2022 guest speakers
Alex Johnson //
she, her
Alex “AJ” Johnson has been climbing professionally for almost two decades. In 2016, she retired from competing and shifted her focus toward outdoor projects, building an impressive tick-list filled with dozens of iconic first female ascents, hard sends up to V14 with her recent ascent of The Swarm, and has established several first ascents around the Southwest. In 2018, AJ came out publicly as LGBTQ+ and proudly advocates for equality in sports, the outdoors, and across the country. Photograph courtesy of Bree Robles.
Ashleigh Thompson // she, her
Ashleigh Thompson is a member of the Red Lake Ojibwe Nation and an Indigenous archaeologist. She believes being outside is paramount to healing and happiness, which she promotes through her writing and work as a sponsored athlete for La Sportiva and Janji. Find Ashleigh trail running among saguaros with her dog, Benson, or hanging off a rope in Tucson, Arizona.
Anna Hazelnutt //
she, her
Anna Hazlett (goes by Anna Hazelnutt) began as a boulderer indoors before transitioning outdoors, where she fell head over heels for outdoor climbing. Her fast learning curve despite being relatively new to sport-climbing led to her spending the past summer in Wild Iris where she sent her first 14a and made an impressive repeat of Once Upon a Time in the Southwest (E9 6c/ 5.13b/c R). Photograph courtesy of Lena Drapella.
Anya Miller-Berg // she, her
Anya Miller-Berg is a creative director, brand strategist, writer and filmmaker hailing from Canada and living in Washington State. She is a natural born ragamuffin who is most comfortable in the dirt, grabbing granite, riding trails and wearing bright colors. Owner of Mindful Creative, a consulting studio that helps people and brands fantastically be themselves, Anya focuses on drawing true insights from humans and culture. Photograph courtesy of Ashlee Langholz.
Blake Hansen // she, her
Blake Hansen is a gravity-fed, speed-loving mountain biker. Out of Utah, she is a seasoned desert rider and enduro racer. She’s becoming a known advocate for diversity in the outdoors as well as for trans athletes. She is featured in the film “Fuel For Life - Blake Hansen”, directed by Kate Bennett.
Bree robles // she, her
Freelance photographer with a focus on outdoor sports, wildlife, portrait, and competition climbing, Bree Robles grew up in northern California and enjoys portrait, landscape, and wildlife photography and has been featured in Climbing Magazine, Gripped Magazine, The Nugget Climbing Podcast, and is the official photographer for USA Climbing. Bree’s aspirations are to promote feminism, the LGBTQIA+ community, the BIPOC community, and unique storytelling through the lens of still photography + film.
Colleen Cooley, M.S., Diné // she, her
Colleen Cooley grew up wandering the washes, mesas, and sandstones in Shą́ą́ʼtóhí, a small community located on the Navajo Nation in northeast Arizona. Her curious mind and innate connection to the lands and waters led her to earn a Master's Degree in Climate Science + Solutions from Northern Arizona University in 2012. Colleen is passionate about the protection and conservation of the diverse landscapes, cultures, and waters that she is surrounded by because it is part of who she is and where she comes from.
Erin Parisi // she, her
Erin Parisi is no stranger to owning her narrative, and she’s not content to let the world define her. Having broken from the world’s expectation of her, she went one step further towards taking her narrative back. After realizing that a misconstrued narrative of trans women held her back, she began a quest to become the first known trans person to complete the Seven Summits. With five of the Seven Summits completed, Erin is stepping out of the shadows, and bringing trans representation to new heights.
Lydia L. Jennings //
she, her
Lydia (she/her) grew up running in Santa Fe, New Mexico (Tewa lands) and is Huichol (Wixáritari) and Pascua Yaqui (Yoeme). Lydia is a trail running soil scientist currently working as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Community, Environment and Policy at the University of Arizona. In addition to her research, she is passionate about increasing the representation and access of both science and the outdoors for Indigenous Peoples. She is featured in the film, “Run to Be Visible” directed by Jordan Marie Daniel + Devin Whetstone. Photograph courtesy of Ashleigh Thompson
Lina KRueck // she, her
Lina Krueck is an Oglala Lakota + Chicana artist, writer, and activist based in Denver, Colorado. Lina is a transracial adoptee on a journey of reconnection, learning about her culture and ancestral history. She is passionate about social + climate justice work, and is devoted to the land, coffee, and her four-legged animal kin. Lina hopes to open a community center to provide support for mental + emotional health, cultural education, resources for trauma survivors and those living with addiction, and a safe space for Indigenous, Black, and Brown folks to build community. Photograph courtesy of Jaylyn Gough.
nikki smith // she, her
Nikki is an artist, writer, photographer, guidebook author, and climber based in Salt Lake City, Utah. She started climbing in the early ’90s and is a National Geographic Adventure photo contributor. She’s authored five climbing guidebooks to date and has more than 150 first ascents throughout the west. Nikki is also an athlete representing REI, Mountain Hardwear, Scarpa, and Grivel. Her work is focused on trying to build a more inclusive, diverse, and safe community within climbing and the outdoors. She is an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, and a Board Member for the Access Fund.
Sanjana Sekhar //
she, her
Sanjana Sekhar is an Indian-American filmmaker, climate activist, and outdoor wanderer. Her work seeks to amplify character-driven stories that heal our human relationships to ourselves and our planet, with a specific interest in socio-ecological justice, ancestral knowledge, and systems of re-nourishment. Sanjana is a co-director at Brave Space Media, a multi-racial, women-led, storytelling team seeking to decolonize outdoor culture both in front of and behind the lens. Photograph courtesy of Gabriella Canal.
Siraad Dirshe //
she, her
Siraad Dirshe is a thoughtful brand strategist, skilled producer, and burgeoning director who has partnered with brands such as Nike, Red Bull, and Instagram and contributing writer in The New York Times, Elle, and Essence to name a few. Her work centers Blackness to make visible their legacy stories in industries such as sports, like surfing, and cultural movements, like sustainability. Siraad is the 2021 recipient of No Man’s Land Film Festival Pitchfest Grant, awarded to a Black filmmaker amplifying the voices of their community.
Cody kaemmerlen // he, him
Cody Kaemmerlen is a passionate climber and business leader with nearly two decades of corporate experience. He currently heads an organization committed to equity + justice in the outdoor industry and education at community and professional levels. Based in Salt Lake City, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance the JEDI and Communications Committees, serves as an advisor to the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education, and is an organizing member of the OIA DC Summit. Photograph courtesy of Eric Fallecker.
Ethan Pringle // he, him
Ethan Pringle is regarded as one of the most well-rounded climbers of his time. Raised in the Mission District of San Francisco, he started climbing after discovering his local climbing gym at eight-years-old. Now a climber of more than 20 years and Mountain Hardwear athlete of over 10, Ethan has successfully climbed some of the hardest routes in the world. Ethan loves climbing rocks, long hikes in the mountains, surfing, reading, watching The Late Show, listening to NPR, petting cats, holding dogs, hugging friends, and connecting with new people.
Forrest (Ọhịa) Mbali // they, them, ki
Forrest (Ọhịa) Mbali is a passionate rock climber, mountaineer, and community advocate born and raised in Chicago. Ki's mission is to celebrate diversity in the outdoors + collaborate with communities to encourage, promote, and amplify the stories and narratives from People of the Global Majority, women and Transgender individuals, the LGBTQ2IA+ community, and folks with disabilities. Forrest is the Co-founder of Sending in Color + a Coalition Member at Diversify Outdoors. You can usually find them exploring abandoned buildings, talking with friendly strangers, or reading a million books about a billion things.
lex Rodgers // he, him
Lex Rodgers is a strength and conditioning coach and climber. While the adventures and challenges of climbing are wonderful, Lex is most grateful for the relationships he’s created through the sport. As a queer and transgender man, climbing has been an unexpected avenue to connect with other LGBTQIA+ allies. His biggest goal in climbing is to help create a similar experience for others. Recently, he has taken up surfing and ice climbing. Photograph courtesy of Nikki Smith.
more guests
because it’s nice to have a friend
Alexis Krauss // she, her
Alexis Krauss is a singer, songwriter and front-woman of the band, Sleigh Bells. A long-time lover of the outdoors, Alexis is a co-founder of Rise Outside, an outdoor educator for Wild Earth and an AMGA certified Single Pitch Instructor. She is a co-founder of Young Women Who Crush, a climbing and leadership development program that provides opportunities for high school girls in NYC to experience the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of rock climbing, indoors and outdoors.
Eliza Earle // she, her, they
Eliza Earle is an adventure sports and editorial photographer hoping to capture the chaos and calm of the outdoor driven lifestyle. She has photographed for brands such as Patagonia, The North Face, and Eddie Bauer, and her editorial assignments have landed her photos on the front page of the New York Times. She lives in Boulder, CO and enjoys climbing and trail running.
Jaylyn Gough // she, her
Jaylyn Gough is the founder and Executive Director of the organization, Native Women's Wilderness, as well as a freelance photographer. The organization provides opportunities for Native women, girls, LGBTQ2S, and non-binaries to get outside, as well as elevate the voices of Native people, ancestral land acknowledgments and history, navigating cultural appropriation, and collectively working with brands to acknowledge Native lands and culture. Jaylyn is proud to be a Navajo Woman who climbs mountains. She holds a WFR and you can find her outside wandering with a camera in hand.
Nina Williams // she, her
Nina Williams is a professional climber based in Boulder, Colorado. She started climbing at twelve-years-old, focusing on competition into her early twenties before moving West for more mountainous terrain. After accomplishing difficult bouldering grades upwards of V13, Nina shifted her attention towards expanding into traditional climbing, testing herself on The Final Frontier (5.13b) and Father Time (5.13b) in Yosemite. Nina seeks a balance between hard bouldering, alpine trad, and keeping up with her studies at the University of Colorado. In her spare time, she enjoys a good cup of coffee and hanging out with friends.