GirlBeta.com: Fueling Psyche in the Women's Climbing Community

Logo courtesy of Mercedes and http://www.girlbeta.com

After spending time with Alison Vuocolo discussing her efforts to get more women out bouldering, it seemed no less than necessary to profile Mercedes Pollmier. Mercedes launched Girl Beta back in January, a website dedicated to igniting passion and inspiring the women's bouldering community by sharing knowledge through written posts and videos. It's definitely a site you'll want to keep your eye on!

Mercedes on Authentic Battle Damage Stand, Boulder Canyon.

Mercedes hasn't always been a climber, but has a significant amount of experience as an elite athlete. After amassing a number of accolades as a tennis player, including an NCAA Division I scholarship, she started strength training with Dave Wahl out of the Paradise Rock Gym in Denver and became a member of the National Mauritian Tennis Team. Despite her love of tennis, she couldn't resist bouldering on plastic while spending so much time in a climbing gym and learned to love the sport. Mercedes says she climbs because it's "a personal challenge, a problem to solve, [and] requires a lot of body awareness. The climbing community is a great thing to be a part of." Now, Mercedes is a strong, talented climber with ascents of problems like Dark Continent (V7-V8) and Authentic Battle Damage Stand (V8).

Mercedes was inspired to start Girl Beta during a road trip to Red Rocks. She'd searched for videos of women climbing the boulder problems she wanted to do, but couldn't find any. "Generally, there are not enough women climbing together and I would love to see more of that," she says. "I think [it] would take away some of the shyness, hesitation and fear of failure...sometimes, having the boys around can be intimidating and may be a limitation for some women."

Mercedes recognized a clear lack of resources specifically for women to help them achieve their climbing goals. With that in mind, her aim was to create a blog that would help female climbers and generate buzz about women in climbing. Mercedes wants to help women unlock beta and sequences for specific problems they might not otherwise be able to work through.

Mercedes climbing hard in Joe's Valley.

Pretty soon, Seattle-based women's-specific rock climbing clothing company Vertical Girl took notice, and is now the website's sponsor. According to Mercedes, the partnership makes complete sense. "Vertical Girl and Girl Beta share the same philosophy and goals in growing the female climbing scene." she says. The two organizations are now working together to develop Girl Beta and hope to reach more of the climbing population. So far, Girl Beta provides information on problems in five states ranging from V4 up to V10.

But Girl Beta doesn't just exists as a medium for sharing videos of hard climbing. In keeping with the site's tagline, "Inspiration. Information. Improvement," Mercedes and the Vertical Girl team work together to share training tips and other knowledge with the women's climbing community. Recent additions in that section of the website include discussions about women's physiology and using video analysis to improve climbing technique with Flannery Shay-Nemirow.

The women behind Girl Beta and Vertical Girl are working to inspire women who love to climb, and to help us all achieve our goals. You can help by contributing information, training tips and beta, by suggesting a problem to them, even by climbing with them! For more on how you can get involved, visit GirlBeta.com or send a note to info@girlbeta.com.

“Where My Girls At?” Alison Vuocolo’s Quest to Build a Women’s Bouldering Community in Philadelphia

Alison on Firestarter (V3) at Rumney.

Alison Vuocolo started climbing almost two years ago at Go Vertical in Philadelphia, but if you saw her climb, you'd think she's been involved in the sport much longer than that! After countless suggestions from her boyfriend, also an incredibly talented climber, she made it to the gym to help him celebrate his birthday. She was instantly hooked on bouldering and bought both a gym membership and her first pair of climbing shoes within a week. "It's hard to put into words," Alison says, "but as soon as I started climbing, it just seemed like a necessary thing to do all the time."

Through climbing, Alison gained self confidence she never knew she had, and a new way to engage the problem-solving part of her brain. "Climbing is the only physical activity I've ever been able to perform on pure intuition...[it] made me realize my brain has more technical capability than I ever assumed...eventually, your body learns to generate both technical and powerful moves."

After trying out V0 boulder problems and solving them without difficulty, Alison started projecting harder climbs. At a recent bouldering competition, she climbed a 900-point problem without any trouble! Even when some of the guys Alison boulders with tackle problems she can't, she's still confident and says, "...at the end of the day, I'm always so happy that I climb."

Alison on an unnamed traverse at Hunter Rocks

Climbing Like a Girl
Alison noticed a lack of women boulderers at our home gym and that the super hard climbs are largely dominated by men. But instead of accepting it, she's doing something about it. "I was inspired to create a tighter community of women boulderers when I started bouldering outside. " Alison says. "The difference in climbing technique between men and women becomes much more apparent when the problems are on real boulders where the variations in beta are much greater."

Despite being one of the strongest lady boulderers I know, Alison explains she's had a tough time bouldering outdoors with men because of these variations. "They can usually get my projects in one or two goes and I end up climbing by myself or moving on." She longs for a group of girls to boulder with and has seen what having a tight knit community of lady climbers around can do for performance. "I've envied the groups of three or four girls that go together and project the same climbs. Sometimes I'll get on stuff with them, but the whole time I'm wishing that I had that same community."

Alison was also inspired by discussions around Angie Payne's first female ascent of The Automator (V13). "Basically, Flannery [Shay-Nemirow] seemed to believe we would have already seen a female ascent of a V13 if the pro women climbers went on trips together more and projected things together like so many of the male pro climbers do." Alison explains. "You see a lot of videos of strong...female boulderers working their projects solo or with other male pro climbers. It's rare to see a group of strong female boulderers working these hard projects that, up until now, only have 'male beta.'"

Creating a Women's Bouldering Community

Alison rocking an unnamed route at Hunter Rocks.

Alison took a huge step in helping create a community of lady boulderers in Philadelphia by working with Go Vertical general manager Kathleen Walker to set up a three part women's bouldering clinic. She's also getting teaching tips from one of the best female boulderers in the world - Alex Johnson!

The first class is aimed at beginners, the second at women comfortable on slightly harder climbs and the third at all levels with the goal of designing bouldering sessions for progression in climbing. From how to read problems to warming up, from static to dynamic movement, from finding weaknesses to projecting climbs and everything in between, Alison is sharing her expertise with the goal of getting more women out bouldering. By hosting this clinic, she hopes that participants start establishing "their own female-oriented climbing circles. It not only helps make things more comfortable and less frustrating, but also relieves some of the more counter productive female competitiveness too."

The first clinic of the three part series takes place this Friday, April 22nd at Go Vertical. But if you're not signed up already, it's a bit too late; all three sessions filled up in less than two days. To me, that speaks volumes. When asked why she thinks the clinic filled up so quickly, Alison explains, "I had this feeling that a lot of women are just psyched out about bouldering by themselves. I sort of knew this might happen." Hopefully, it will mean a second series of clinics and more women on the bouldering wall at our gym, then eventually, more local women bouldering outside!

Bottom line - women aren’t staying away from the bouldering wall for lack of interest. So then, what is it? Is there a lack of opportunity for women to get involved in bouldering?

Surviving Avalanches, Pioneering Backcountry Skiing, and Turning Alaska Heli Skiing Dreams into Realities - an Interview With Theo Meiners

Theo Meiners "cradling" a helicopter. (A. Meiners)

“People are drawn to (skiing) not just because of the speed, powder and jumping off rocks with soft landings. It’s more the piece of mind. I’ve participated in a lot of…sports over the years, but nothing quite does it time and time again like skiing.”

Theo Meiners and I don’t have much in common. He’s a living legend. His list of accolades, if laid out like fresh tracks in the Chugach Mountains, would stretch for hours and miles beyond the reach of the Alaska Rendezvous Guides helicopter. He’s been a ski instructor longer than I’ve been alive, has worked as an examiner for the PSIA for nearly as long, and was part of the Jackson Hole Air Force long before backcountry skiing became “mainstream.” He mapped out many of the first lines in Jackson Hole. He’s also survived not one, but four avalanches, and knows more about snow science than I thought possible.

Me, I’m just a girl who likes to play outside. But Theo and I do have one thing in common – we love the peace of mind our sports give us, and we love finding ways to open the possibility of those experiences to others. We caught up on the phone just before he left for Valdez to prep his heli skiing business for opening . For those of us on the East Coast, the ski season is almost over. But for Theo and the Alaska Rendezvous Lodge, the fun is just beginning!

Turning Dreams into Realities

“I knew it was going to be a big project and a lifestyle change because before, I'd just worked for other people and now I was taking on this financial risk. But that's what you are – you're a risk taker if you're a guide, a manager, so taking on the financial risk was just part of the evolution.”

Theo became well acquainted with helicopters after spending four years as a wild land firefighter. After pilgrimages to Valdez to work with the World Extreme Skiing Contest as an avalanche technician and judge, he took a job as a guide with the legendary Doug Coombs and worked his way up the ranks. “Doug and I had been friends for a long time before his meteoric rise to fame in skiing; the guy was a phenom. I learned quite a bit from him even though he was younger than I am. It was great watching him gain his confidence and footing on a global stage."

With a desire to make serious backcountry skiing available at a higher level, Theo took his lifetime of experiences and purchased 27 acres of land near Valdez. There, he built Alaska Rendezvous Guides. “We needed property, our own restaurant, our own hotel crew quarters, etc. It took us about four years to gain momentum and for the buildings to be completed. It’s been wonderful…we feel really blessed.”  Theo and his team have been fulfilling Alaska backcountry skiing dreams ever since.

When asked, “Why Alaska?” Theo launched into a discussion of weather systems, geography and meteorological phenomena, all of which make the Valdez area one of the snowiest places on Earth.  In describing how the ARG team chooses where to take clients, he drew me a mental picture of a constellation of stars. “Imagine…each star being a big mountain peak. The peaks are in groupings, and depending on the level of the group, we know where to go. Of course, we’re always looking for the best snow, and we’ll travel long distances to find it.” His incredible passion for skiing and snow science is obvious.

Theo dropping in... see if you can spot him near the top! (A Meiners)

Buried Alive…Almost

“People have three instinctive reactions to catastrophe and chaos – they fight, they flee or they freeze. That's basic human behavior when you see something biblical. My reaction was to fight and to survive.”

Theo has survived not one, but four avalanches. The worst, a Class 4, engulfed him in an area called Clueland in Alaska eleven years ago. Wet autumn snow bends vast forests of 25-30 foot tall aspen, willow, and alder trees, top branches touching the Earth. Packing a serious punch, winter storms bring up to 1200" of snow. Trees are buried and we’re left looking at a huge alpine face instead of a vast forest. On top of that face in that particular valley, surface hoar had developed at lower elevations. It’s an incredibly weak layer and difficult to detect, which can make lower elevations more avalanche prone. Theo hit a weak spot and the entire slope gave way. The avalanche propagated ¾ miles and was so deep that the tall trees, relieved of their burden, all stood up. The helicopter waiting to pick him up below was completely buried in spindrift.

“I was knocked over and resurfaced by using a technique called ‘brace and spin’” he says. (He’s pioneered avalanche survival techniques and makes information available for free on ARG’s website.) “I was able to slingshot myself out into some open areas between sliding snow. I was moving to the flank when I was hit by another wave. I did the same move again, this time coming up with only one ski on…I skied into the trees thinking I was going to impale myself and ended up six or eight feet up in the branches as the slide kept moving below me.”

Theo was lucky. He wasn’t injured in the first few moments of capture, which was crucial. But he also credits his situational awareness and survival instincts. His expertise in snow science helped save his life. He described the different avalanche zones, the destructive forces of each, and how knowing where you are in the avalanche can be the difference between life and death. He knew where he was, how to handle it, and fought for his life.

What surprised me the most about Theo's account of these experienced was the lack of fear and emotion he expressed. After the Clueland avalanche, it took him eight years to visit the spot again. That's the only indication I got that the experiences had any emotional effect on him. What was most obvious, though, is the fact that he's an incredibly intelligent and calculating sort of man with survival instincts some of us can only hope we have when the time comes.

Theo (far left) and part of the ARG crew. (A. Meiners)

Never Stop Learning

“At Alaska Rendezvous, our credo is: ‘We are all students of our environment, and we will never stop learning and never stop training.’"

Though a legend in his own right, Theo credits a number mentors with helping him develop direction and understanding. He'll always be a student, and always looks to learn more. His list of mentors include Karl Birkeland, avalanche scientist, Bruce Jamieson, avalanche researcher, Dave McClung, co-author of The Avalanche Handbook and Rod Newcomb, founder of the American Avalanche Institute. Ski mentors and training partners include Jackson Hole skiing legend and Olympic medalist Pepi Stiegler along with Fritz Stamberg among many others.

Theo’s advice to anyone seeking advancement in backcountry sports is to have a mentor. “Guiding and mountaineering is still kind of in the old school way of learning. It’s an apprenticeship in a lot of regards. No matter what you get from a class or course, until you really start to put it to use with someone with better skills, you don’t really learn. That’s why having a mentor is important.” 

And of course, Theo is a mentor himself. The ARG crew is poised to lead the future of heli skiing in Alaska, and he couldn’t be more excited. “There’s so much energy. It’s their future. If they can manage the learning curve, stay safe and not get injured, they’ve got bright futures as heli guides.” The future looks bright for Theo and the Alaska Rendezvous Lodge as well. “It’s a great environment. Lots of hot water, great food and kindred spirits. It’s people seeking adventure and getting to become friends. You know, when you risk with a group of people, you develop a bond. I don’t say that lightly. People become very close. The experiences you have, you learn a lesson each time. You learn something about yourself, your partners, and your environment.”

Theo and the ARG crew continue to learn their environment and to make safety the number one priority. It was obvious after the first five minutes of our conversation that returning from any adventure in one piece is paramount to Theo. His weapons against anything thrown at him are knowledge and experience. “It's really important that everyone takes their time and doesn't rush their adventures. What we say at the Rendezvous is that the really objective is to come home. Whether you're climbing Denali or Everest, going heli skiing, or going out to Red Rocks for climbing, plan your trip to come home. The peak or the summit is only halfway. It's that last run in the fading light, the alpenglow, it's sharing memories. Make lots of memories, but come home.”

So, if you're ready for it, Theo and his crew open the Alaska Rendezvous Lodge opened at the end of February. Give him a call and let him show you the experience of a lifetime. Or just travel to Valdez and revel in the fact that you're in the company of a legend.

Interview: Alli Rainey on Quitting the Real World, Our Climbing Training Mistakes, and Being a Complete Human Being

Alli on Canadian Jackhammer, 5.13b/c
Ten Sleep Canyon, WY. (K. Wilkinson)

Alli Rainey is a professional rock climber, freelance writer, Harvard graduate (with a major in Modern European History), climbing coach and all-around inspiring human being. Aside from her literary prowess (she's written a "few books"), she's got an impressive climbing resume - three 5.14a redpoints, 50 5.13 redpoints and onsights of more than 200 5.12s. Alli agreed to an interview after we connected on twitter, and I'm psyched to share what she had to say! 

How did you and climbing meet?

I had a boyfriend my senior year of high school who was really into rock climbing. He tried to get me to try it for a few months, so when I had to cut my nails for softball season, I finally agreed. My first day, I made it about three feet off the ground since all of the routes at the Arches (an outdoor bridge made of giant granite blocks) were way too hard for me. I was instantly hooked; all I wanted to do was solve the puzzle. It took me about three months of trying the same route to get to the top without falling!

You lasted a year in your real-world job after graduating from Harvard. What tipped the scale in favor of a life based around climbing?

I kept hoping I'd find a job/occupation that instilled even an iota in me of the passion I felt and continue to feel for living when I'm climbing, but nothing ever lit my internal fire in the same way. I didn't want to spend my whole life wondering what if I'd chosen  to make climbing a priority, and I figured (and still figure) that if and when I'm tired of climbing, I can always pursue something else.

What’s your favorite climbing discipline and why? I'm a boulderer at heart and was excited to see your blossoming relationship with it! 

I love sport climbing more than any other climbing discipline because I love climbing solely for the movement (not exposure or danger--I'm a chicken), and the harder the moves are for me and the more of them I have to do in a row, the more I enjoy the experience. I like the challenge of moderating the pump and pacing myself that comes on longer sport routes, the mental challenge of holding it all together until I get to the anchors. I do like bouldering, and I boulder every winter for a break from sport climbing, but every time I tie in and start sport climbing again, I forget about bouldering until the next winter.

With your incredible climbing resume, a girl's gotta know - what's your secret?

No secret. I'm stubborn and I never quit if I really want to send something. It doesn't matter how long it takes me or how much of a beat-down I get. When I'm attempting to onsight something, the higher I get, the harder I try and the more willing I am to lay it on the line. When I'm redpointing, I will studiously revisit places I'm struggling with and adjust my beta over and over again, adding specific training to my regimen to work particular weaknesses if necessary. Whatever it takes.

Alli on MayDay, 5.13a.
Lakit, BC, Canada. (K. Wilkinson)

You're an inspiration to female climbers everywhere, especially with three FFAs under your belt! What's the hardest climb you've ever done and why?

I think I'd say in terms of mental struggle and fortitude, the Hellion (13c) in Ten Sleep (another FFA; I have a lot of those here). I could one-hang it anywhere, but I couldn't put the thing together. It opened my eyes to how far I had to go to train my weaknesses. I had to rest three days after every one climbing day. I didn't give up, and I finally sent it on my last day of climbing here for the season. It was raining and cold and my hands were totally numb, but I fought through and clipped the anchors on my third attempt that day...after that, I started training for real.

Age is just a number, but knowing your first 5.14a redpoint came after 35, what are some tips you can offer to women who might think their age could prevent them from climbing?

You can start/get better at climbing at any age and you can excel at it at any age. I have seen people almost twice my age crush routes harder than I can climb. It's more about training properly, eating properly, resting properly, and understanding that developing technique, strength and power takes time and effort. The key is to never lose faith and also to only compete against yourself instead of comparing yourself to others.

Climbing has taught me much more than I expected about life. Though it might be a bit cliché, why do you climb?

Nothing else makes me feel more complete as a human being. It pulls together my mental, physical, and emotional being into a complete, in-the-moment experience. The challenges are never-ending and no two climbs are ever the same, so it's never boring or repetitive. Climbing offers endless diversity and potential for self improvement in all areas of personal development (emotional/mental/physical control, strength, endurance, discipline, tolerance for failure, etc.). You can take what you learn in the climbing arena and apply it to other life experiences, too.

In addition to being a rock star climber, you're a climbing coach - cool! What is the biggest climbing training mistake people make? What can we do about it?

Not focusing on training weaknesses and climbing to and training their strengths. Get an independent party (or several), like your climbing partners or a personal coach to evaluate your climbing and be prepared to accept what they say, especially if you get a consensus feedback. Create a climbing training regimen that directly addresses your weaknesses and stick with it, understanding that it may take months or even years to improve those weaknesses, depending on how long you've let them flourish while climbing to your strengths.

What are some of your favorite tips to help climbers with goal setting?

Start with setting your dream goals--those long-term goals representing your ultimate climbing (or life) dreams. Then, build in medium-term goals that are realistic to accomplish in the next year or two. Finally, set some short-term goals for yourself on a daily, weekly and monthly basis to help guide you toward those medium-term goals and keep you focused and directed.  It's okay to change them, too, as needed. Goals should be used to motivate and inspire, only in a positive way.

All smiles! (K. Wilkinson)

What's next for you? Any exciting projects you're working on?

Always! I have a list of like 40+ climbs I want to do in the Red River Gorge as I continue my pursuit of becoming a somewhat decent steeper-rock climber. I also have a list of really hard routes I want to redpoint in Ten Sleep Canyon (my best style; vertical/technical crimps and pockets). I have some training goals, too...and I'm writing blogs for PrAna regularly now, plus keeping up my other writing stuff (my own blog, Suite 101, and other such endeavors). On top of all that, I'm trying to finish InFamous on the PS3 and become a hero before I play it all over again as a bad guy. :-)

Interview: The Life of a Professional Climbing Guide and What it Takes to Become One

JB en route to the Mountaineers Route, Mt Whitney. (A Yamaichi)

To me, mountain guides can seem immortal. They scale some of the wolds most sought after peaks over and over, day in and day out. They scale them while watching over clients, teaching them how to be safe in the mountains. They live fascinating, adventurous lives filled with incredible stories and experiences. But they're not immortal, they're real people. In this interview, we'll get a rare glimpse into the life of a professional mountain guide, and how he got what most of us consider a dream job.

James Brown, aka JB, guides big mountains for a living. He’s originally from Houston, Texas and grew up playing outside with his family. “The mountains have always been a place I've felt at home,” he says. When he started his now eight year career as a mountain guide, he though he'd go back to a “big boy” job after a summer or two. Now he spends winters teaching skiing for the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and the rest of the year guiding for California-based SWS Mountain Guides (@swsmtns). He's also headed to Everest Base Camp in April!

The question everyone wants the answer to - how did you start guiding? (from Dave)

I like to say that I lost a bet! Just kidding; there isn’t much in my life I would change. I was just very passionate about climbing. Every spring, the mountain guide services put out notices for applications. The first company I applied to work with was RMI. They took the 30-40 best applicants and brought us out for a three day weekend tryout/interview process knowing how many slots there were. We went through interviews, hiking, soft skills tests, leadership scenarios, and demonstrated essential skills. Then they sat behind closed doors and talked about us. Peter Whittaker told me he felt like a high school basketball coach who had to cut people from the team. They post a piece of paper with names on it, and you find out if you made the cut.

It's super competitive; some folks would study things they'd done wrong after each day, and I saw people giving them bad advice on purpose. They don't just take the best climbers. They want people who are good climbers, but who are relatable and work well with clients. The year I applied, Melissa Arnot and Seth Waterfall applied too, and RMI took seven people. All seven of them are now some of the best mountain guides in the world. I was listed as the first alternate, one spot away from making it.

One of the companies I applied with passed on my resume, and out of the blue I got a phone call from David Cressman at SWS.  He offered me an assistant position, and from there I busted my butt and built a client base.  I made a lot of mistakes those first years, but after a while, I discovered I was pretty good at it. And this year, I'm in charge of hiring for SWS and the tables are turned!

JB en route to Imje Tse in the Himalaya. (M Imperial)

What mountains have you guided? Do you have a favorite?

I have 28 guided summits of Mt. Shasta and 78 of Mt. Whitney. I also guide some of the 6,000m peaks in Nepal. I don’t know what my favorite would be. In California, it would be anything in the Palisades. Smack dab in the middle of the most populous state in the country is a seemingly endless row of 14,000' peaks. You can spend a week there climbing amazing routes and not see more than one or two people. 

I also love Imje Tse (Island Peak) in Nepal. It starts out as an easy, casual route and the next thing you know you're on a super steep face that finishes on a knife edge ridge.  The summit is barely big enough for two people to stand on. Standing on your exposed little perch, you look up at Lhotse and finally start to conceptualize the magnitude that is the Himalaya.

What does a typical trip look like for you?

A typical trip for me is a two or three day intro to mountaineering climb. They're people with little experience, but who want to learn.  I'll get people up a basic route and teach them skills to get them started and get them excited to go up high in the mountains. I don’t care who you are in the mountain guiding industry; if you don’t like working with FDBs (First Day Beginners), you are in the wrong line of work.  All the best guides love to teach, and you can see it by looking at guys like Peter Whittaker, Dave Hahn, and Tim Keating.  These guys have all guided big peaks in the greater ranges but they teach beginners all the time.

JB (left) and climbing partner John Bisignano.

Is your tolerance for cold and discomfort is higher than normal, or are you just nuts?

I don’t think that my tolerance for either is better than most. In fact, I got frost bite on my right hand in the Tetons when it was -27ºF. Ever since then, that hand gets cold very easily. The key is preparation both physically and mentally.  Experience helps you understand what you can tolerate and to prepare.

Does it ever get tedious guiding the same mountain all season?

Of course there are days when it’s tedious.  I mean, everyone's had morning where they didn't want to go to work.  That said, I have the best office in the world.  I deal with new and exciting people every day, and the mountains can be an amazingly variable place.  I’ve had days where you just stroll to the summit and then two days later you get hit with a gust of wind that literally knocks you off your feet.

What's your comfort piece of gear? (from Tiffany)

Until a rock went through it, it was my backpack.  I had an old school Bora 80 that was 13 years old and had been on over 200 summits on three continents and in 8 countries with me.  I loved it! Black Diamond was kind enough to hook me up with their brand new 2011 Mission 75.  It wasn’t even released until the Outdoor Retailer show.  I’ll let you know how it works out, but it has some big shoes to fill.

JB on Matthes Crest in Tuolomne. (E. Sagalyn)

What's the one thing everyone thinks they need, or always packs too much of? (from Laurel)

Clothes.  Of course you need good outerwear and essentials, but how many socks and t-shirts do you need on a two day trip?   Inevitably, there is someone on every trip that thinks they need a clean shirt, socks and underwear every day.  If that’s a 45 day trip in the Himalaya, you'll need a Sherpa just for your base layers! I always tell people to lay out the gear they didn't use when they return from each trip and ask themselves if they really need it in the future.

JB, thank you so much for giving us a chance to see what being a mountain guide is like! Stay tuned for the next Adventure-Inspired interview with an outdoor industry pro with a super cool job coming at the beginning of March!