldering All of a Sudden? “Several sources tell me that bouldering gyms are where the hot people are.” LOL [Katie Heaney for The Cut]
Blizzard Has the Secret to Building Great Women's Skis: Blizzard's Women2Women summit gathers skiers to talk about how to improve women's ski design. And it's working. [Heather Hansman for Outside]
Dawa Yangzum Sherpa Is Officially on The North Face Athlete Team: Congrats, Dawa! (More on why she’s amazing here.)
A women’s climbing fest that’s open to all genders
After three years of sold-out events for women-identified and non-binary people, Flash Foxy introduces an extension where men are welcome, too, by Emma Walker:
“We’re using the term all genders to take away that binary focus. Male, female, non-binary folks—everybody is welcome, across the entire spectrum of what gender can mean.”
Summerfest, Jun says, is another push in a larger effort to “shift the climbing culture to be a better reflection of all of us.” Inviting male allies to be part of that conversation, she hopes, will broaden the movement toward intersectionality.
