Stories from our community
Somehow in my head, during my seven years of climbing and five years of skiing, I haven’t picked up enough skills to play the mentor role. And even when I have decided to become a mentor, am I enough? What I have worked through (and currently still working through) is that mentorship might not be as cut and dry as we may think.
Let’s talk about why so many of us hold ourselves to unreasonably high expectations when it comes to backcountry athleticism; what we can do to combat the inner critic; and, hopefully, realize our full mentoring potential.
So… I’m a mentor for the first time. A fully-fledged, mountain-loving, snowsport-doing mentor. And let me tell you, it feels about as cool as it sounds. I’ll tell anyone who’ll listen — my friends, my family, colleagues, the barista at my local coffee shop, strangers on the street — about my involvement with the wonderful, peer-led mountain sports community that is Mountain Mentors.
While I may get the cool title of mentor, I am by no means a backcountry expert — quite the opposite in fact. I first began learning how to ski when I was twenty years old (I’m twenty-seven now), and… hold on… counting on my fingers… this is only my third season of touring. So what gives? How can someone with my imperfect ski form and freshly-baked backcountry experience level up to mentor status? Let’s break it down.
Hiking and solo hiking are two very different activities to me. When I think about going solo in the backcountry, I can feel trepidation, excitement, and a kind of rush running through my veins.
I am sure a lot of people reading this probably think ‘I welcome everyone in the outdoors, of course I'm inclusive’ but I guarantee you this article will give you at least one thing to think about from a new angle
The silence is so complete it is deafening. I know that somewhere, probably no more than 100m away, my friends are waiting. But all I can see is trees. They climb so high they all but block out the sky, and glancing around me it’s hard to believe there’s any track out at all. A breeze unsettles the snow on a branch far above me, and great clumps of wet powder come cascading down around me. It’s beautiful, and I’m terrified.
Last summer, some friends and I had an adventure that turned into the true definition of the term ‘having an epic’. Three friends and I set out to climb the North Ridge route up Tricouni Peak. It is an alpine climbing route involving glacier travel, rock climbing and scrambling. The route was phenomenal - one of the coolest adventures I’ve had to date full of interesting ridge climbing and views for days.
One thing we often hear discussed are first aid kits. What should go in them? Should you change them for the type of trip/activity? What are the ‘must have's’ vs ‘nice extras’? With her extensive experience, we reached out to our long time mentor, outdoor educator, and volunteer ski patroller Kate Inch for her thoughts!
