Summits Are Optional, Sisterhood Is Not: We’re Shifting Mountain Culture for Girls and Women

When 6 in 10 women struggle to name an outdoor female role model, how are girls supposed to know they belong in adventure spaces?Cheri and Aubryanna were two of the young adults selected for the Summit Scholarship Foundation's 2024 Mt. Baker youth climb.Spoiler alert: This all-women’s rope team didn’t reach the physical summit of Mt. Baker. But they gained something just as powerful.Angie sat down with Aubryanna and Cheri to talk about ambition, fear, belonging, and what it means to come together in sisterhood on top of a glacier.We talked about:Data from a 2017 REI study on women in the outdoorsWhat it was like to apply for a Summit Scholarship as a teenThe story of the climb and the AWExpeditions team and guidesThe decision to turn around and not reach the summitBiggest lessons from their first mountaineering experienceThe difference between all-women's and coed wilderness tripsSend this episode to somebody who you think should turn their adventure into a force for good by becoming a Trailblazer!Mentioned in this episode:Summit Scholarship Foundation. Applications open in late 2025.Become a Trailblazer! Your Adventure Fundraiser makes wilderness experiences possible for girls and women.AWExpeditions: AWE organizes mountaineering and remote adventures for women, by women.Like this episode? Leave a 5-star rating and review on your podcast app!Make sure you subscribe to the See Her Outside Podcast so you don’t miss a story!Brought to you by the Alliance for Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure (GEA Alliance).Hosted by Angie Marie Lake, edited by Alyson Castonguay, research assistance by Danielle Peecher