no man’s land is a drag
this year, we acknowledge that states in the U.S. have advanced a record number of bills that attack LGBTQ+ rights, especially transgender youth. dozens of anti-LGBTQ+ bills threaten to prevent people from receiving life-saving health care, are discriminatory and seek to erase the community.
Drag performance is an art form dating back centuries and is a vital part of LGBTQ culture and history. we proudly present “No man’s land is a dRAG” On SAturday 3.9 in support of our lgbtq+ community.
Buffalo Barbie // 2 spirit, they
Buffalo Barbie is a two-spirit, Diné and an advocate for LGBTQ rights within the Native American community. Originally from Teec Nos Pos, Arizona where their paternal grandparents have resided for generations, they are Kinya’áanii (Towering House Clan), Born for Tó’aheedlíinii (Water Flows Together Clan), Maternal Grandmother Dził tł’ahnii (Mountain Cove), and Paternal Grandfather ł’ízí łání (Many Goat). They currently reside in Denver, Colorado, home for over 20 years. Buffalo Barbie enjoys living near the mountains, and as a child, has always felt more comfortable with the mountains in eyesight.
Camila Spanic // he, she, they
Camila Spanic is a drag queen who quickly made a name for herself within Denver's queer community, but it's not because of her sickening looks or killer lip sync skills. She is a hardcore sexual health advocate and spends more time in drag raising awareness than performing on stage. Spanic works with several nonprofits that provide services for sexual health like Colorado Health Network, as well as organizations deeply associated with Mountain Pride, which focuses on bringing LGBTQ awareness to mountain areas such as Vail and Avon. Every time Spanic is in drag, she will try to intertwine something regarding sexual health activism.
Sissy Lou Lou // he, they
Louis Trujillo, A.K.A. Sissy Lou Lou, is a visual and performance artist and curator born and working in Colorado. Identity is the recurring theme of inspiration for his artwork with explorations in gender expression, the unconscious, and family history. He received his B.F.A in drawing at Metropolitan State University of Denver where he was awarded the Nagel Art Thesis Grant and the Nagel Directed Studies Scholarship. He is currently employed by Access Gallery, a non-profit organization in Denver's Art District on Santa Fe, as their Gallery Manager. Sissy Lou Lou has performed at the Underground Music Showcase with Platte Forum, at Museo De Las Americas, and at Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art.
Vicky DeVille // she, her
Introducing the sensational Vicky DeVille, a NYC-based drag queen renowned for her show-stopping celebrity impersonations and dazzling cosplays. Crowned the Scene Queen at the prestigious NYC Glam Awards in both 2018 and 2019, Vicky has graced the pages of Gay Times, PaperMag.com, and guested on the "Guys We F*cked Podcast". Get ready, Denver, as this will be Vicky's first enchanting performance in the heart of Colorado!
Real magic is brought to life by the individuals we bring out to let their talents shine.
Elijah Ayers increases accessibility for those who are deaf or hard of hearing as he returns for his FOURTH year. Dan Lasher RETURNS FOR HIS SECOND flagship, and Candace joins. filmmakers/Photographers Cheshire Li + Micheli Oliver and Videographer Kim Shively document the magic and mayhem.
TK
dan lasher // he, him
Dan Lasher is an American Sign Language interpreter, who enjoys all things emergency management related. You can usually find him sitting near a campfire, swimming in the complex details of Water and Environmental Law in the Mountain West. When he's not working, he thoroughly enjoys being walloped by his children in a spirited game of MarioKart. If you wave your hands around wildly, you'll probably get his attention.
Elijah Ayers // HE, HIM
Elijah Ayers currently works for the state of Colorado under the Department for Public Health and Environment, making all of the government content accessible for those who need access. Elijah loves his work and makes sure to balance that with a very active lifestyle. When Elijah isn’t trail running around Denver, you can catch him skateboarding with neighborhood youth or up in the mountains getting fresh turns with friends. Being outside is the key to all vitality!
CHESHIRE LI // THEY, THEM
Cheshire Li is a queer and non-binary first-generation Chinese-American director, filmmaker, and photographer. Their work spans commercial, narrative, and documentary sets in camera, grip, and electric departments. The heart of Cheshire's creative work aims to explore inclusive and intersectional ideas in film while holding the complexity and nuance of those liminal spaces. Cheshire is an active member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia and a founding member of the Emergent Media Collective, a Denver-based queer and trans film collective that aims to disrupt the extractive nature of film to move towards a more just and liberated future. Their work includes brands like Fjallraven, Yeti Cycles, Flash Foxy, Boot Tan Fest, Outside Magazine, The North Face, Adidas, Pearl Izumi, and Hoka.
Photograph courtesy of Alex Witkowicz.
micheli oliver // she, they
Denver-based Micheli Oliver is a photographer, filmmaker, and human rights activist. Their hope is to facilitate connection with the world and to help people fall in love with the land we must protect. They center BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ voices and work to create intentional safe spaces for honest and joyful storytelling. They look for loud voices that refuse to be silenced in order to paint a story with their lightbox. Micheli has worked on "Spirit of the Peaks" and "Who Is a Runner". Their photo + and writing has been published in Backcountry Magazine, Powder Magazine, Freeskier Magazine, Sisu Magazine and featured with Fujifilm, Patagonia, Hydroflask, Solomon, Backcountry, REI, and more.
KIM shively // she, her
Kim Shively is a filmmaker whose projects are largely interested in exploring representations of landscape, nature, and mortality in popular culture. Much of her work originates with the idea of the palimpsest – a surface or place on which texts, ideas, and histories are continually being created and erased. Shively produces, shoots and edits her own work, and has worked on a wide array of documentary and commercial projects. A selection of her clients include; The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, Redline Contemporary Arts Center, Human Rights Campaign, Fentress Architects, M12 Studio, Exhibit A Pictures, The Gill Foundation, and The Clyfford Still Museum.
2024 GUEST SPEAKERS
each year, we gather the hearts, minds, and community that make up no man’s land together for a heckin good time.
We invite women + allies from across the country who embody our mission to un-define femininity and share our goal of gender equity. athletes, filmmakers, photographers, and advocates will speak on Friday evening + Saturday afternoon panels.
FOR THOSE WITHOUT A SATURDAY TICKET FOR FILMS BUT WHO WISH TO SEE THE PANELS, WE WELCOME YOU TO JOIN US FOR THE CONVERSATION FROM 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM! THERE IS A SUGGESTED $10 DONATION AT THE DOOR FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON PANELS.
Alexandera Houchin // she, her
Alexandera Houchin is a citizen of the Fond du Lac Band of the Lake Superior Anishinaabe. She’s carved out a home in ultra-endurance bike racing, most recently completing the Triple Crown Challenge—an arduous endeavor that spans more than 4,000 miles in a single season of racing—in 2023. After spending a decade exploring her world on the bike, she’s taking a “gap year” to explore traveling using only her two feet. She hopes to learn different ways of movement to grow as an athlete.
Photography by Caroline Wang.
anna hazlett // she, her
Anna Hazlett (also known as Anna Hazelnutt) is a professional climber known for her slab climbing. In particular, she has made a name for herself by repeating some of the hardest trad slabs in the world including Once Upon a Time in the Southwest, The Walk of Life, and Prinzip Hoffnung. In climbing, filmmaking, and in life, Anna has a single focus: to embrace discomfort, keep learning, and have fun. She is a strong advocate for the LGBTQ2S+ and BIPOC communities, as well as for female empowerment. She’s an equally strong advocate for chronically underappreciated slab climbing: “slab is sexy,” after all.
Photograph courtesy of Harrison Voorhees.
Beth Keefauver // she, her
Beth Keefauver earned her Ph.D. in English and Creative Writing at the University of Tennessee. Her fiction and nonfiction has appeared in literary journals and the anthology, Not Somewhere Else but Here: A Contemporary Anthology of Women and Place. In 2015, Beth joined the faculty at the University of South Carolina Upstate where she teaches creative and professional writing, environmental literature, and women's and gender studies. Beth enjoys outdoor adventuring by boot, bike, ski, and paddleboard. In 2020, she biked the entire 469 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway. She shares a two-acre patch of earth in the southern Appalachian mountains with her two sons, their dog, and a pair of lop-eared bunnies.
ELIJAH AYERS // HE, HIM
Elijah Ayers grew up in the Southern California foster care system and had a short stint in the military, serving in both Afghanistan and Iraq theaters. Shortly after completing his time in service, he entered the world of academia and was first exposed to American Sign Language and the Deaf community during college. Elijah completed his studies at the all-accessible school in D.C., Gallaudet University. He currently works for the state of Colorado under the Department for Public Health and Environment, making all of the government content accessible to those in need. Elijah makes sure to balance that with a very active lifestyle. If he’s not trail running around Denver, you can catch him on the slopes with friends, or skateboarding with neighborhood youth. Being outside is the key to all vitality!
GENEVA MAYALL // SHE, HER
Geneva Mayall is an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and Sansei (third-generation Japanese American). She is currently pursuing her passion for storytelling by becoming a kwe Native film producer. Her first Native film is a short documentary called Reflection of Life: Voices of our Youth which has been nominated for multiple awards in the Native film festival circuit. It is Geneva’s goal to combine her bloodline of social justice and passion for storytelling to help bring the community together. Geneva is a four-season athlete who takes advantage of any weather to be outdoors. When Geneva is not recreating on the land and building connections, she is educating the younger generation on becoming environmental stewards.
Katie Lozancich // she, her
Storytelling has been a passion of Katie Lozancich ever since she got her first National Geographic subscription as a kid (which she bought with her allowance money). Those glossy pages and rich photographs were the catalyst for her career as an award-winning freelance storyteller and artist, creating content and stories for countless brands and magazines. Katie tends to wear many creative hats—director, producer, photographer, and writer are just a few to name—and her work blurs the lines between documentary and fine art. She is one of three creatives behind NEXUS, an all-women's ski film that was directed, produced, and largely filmed by a female team, and “Coming Home” is her directorial debut.
KYRA CONDIE // she, her
Mountain Hardwear athlete Kyra Condie is a professional climber and Olympian based out of Salt Lake City. She’s motivated by goals in both national and international competitions as well as outdoor climbing, and known for her regimented training routine and explosive style on the wall. Outside of climbing, Kyra loves to play beach volleyball, ski, hang with her two cats, and find new specialty coffee shops. She serves on the Athlete Advisory Committee for USA Climbing, an athlete representative and floating member on the Board of Directors of USA Climbing, and a member of the Athletes Commission of the International Federation of Sport Climbing.
Lina Krueck // she, her
Lina Krueck is an Oglala Lakota + Chicana activist based in Denver, Colorado. She is a transracial adoptee on a journey of reconnection, learning about her cultural roots, ancestral history, and languages. She is passionate about community building and collective liberation and currently works in the human services field in Denver, CO. You will most likely find her somewhere outside or in a local cafe.
Photograph courtesy of Jaylyn Gough.
Marie-Louise Lusamba Nkashama //
she, her
Marie-Louise Nkashama is a Congolese-American filmmaker and climber who combines her passions to create captivating and inspiring stories that explore questions regarding identity and the pursuit of individuality and showcase the beauty and challenge of outdoor adventures. In 2021, Marie-Louise became the first Black female athlete sponsored by The North Face — and she hopes that she is not the last. She prides herself on her versatility. She wouldn’t be who she was without the culmination of her multiple passions. “I truly believe I can achieve anything I set my mind to,” She says, “I have to believe it.
MIGUEL CASAR // he, él, him
Miguel Casar Ph. D. is a Mexican activist scholar, climber, educator, and professional dabbler in many things, including trampoline jumping and building legos. In his movement work and scholarship, Miguel explores how research can honor the rights of marginalized communities and those resisting oppression to ask critical questions about our realities, build power, and become protagonists of history as we imagine, author, and cultivate just and humanizing futures. Miguel believes that another world is possible, that it is up to us to collectively imagine and build such worlds, and that climbing can be a part of that movement. He currently serves as a professor of Critical Qualitative Methodologies at the University of Alabama College of Education.
Photograph by Andrew Burr.
RE WIKSTROM
Re Wikstrom has mountain biked in Canada, rafted the Idaho-Oregon border, ski toured in the Arctic, and traveled to many a wild place—and all alongside strong, inspiring women. Her mission is close to her heart: to use photography to bring female athletes to the forefront of the outdoor world. With a BFA in Photography and Visual Media from RIT, local and international publications, and her prior roles as Senior Photographer, Managing Photo Editor, and Marketing Photo Manager at Backcountry.com, Re’s work is as much a product of her dedication and experience as it is passion. She counts fresh air and sunshine among her basic needs, and jumps at any chance to trade laughs around a campfire.
Photograph from the film “Re”, by Chloe Jimenez.
Shayna unger // she, her
Mountain Hardwear athlete Shayna Unger is a deaf woman, educator and mountaineer. She was born to a multigenerational deaf family and raised in the deaf community. Growing up, her family went on 90’s camping style trips in the Northeastern U.S. but it wasn’t until college that she started traveling and fell in love with backcountry hiking, sea kayaking, bikepacking and climbing mountains. In 2020 and 2021, she was part of the first all-deaf team to summit Aconcagua and Denali. When she’s not outdoors, you can find Shayna teaching social emotional learning and providing support for deaf and hard of hearing elementary school-aged students. Shayna and her partner, Scott, launched Seeing Beyond: Seven Summits, aiming to be the first deaf individuals to reach the Seven Summits and to inspire others in our community to try outdoor sports.
SONYA WILSON // she, her
Sonya Wilson is a teacher, advocate, artist, climber, and a member of the Deaf community. Her curiosity for the outdoors began early on, due to family road trips visiting national parks. She earned a BA and MA degree at Azusa Pacific University where she took classes that focused on outdoor recreational activities such as rock climbing, hiking, and mountaineering. Sonya’s vision is to elevate and bridge the outdoors and the Deaf community. Deaf representation in the outdoors raises awareness of what true access, equality, and inclusion look like. When access is clear, equality is apparent, diversity is valued and inclusion is a priority, nature will truly be for everyone. She is Eddie Bauer and Mountain House’s first Deaf Ambassador. Learn more about her film “Elevated”.
Photograph by Alex Kim.
Taylor Bennett-Begaye // SHE, HER
Taylor Bennett-Begaye is a Diné citizen from the New Mexico side of the Navajo Nation. She resides on the original homelands of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho (also known as Denver) where she recently obtained her master’s degree in media + public communications from the University of Denver. Taylor’s overall goal is to create and foster a community to lower the barrier for Indigenous people in the outdoors while also being fairly new to the space in Colorado. In her 9-5 with Protect the Sacred, you can find her empowering and guiding the next generation of Native youth leaders and allies of Arizona and New Mexico.
xavier bravo // he, él, him
Xavier Bravo is a Chicano climber originally from Chicago, with family roots in Michoacán and Guadalajara, Mexico, and is an athlete for Scarpa, Black Diamond, Arc'teryx, Hest Outdoors, and Athletic Brewing. Based in Boulder, CO, Xavier is the Event Coordinator for the American Alpine Club. While he loves the access to the outdoors his new home has given him, he craved a community to share the memories with—particularly his Latine community. In 2022, Xavier created Escaladores Unidos, an affinity group dedicated to fostering conexión for all Latine/x & Hispanic individuals through a shared passion of cultura, comunidad y climbing. With this new organization, he hopes to bring his community together to collectively increase visibilidad, representación y accesibilidad for all escaladores.
Photography by Greg Donohue.
artists + women-owned small businesses
Thanks to the support of our generous sponsors, we do not charge artists and women-owned small businesses + NPO to rent a table. they bring so much life to the party, and we honor their creativity, drive, and grit. stop by and support NB and women-owned small businesses + artists’ work!
Allez Outdoor
Sonja Bjornsen (she/her) spent the last 10+ years in skin care, growing companies from scrappy startups to powerhouses, and was inspired to hold to a core set of values within a future company of her own. While climbing with friends, Sonja pulled a hand salve out of her pack and realized that all the skincare for the outdoors was utilitarian, filled with chemicals, and made for men in outdoor pursuits. Wondering why premium skincare could only be found within women-dominated spaces, she saw a natural bridge between functional beauty + the outdoors. Allez Outdoor provides sensory-rich, restorative skincare that helps seamlessly carry our community through the outdoor spaces that we love, while protecting the places we love. Allez Outdoor is proudly woman, minority, and LGBTQ+ owned.
Alpine Earthworks Pottery
Alpine Earthworks Pottery was born from Kim Hall’s (she/her) dreams of bringing the joy of the wild places of this world into the daily rituals of the people she loves. Every mug, bowl, and plate is created with patience, love, fine attention to detail, and a good level of grit. Her goal is to bring joy to someone’s life and remind us of those slow moments of desert camping, frolicking through mountain wildflowers, and taking in the sunset with dirt under your nails and a never-ending smile on your face.
Photograph courtesy of Nikki Smith.
dynamite starfish
Leslie Kim (she/her) is an artist, designer, and climber living in Los Angeles, California. She is passionate about making art about shared human experiences. She hopes everyone who wears her designs is inspired to live and love at their very best. Dynamite Starfish began in 2014 with humble roots in an urban apartment. Never intending to start a business, Leslie made drawings about all the places she loved to rock climb. Eventually, her friends convinced her to print her artwork on t-shirts, and Dynamite Starfish was born. Dynamite Starfish creates art & apparel that helps you express your climber voice! Whether you're stoked, high maintenance, passive aggressive or try-hard, they’ve got tees for you.
jitterbug art studio
Tasha Dunston (she/her) is an illustrator, painter, and plant lover. She received her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts with a concentration in Scientific and Medical Illustration. When she isn’t in the studio, she is cooking up a storm in the kitchen, tending to plants, hiking and camping, or traveling to somewhere new! Tasha’s love of the outdoors is a vital part of her identity and she tries to share that passion with as many as she can to help show that the outdoors is for everyone! Jitterbug Art Studio is based in Denver, CO. Her clients include Otterbox, Range Magazine, Craghoppers, SNEWs, and the Denver Art Museum.
Honeysuckle Handmade Studio
Cat Widner’s (she/her) work is derived from the land, each bead a metaphor for the grains of desert sand, the colors reflecting those we see outside, each metal piece formed to carry the organic and geometric shapes we find in nature. Her desire to create is intrinsic, it is a necessity. It belongs in the space between human and nature, it speaks to the connection, the relationship, and the love that lives there. Honeysuckle Handmade Studio is a vehicle for Cat to practice ART AS ACTIVISM. Those who support this business in turn support non-profits that focus on social and environmental justice. All of her work is made with a strong concept and a lot of love and care.
Lauren echo art
Lauren Echo (she/her) is a self-taught illustrator living on the road. Playing outside, creating art, and being around people are what fuels her and inspires all of her work. Lauren specializes in murals, surface design, and pattern design. Her art is bold, full of color, and primarily abstract. Most of Lauren’s work is created digitally with the exception of mural applications. With each piece of art she creates, Lauren hopes to connect people to nature and bring out their inner child.
little magic everywhere
Aliza Shapiro (they/them) is a queer & nonbinary Jewish artist illuminating the little magic in those slow moments + places between. They believe the natural world is an inherently queer and expansive place, and draw inspiration from Jewish spirituality and its many mystical, earth-based forms.
Wild Brush
Julianne Mohoney (she/her), founder of Wild Brush, is on a mission to empower all humans to get outside with gear as beautiful as the places they adventure. After years of purchasing gear designed by people who value profit over functionality and decided that it was time for something new. With an old sewing machine and custom fabric designed by artistic friends, a company was born. Wild Brush has grown into a passionate community over the past 5 years.
drawing from nature
Andrea Slusarski (she/her) is a creative thinker, designer, and plein air sketchbook drawer based in Colorado. Fascinated by how learning is impacted by Creativity, her visual and teaching processes are fueled by this curious study. Whether in drawing, designing, or riding, Andrea connects her various types of lines through plein air sketchbook drawings, snowboarding, studio collaborations, and sharing Creativity with all types of students. A firm believer in the power of little-c creativity (daily creative acts) - Professor Slu provides various workshops and lectures on how to embrace one’s own creative light to find more connection and fun through creative pursuits.
Slu is the creative force behind the Drawing from Nature Studio, a design incubator that has collaborated with many outdoor-based companies, and joins us in partnership with our wonderful returning sponsor, Coalition Snow!
