In the realm of mountain adventures, be it climbing, hiking, or trail running, women athletes have been making waves with their incredible feats out there in the depths of the wilderness. To celebrate International Women’s Month, we are proud to present you a series of athletes who have been crushing goals (and superfood chocolate fuel) in the trails and on the rock… many of them from right here in Alberta.
As we delve into their inspiring journeys, we'll also uncover what motivates them and their fave chocolate endurance bars that keep them fuelled and focused during their challenging adventures.
Join us as we explore the stories of these remarkable athletes on their conquests of adventure.
Our first 3 athletes:
We introduce Giselle Lee Hausman, of @climbawayadventures, an organization empowering and leading women in the climbing space. Giselle is awesome beyond leading the women on ice-climbing and lead-climbing retreats in Ontario. She also has a black belt in karate, which took a lot of determination. “Reading and learning is always on my agenda. And I do a daily physical activity to stay healthy.”
Giselle loves that climbing brings people together and creates a sense of community. She likes to share her practice of climbing, and mindful daily gratitude as her tips for finding peace in the every day. Her goals for 2024 are “ to reach the summit of 2 new mountains” … obviously with her favourite Aconcagua endurance bars in her pocket. Giselle loves to bring our superfood infused chocolate climbing: “ it’s perfect fuel to regain energy and be able to climb cliffs (besides being very compact and easy to carry)!"
You can follow Giselle and Climb Away Adventures through the Instagram Page - And watch out for the number of retreats that they host throughout the year.
Next up, we are featuring Trish Marshall from Vernon, BC.@trishmarshall32 + @bush_babes_
Freshly 60 years young, Trish felt the pressure of time, so “signed up a Slay the Dragon 25k, expecting to train just to finish”. So train she did and ended up first female in the 60+ category AND first female in the 50-59 age group which was truly a highlight of her running over the past few years.
Not only does Trish love to run, but she also loves to cross train. “I have a personal relationship with both my road and gravel bikes. Seriously. Love them both for different reasons. Also still love my wetsuit. I am a slow steady swimmer, but I find it such a wonderful thing to be able to do, especially in the lake in the summer".
What’s Trish’s Top Tip?
Apart from keeping her favourite Denali PB&J endurance bar in her desk at work…
“Being honest and accountable to myself keeps me going out the door in the dark of winter. It isn’t always easy, butt it truly keeps my head clear”. Trish is grateful to Dawna Jodoin and the Bush Babes crew for creating an amazing community in the Vernon area, and is equally honoured to be a trail leader for the group.
Our third feature for International Women’s Month is Gabriela Brooker of Calgary, AB. She’s better known on social media as @lucy_the_bullterrier where she’s presenting the awesomeness that the Alberta and BC Rocky Mountains have to offer with her bull terrier, Lucy.
We love Gabi because of the variety of activities she showcases in her down-to-earth way through her social media channels. Self-admittedly, she claims she’s actually lazy as heck! “If there was a competition in procrastination, I'd definitely be top 3! :D but on the other hand if there is some kind of a challenge, I can for example make myself run every single day for a month. Oh boy… I can definitely relate (I think I’m secretly a day-napping cat at times).
As someone who loves trail running, hiking, XCskiing, and boxing, Gabi certainly values the variety in life. “Exploring the mountains has allowed me to visit places I'd never reach otherwise. Running in the mountains makes me feel like I can fly. I will never forget that feeling I had on my very first trail run”.
What’s her advice? “Start today, don't wait till Monday, till you can get new running shoes etc. Just start. Join clubs, groups, even on social media, follow people that will inspire you. Set small goals that are easily achievable but also set some big, crazy ones so you have something to work towards. Signing up for races helps with accountability.” And… “there is nothing better than having piece of good chocolate (like her favourite Everest endurance bar) on the top of a mountain after a gnarly climb. Also, a great boost for your morning oatmeal before a big day.”
We agree, Gabi. We agree.
Are you feeling inspired by some of these wonderful stories about crushing athletic pursuits? We encourage you to reach out to each individual and follow them on their journey. Stay tuned as we present more women-badass athletes later on to celebrate International Women's Month.