25 Years of Women’s Fit: Meet the Osprey Athletes

#ospreyeurope

To celebrate 25 years of women’s specific fitting packs we caught up with three female Osprey athletes and ambassadors. We chatted about their sports, their inspiration, their 2019 plans and the advice they would give their younger selves.

Womens fit logo_small

How did you begin your adventure lifestyle?

A charity parachute jump in my early 30s really got me started followed by a bike ride in Peru for the same charity. I wasn’t at all adventurous beforehand. After 2 more bike rides abroad, and still as a Business Advisor, I went from client to crew and then to leader.

Gradually, I began saying yes more and it has completely changed my life! My adventure life really got going when I went freelance in 2010 and started to climb bigger mountains and going to more faraway places.

Who is your biggest female role model, in or out of your sport?

Rebecca Stephens. The first British woman to climb Everest and the first British woman to complete the 7 summits. Like me, she was never a climber but came across mountaineering whilst she was doing her job as a journalist on the North Side of Everest in the early 90s. She hadn’t gone with the intention of going above base camp but then pushed it a little more. A few years later, after lots of training, fundraising and hard work, she stood on top of Everest on the South Side. I use a quote from her book ‘On Top of the World’ in every talk I do. ‘Your eyes are like a camera lens, you focus on what’s important’.

I am also a big fan of Junko Tabei, the first female climber to summit Everest in 1975. At that point only 38 climbers had stood on the summit! Her book ‘Honoring High Places’ is a good lesson in not giving up.

What piece of advice would you give your 12-year-old self?

Be brave, be bold and get involved! I was a very shy youngster, sticking to playing about with horses but if you don’t try out different things you’ll never know what you are good at or what you really enjoy doing. Don’t listen to those saying you won’t be good at one thing or can’t do another, just give it a go as only you can decide what you will like or not!

What are your goals for 2019?

I’m hoping it’s going to be a rather big year! My main goal is to complete the 7 summits with ‘just’ 2 to go, Carstensz Pyramid and Mt Vinson. I am working hard to raise funds for the expeditions plus continuing to raise awareness and funds for children’s mental health charity Place2Be. I have also entered a Half Ironman which is taking place at the end of May so training has ramped up somewhere and I am very busy with work as an Expedition Leader and Outdoor Instructor. It’s all go but I now like my life like that, probably making up for lost time in my ‘no-saying’ years! Here’s to a great 2019 for everyone!


How did you get into biking?

I always rode bikes as a kid growing up on a farm. I was always being challenged by my older brother as we made little planks and bricks to ride up and along. When I was 15 my brother started to ride with my local cycling club and started going to races. I went along to watch and it wasn’t long before he persuaded me to have a go too. 25 years later and I’m still racing and riding bikes!

Who is your biggest female role model, in or out of your sport?

I guess this would have to be one of the top mountain bikers when I first started racing, Anne Caroline Chausson. She was quiet, unassuming and dominated our sport for many years with such skill and style on the bike. I always just wanted to be like her and let my riding do the talking.

What piece of advice would you give your 12 year old self?

Learn a language as you never know where your life will take you. I hate not being able to speak French and converse with the locals when I have spent so much time in France over the years.

What are your goals for 2019?

My goal is to get fit again after the birth of my first child Toby. I have entered a 6 day enduro race across the Provence region of France so I’m really looking forward to getting back between the race tape!


How did you get into climbing?

It was really just a coincidence. My first time climbing was at a birthday party at the local climbing gym. I was eleven years old and didn’t know anything about climbing. I thought it was more like a hobby activity like bowling or pool (no offense to professionals in those sports!). Nonetheless, I really enjoyed and immediately fell in love with feeling of being on the wall, being completely absorbed in solving how to take the next hold, as well as challenging myself both physically and mentally.

I started climbing once a week after that. At the time, I was doing a lot of athletics and loved competing, so I entered my first climbing competition about a month after I started. About 2 months after I started, I entered the Swedish Junior Championship in climbing and came in second place. After that, I quit all other sports and chose to focus only on climbing. I entered as many competitions as I could, both in Sweden but also the Euro Cup. It’s crazy to think what would have happened if I never went climbing at that birthday party. I am sure I would have found climbing in one way or another, but it probably would have been much later.

Who is your biggest female role model, in or out of your sport?

Many of the women around me really inspire me and I am lucky to have some of them as my close friends, for example Sasha DiGiulian and Emma Svensson. I look up to people who go their own way, follow their passion, work hard and are genuinely good people.

Within climbing I think it is super motivating to see other women pushing limits of their own and for female climbing. Lynn Hill’s ascent of The Nose on Yosemite, Margo Hayes two 9a+’s and Angela Eiters 9b are three groundbreaking women that I am also inspired by.

What piece of advice would you give your 12 year old self?

To stop worrying about the little things and about fitting in all the time. Run your own race and be true to yourself. I have always been tall (very tall for being a climber at 1.77 m). During my teens I thought it was tough, especially in a climbing context, because it made me different. I would like to tell my 12-year-old self to stop comparing myself to others, embrace that we all are different and to find ways to use being different and turn it into a strength.

 What are your goals for 2019?

My focus this year and the coming years is sport climbing outside. I want to become the best I can and climb as challenging routes as possible. I have several projects lined up for this year but for now I will keep them to myself…

related blogs

25 Years of Women’s Fit: Meet the Osprey Athletes

#ospreyeurope

To celebrate 25 years of women’s specific fitting packs we caught up with three female Osprey athletes and ambassadors. We chatted about their sports, their inspiration, their 2019 plans and the advice they would give their younger selves.

Womens fit logo_small

How did you begin your adventure lifestyle?

A charity parachute jump in my early 30s really got me started followed by a bike ride in Peru for the same charity. I wasn’t at all adventurous beforehand. After 2 more bike rides abroad, and still as a Business Advisor, I went from client to crew and then to leader.

Gradually, I began saying yes more and it has completely changed my life! My adventure life really got going when I went freelance in 2010 and started to climb bigger mountains and going to more faraway places.

Who is your biggest female role model, in or out of your sport?

Rebecca Stephens. The first British woman to climb Everest and the first British woman to complete the 7 summits. Like me, she was never a climber but came across mountaineering whilst she was doing her job as a journalist on the North Side of Everest in the early 90s. She hadn’t gone with the intention of going above base camp but then pushed it a little more. A few years later, after lots of training, fundraising and hard work, she stood on top of Everest on the South Side. I use a quote from her book ‘On Top of the World’ in every talk I do. ‘Your eyes are like a camera lens, you focus on what’s important’.

I am also a big fan of Junko Tabei, the first female climber to summit Everest in 1975. At that point only 38 climbers had stood on the summit! Her book ‘Honoring High Places’ is a good lesson in not giving up.

What piece of advice would you give your 12-year-old self?

Be brave, be bold and get involved! I was a very shy youngster, sticking to playing about with horses but if you don’t try out different things you’ll never know what you are good at or what you really enjoy doing. Don’t listen to those saying you won’t be good at one thing or can’t do another, just give it a go as only you can decide what you will like or not!

What are your goals for 2019?

I’m hoping it’s going to be a rather big year! My main goal is to complete the 7 summits with ‘just’ 2 to go, Carstensz Pyramid and Mt Vinson. I am working hard to raise funds for the expeditions plus continuing to raise awareness and funds for children’s mental health charity Place2Be. I have also entered a Half Ironman which is taking place at the end of May so training has ramped up somewhere and I am very busy with work as an Expedition Leader and Outdoor Instructor. It’s all go but I now like my life like that, probably making up for lost time in my ‘no-saying’ years! Here’s to a great 2019 for everyone!


How did you get into biking?

I always rode bikes as a kid growing up on a farm. I was always being challenged by my older brother as we made little planks and bricks to ride up and along. When I was 15 my brother started to ride with my local cycling club and started going to races. I went along to watch and it wasn’t long before he persuaded me to have a go too. 25 years later and I’m still racing and riding bikes!

Who is your biggest female role model, in or out of your sport?

I guess this would have to be one of the top mountain bikers when I first started racing, Anne Caroline Chausson. She was quiet, unassuming and dominated our sport for many years with such skill and style on the bike. I always just wanted to be like her and let my riding do the talking.

What piece of advice would you give your 12 year old self?

Learn a language as you never know where your life will take you. I hate not being able to speak French and converse with the locals when I have spent so much time in France over the years.

What are your goals for 2019?

My goal is to get fit again after the birth of my first child Toby. I have entered a 6 day enduro race across the Provence region of France so I’m really looking forward to getting back between the race tape!


How did you get into climbing?

It was really just a coincidence. My first time climbing was at a birthday party at the local climbing gym. I was eleven years old and didn’t know anything about climbing. I thought it was more like a hobby activity like bowling or pool (no offense to professionals in those sports!). Nonetheless, I really enjoyed and immediately fell in love with feeling of being on the wall, being completely absorbed in solving how to take the next hold, as well as challenging myself both physically and mentally.

I started climbing once a week after that. At the time, I was doing a lot of athletics and loved competing, so I entered my first climbing competition about a month after I started. About 2 months after I started, I entered the Swedish Junior Championship in climbing and came in second place. After that, I quit all other sports and chose to focus only on climbing. I entered as many competitions as I could, both in Sweden but also the Euro Cup. It’s crazy to think what would have happened if I never went climbing at that birthday party. I am sure I would have found climbing in one way or another, but it probably would have been much later.

Who is your biggest female role model, in or out of your sport?

Many of the women around me really inspire me and I am lucky to have some of them as my close friends, for example Sasha DiGiulian and Emma Svensson. I look up to people who go their own way, follow their passion, work hard and are genuinely good people.

Within climbing I think it is super motivating to see other women pushing limits of their own and for female climbing. Lynn Hill’s ascent of The Nose on Yosemite, Margo Hayes two 9a+’s and Angela Eiters 9b are three groundbreaking women that I am also inspired by.

What piece of advice would you give your 12 year old self?

To stop worrying about the little things and about fitting in all the time. Run your own race and be true to yourself. I have always been tall (very tall for being a climber at 1.77 m). During my teens I thought it was tough, especially in a climbing context, because it made me different. I would like to tell my 12-year-old self to stop comparing myself to others, embrace that we all are different and to find ways to use being different and turn it into a strength.

 What are your goals for 2019?

My focus this year and the coming years is sport climbing outside. I want to become the best I can and climb as challenging routes as possible. I have several projects lined up for this year but for now I will keep them to myself…

related blogs

Community

25 Jahre Passform für Frauen: Lerne Osprey Athletinnen besser kennen

#ospreyeurope

Um 25 Jahre Frauenrucksäcke zu feiern haben wir uns mit drei Osprey Athletinnen und Botschafterinnen über ihren Sport, ihre Inspirationen, ihre Pläne für 2019 und ihre Tipps, die sie sich selbst als Teenager geben würden, unterhalten.

25-years-DE

Wie bist du zu deinem abenteuerlichen Lebensstil gekommen?

Alles begann mit einem Fallschirmsprung für einen wohltätigen Zweck, als ich Anfang 30 war. Darauf folgte eine Fahrradtour in Peru für dieselbe Wohltätigkeitsorganisation. Davor war ich überhaupt keine große Abenteurerin. Nach 2 weiteren Fahrradtouren im Ausland – zu der Zeit war ich immer noch als Unternehmensberaterin tätig – wechselte ich von der Kundin zum Teammitglied und wurde schließlich Leiterin. Nach und nach sagte ich immer öfter zu. Das hat mein Leben vollkommen verändert! Mein Abenteuerleben fing erst richtig an, als ich 2010 als Freelancerin durchstartete und begann, größere Berge zu besteigen und an weiter abgelegene Orte zu gehen.

Wer ist dein größtes weibliches Idol, in deiner Sportart oder in einem anderen Bereich?

Rebecca Stephens. Die erste Britin, die den Everest erklommen hat, und die erste Britin, die die 7 Summits bewältigt hat. Genau wie ich kletterte auch sie zuvor nicht, kam aber durch ihren Beruf als Journalistin in den frühen 90ern an der Nordseite des Everest zum Bergsteigen. Sie beabsichtigte eigentlich nicht, über das Basislager hinaus zu gehen, aber schließlich trieb es sie doch ein bisschen weiter. Einige Jahre später, nach viel Training, Spendensammlung und harter Arbeit, stand sie auf dem Gipfel der Südseite des Everest. Bei jedem meiner Vorträge zitiere ich ihr Buch „On Top of the World“. „Deine Augen sind wie eine Kameralinse: Du richtest den Fokus auf das, was wichtig ist.“ Ich bin auch ein großer Fan von Junko Tabei, die erste Frau, die 1975 den Everest-Gipfel erklomm. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt hatten es nur 38 Bergsteiger bis zum Gipfel geschafft! Ihr Buch „Honoring High Places“ ist eine gute Lektion darüber, nicht aufzugeben.

Welchen Tipp würdest du dir selbst geben, wenn du wieder 12 wärst?

Sei mutig, sei tapfer und engagiere dich! Als Jugendliche war ich sehr schüchtern und nur an Pferden interessiert. Aber wenn man nicht auch einmal etwas anderes ausprobiert, findet man nie heraus, was einem liegt oder wirklich Spaß macht. Hör nicht auf jene, die dir sagen, du könntest in dieser oder jener Sache nicht gut sein. Versuch es einfach, denn nur du selbst kannst entscheiden, was dir gefällt und was nicht!

Was sind deine Ziele für das Jahr 2019?

Ich hoffe, es wird ein großartiges Jahr! Mein Hauptziel ist, die 7 Summits zu vervollständigen. Mir fehlen „nur noch“ die Carstensz-Pyramide und der Mount Vinson. Ich arbeite hart daran, Gelder zu sammeln – zum einen für meine eigenen Expeditionen, zum anderen weiterhin für die Wohltätigkeitsorganisation Place2Be. Sie setzt sich für die psychische Gesundheit von Kindern ein, daher möchte ich auf sie aufmerksam machen. Außerdem habe ich mich zu einem Halb-Ironman Rennen angemeldet, der Ende Mai stattfinden wird. Deshalb trainiere ich ziemlich intensiv und bin nebenbei auch in meiner Arbeit als Expeditionsführerin und Outdoor-Trainerin sehr beschäftigt. Ich habe viel vor, aber mir gefällt mein jetziges Leben. Wahrscheinlich hole ich einfach das nach, was ich in meinen „Kenn-ich-nicht-mach-ich-nicht“-Jahren eben nicht getan habe! Ich wünsche allen ein tolles Jahr 2019!


Wie bist du zum Mountainbiken gekommen?

Da ich auf einem Bauernhof aufgewachsen bin, fuhr ich als Kind ständig Fahrrad. Ich wurde immer von meinem großen Bruder auf unseren selbstgebauten Strecken aus Brettern und Ziegeln herausgefordert. Als ich 15 war, trat mein Bruder dem örtlichen Fahrradverein bei und fing an, Rennen zu fahren. Ich kam als Zuschauerin mit und es dauerte nicht lange, bis er mich dazu überredet hatte, es auch einmal auszuprobieren. 25 Jahre später bin ich immer noch mit dem Rad unterwegs und fahre Rennen!

Wer ist dein größtes weibliches Idol, in deiner Sportart oder in einem anderen Bereich?

Das ist vermutlich eine der Top-Mountainbikerinnen, als ich mit dem Rennradfahren anfing, Anne Caroline Chausson. Sie beherrschte unseren Sport viele Jahre lang mit so viel Können und Stil auf dem Rad. Ich wollte immer einfach wie sie sein und meinen Sport für sich sprechen lassen.

Welchen Tipp würdest du dir selbst geben, wenn du wieder 12 wärst?

Lerne eine Fremdsprache, denn du weißt nie, wohin dich das Leben führt. Ich hasse es, kein Französisch sprechen zu können, obwohl ich über die Jahre so viel Zeit in Frankreich verbracht habe.

Was sind deine Ziele für das Jahr 2019?

Mein Ziel ist, nach der Geburt meines ersten Kindes, Toby, wieder fit zu werden. Ich habe mich für ein 6-tägiges Enduro-Rennen in der Provence in Frankreich angemeldet. Ich freue mich riesig darauf, mich wieder auf den Rennsattel schwingen zu können!


Wie bist du zum Klettern gekommen?

Das war in Wahrheit nur ein Zufall. Zum ersten Mal bin ich bei einer Geburtstagsfeier in einer örtlichen Kletterhalle geklettert. Ich war 11 Jahre alt und wusste nichts übers Klettern. Ich dachte, es sei eher eine Freizeitbeschäftigung wie Bowling oder Billard (nichts gegen Profisportler in diesen Disziplinen!). Dennoch hatte ich großen Spaß am Klettern und mir gefiel auf Anhieb das Gefühl, an der Wand zu sein, mich vollständig darauf zu konzentrieren, wie ich den nächsten Griff angehe, und mich selbst herauszufordern, sowohl körperlich als auch geistig.

Danach fing ich an, einmal pro Woche zu klettern. Damals machte ich viel Sport und liebte Wettkämpfe, daher nahm ich bereits einen Monat nach meiner ersten Klettererfahrung an einem Wettkampf teil. Zwei Monate nachmeinem ersten Besuch in der Kletterhalle nahm ich dann an der schwedischen Jugendmeisterschaft teil und erreichte den zweiten Platz. Daraufhin ließ ich alle anderen Sportarten fallen und konzentrierte mich nur noch aufs Klettern. Ich nahm an möglichst vielen Wettkämpfen teil, in Schweden, aber auch am Europacup. Es ist verrückt darüber nachzudenken, was passiert wäre, wenn ich nicht zu dieser Geburtstagsfeier in der Kletterhalle gegangen wäre. Ich bin sicher, dass ich früher oder später trotzdem zum Klettern gekommen wäre, aber wahrscheinlich eher viel später als früher.

Wer ist dein größtes weibliches Idol, in deiner Sportart oder in einem anderen Bereich?

Viele der Frauen in meinem Umfeld inspirieren mich und ich kann mich glücklich schätzen, einige davon als enge Freundinnen zu haben, zum Beispiel Sasha DiGiulian und Emma Svensson. Ich bewundere Leute, die ihre Leidenschaften verfolgen, hart arbeiten und wirklich gute Menschen sind.

Beim Klettern finde ich es sehr motivierend, andere Frauen zu sehen, die an ihre eigenen Grenzen gehen und sich so auch allgemein für Frauen im Klettersport einsetzen. Lynn Hills Besteigung der „Nose“ im Yosemite-Nationalpark, Margo Hayes’ zwei 9a+ und Angela Eiters 9b sind drei Beispiele für wegweisende Frauen, die mich ebenfalls inspirieren.

Welchen Tipp würdest du dir selbst geben, wenn du wieder 12 wärst?

Aufzuhören, mir über kleine Dinge den Kopf zu zerbrechen und immer mit dem Strom schwimmen zu müssen. Bestreite dein eigenes Rennen und bleib dir immer selbst treu. Ich war schon immer groß (mit 1,77 m sogar sehr groß für eine Kletterin). Als Teenager sah ich das als Hindernis, insbesondere beim Klettern, da ich dadurch hervorstach. Ich würde meinem 12-jährigen Selbst gerne sagen damit aufzuhören, mich mit anderen zu vergleichen, es einfach hinzunehmen, dass wir alle verschieden sind und Wege zu finden, diesen Unterschied als Vorteil zu nutzen.

Was sind deine Ziele für das Jahr 2019?

In diesem und im kommenden Jahr liegt mein Schwerpunkt auf dem Sportklettern im Freien. Ich möchte so gut wie möglich darin werden und möglichst anspruchsvolle Routen klettern. Ich habe mir verschiedene Projekte für dieses Jahr vorgenommen, aber die behalte ich erst mal für mich …

related blogs

Community

25 Years of Women’s Fit: Meet the Osprey Athletes

#ospreyeurope

To celebrate 25 years of women’s specific fitting packs we caught up with three female Osprey athletes and ambassadors. We chatted about their sports, their inspiration, their 2019 plans and the advice they would give their younger selves.

Womens fit logo_small

How did you begin your adventure lifestyle?

A charity parachute jump in my early 30s really got me started followed by a bike ride in Peru for the same charity. I wasn’t at all adventurous beforehand. After 2 more bike rides abroad, and still as a Business Advisor, I went from client to crew and then to leader.

Gradually, I began saying yes more and it has completely changed my life! My adventure life really got going when I went freelance in 2010 and started to climb bigger mountains and going to more faraway places.

Who is your biggest female role model, in or out of your sport?

Rebecca Stephens. The first British woman to climb Everest and the first British woman to complete the 7 summits. Like me, she was never a climber but came across mountaineering whilst she was doing her job as a journalist on the North Side of Everest in the early 90s. She hadn’t gone with the intention of going above base camp but then pushed it a little more. A few years later, after lots of training, fundraising and hard work, she stood on top of Everest on the South Side. I use a quote from her book ‘On Top of the World’ in every talk I do. ‘Your eyes are like a camera lens, you focus on what’s important’.

I am also a big fan of Junko Tabei, the first female climber to summit Everest in 1975. At that point only 38 climbers had stood on the summit! Her book ‘Honoring High Places’ is a good lesson in not giving up.

What piece of advice would you give your 12-year-old self?

Be brave, be bold and get involved! I was a very shy youngster, sticking to playing about with horses but if you don’t try out different things you’ll never know what you are good at or what you really enjoy doing. Don’t listen to those saying you won’t be good at one thing or can’t do another, just give it a go as only you can decide what you will like or not!

What are your goals for 2019?

I’m hoping it’s going to be a rather big year! My main goal is to complete the 7 summits with ‘just’ 2 to go, Carstensz Pyramid and Mt Vinson. I am working hard to raise funds for the expeditions plus continuing to raise awareness and funds for children’s mental health charity Place2Be. I have also entered a Half Ironman which is taking place at the end of May so training has ramped up somewhere and I am very busy with work as an Expedition Leader and Outdoor Instructor. It’s all go but I now like my life like that, probably making up for lost time in my ‘no-saying’ years! Here’s to a great 2019 for everyone!


How did you get into biking?

I always rode bikes as a kid growing up on a farm. I was always being challenged by my older brother as we made little planks and bricks to ride up and along. When I was 15 my brother started to ride with my local cycling club and started going to races. I went along to watch and it wasn’t long before he persuaded me to have a go too. 25 years later and I’m still racing and riding bikes!

Who is your biggest female role model, in or out of your sport?

I guess this would have to be one of the top mountain bikers when I first started racing, Anne Caroline Chausson. She was quiet, unassuming and dominated our sport for many years with such skill and style on the bike. I always just wanted to be like her and let my riding do the talking.

What piece of advice would you give your 12 year old self?

Learn a language as you never know where your life will take you. I hate not being able to speak French and converse with the locals when I have spent so much time in France over the years.

What are your goals for 2019?

My goal is to get fit again after the birth of my first child Toby. I have entered a 6 day enduro race across the Provence region of France so I’m really looking forward to getting back between the race tape!


How did you get into climbing?

It was really just a coincidence. My first time climbing was at a birthday party at the local climbing gym. I was eleven years old and didn’t know anything about climbing. I thought it was more like a hobby activity like bowling or pool (no offense to professionals in those sports!). Nonetheless, I really enjoyed and immediately fell in love with feeling of being on the wall, being completely absorbed in solving how to take the next hold, as well as challenging myself both physically and mentally.

I started climbing once a week after that. At the time, I was doing a lot of athletics and loved competing, so I entered my first climbing competition about a month after I started. About 2 months after I started, I entered the Swedish Junior Championship in climbing and came in second place. After that, I quit all other sports and chose to focus only on climbing. I entered as many competitions as I could, both in Sweden but also the Euro Cup. It’s crazy to think what would have happened if I never went climbing at that birthday party. I am sure I would have found climbing in one way or another, but it probably would have been much later.

Who is your biggest female role model, in or out of your sport?

Many of the women around me really inspire me and I am lucky to have some of them as my close friends, for example Sasha DiGiulian and Emma Svensson. I look up to people who go their own way, follow their passion, work hard and are genuinely good people.

Within climbing I think it is super motivating to see other women pushing limits of their own and for female climbing. Lynn Hill’s ascent of The Nose on Yosemite, Margo Hayes two 9a+’s and Angela Eiters 9b are three groundbreaking women that I am also inspired by.

What piece of advice would you give your 12 year old self?

To stop worrying about the little things and about fitting in all the time. Run your own race and be true to yourself. I have always been tall (very tall for being a climber at 1.77 m). During my teens I thought it was tough, especially in a climbing context, because it made me different. I would like to tell my 12-year-old self to stop comparing myself to others, embrace that we all are different and to find ways to use being different and turn it into a strength.

 What are your goals for 2019?

My focus this year and the coming years is sport climbing outside. I want to become the best I can and climb as challenging routes as possible. I have several projects lined up for this year but for now I will keep them to myself…

related blogs