Beauty, charm, wit, social grace, and the grit of rusty nails ... we think hanging out with any one of these gals is an opportunity NOT to be missed! Click on any photo to read more about these mistresses of the mountains...
|
|
|
 |
Angela Hawse |
Jen Grimes |
Kitty Calhoun |
Sarah Hueniken |
|
|
|
 |
Margo Talbot
|
Dawn Glanc
|
Caroline George |
Lauren Blank |
Angela Hawse
Angela is one of the most experienced women guides in the country with over 20 years leading adventures in the vertical realm. She is an AMGA Certified Rock Guide, Himalayan Alpinist and Sponsored Athlete. She is versed in all disciplines of climbing and has led over 20 high altitude expeditions, including five on Denali. She has ascents throughout Asia, South America, Canada and the U.S. and in addition to Chicks with Picks, guides for Women that Rock, Chicks on Cracks, Exum Mountain Guides and Mountain Madness. She is passionate about teaching and sharing her enthusiasm for the outdoors. Angela has a long history of making good things happen through the service work she combines with her endeavors. In 1998, she was deputy leader of the successful First Disabled Ascent of Mt. Everest and reached the South Summit at 28,875’. Her efforts on the expedition included organizing a major clean-up high on the mountain and facilitating a semester long service program for 5 college students in the Khumbu Valley. A year later, she led an expedition on Aconcagua, which removed over 1000 kg of garbage from above 19,000’. In 2003, she led a successful all-women’s expedition to Ama Dablam, 22,454’, with two other CWP guides. The group of nine, mostly CWP alumni called themselves the mAmas Dablam, raised $23,000 for the dZi Foundation and climbed the highly technical southwest ridge without Sherpa support. Their fundraising efforts helped start a safe house for young girls in Sikkim. Angela has also trained women guides in Nepal and worked to protect the Mountain Porter. In 2001, she earned a Master’s Degree in International Mountain Conservation for her work. Angela is also Motivational Speaker and serves as a Director for the American Mountain Guides Association. Her home is outside of Ouray, in Ridgway, Colorado. back to top
Jen Stewart-Grimes
Jen Grimes started climbing 13 years ago during college while studying geology and studio arts. She went on to teach climbing while attending the University of Minnesota in Duluth graduate school for geology. Ice climbing began as a way for her to combat the dreary winters of northern Minnesota. Surprisingly, Minnesota ice climbing provided varied, albeit short climbing, making for an excellent learning ground. After realizing that a career in geology was not for her, Jen became involved in the Outdoor Industry. Now, most of her time is spent, literally, living in a truck with her husband and two dogs. The Midwest is the territory where they work as independent sales representatives selling climbing gear and clothing. In 1997 Jen got invited to join the competitors at the Ouray Ice fest and won first place, and she has participated in the climbing exhibitions there ever since. Jen was also a participant in the 1998 X-games and came away with a bronze medal. Teaching women is a priority for Jen and this year she is participating in multiple Ice Fests, in order to share her skills with women in the Midwest. Jen also has secret passions for knitting, chocolate and good books. Ok, maybe the chocolate part isn't so secret. back to top
Kitty Calhoun
Kitty Calhoun grew up in S.C. and began rock climbing in 1978. A year later, she took up ice climbing, while attending the University of Vermont. She became a rock instructor for Outward Bound in 1981 and a guide for the American Alpine Institute from 1985 1990. She guided in Peru, Bolivia, Alaska, Argentina, and Nepal. Among her personal ascents include the Cassin on Denali, the second ascent of the Bouchard route on Chacraraju, the first American female ascent of Dhaulagiri, the first female ascent of Makalu, two new Grade VI wall routes in Kyrkygzstan, a new Grade VI wall route on Middle Triple Peak in Alaska, four routes on El Cap (all with women), and most recently, an ascent of the rarely-formed Diamond Couloir on Mt.Kenya. Kitty earned an MBA from the University of Washington in 1993 and became a mom in 1995. She is an ambassador with Patagonia and lives in Castle Valley, UT. Her interests, besides climbing, include storytelling, coaching, and learning about nutrition and training. back to top
Sarah Hueniken
Sarah Hueniken is a ACMG Assistant Alpine and Rock Guide living in Canmore Alberta. She has been instructing climbing throughout the US and Canada for the past 11 years. After completing a degree in Outdoor Recreation Parks and Tourism, climbing took over her life as she traveled and worked for various OB schools, NOLS, St Lawrence University, Alala Women’s Mountain Adventures and Yamnuska Mountain Adventures. Whether it’s rock, ice or alpine, sharing an exciting adventure with a good friend in the mountains is what climbing is all about… and maybe even learning a little something about yourself on the way! When not in the mountains Sarah can be found in one of Canmore’s many coffee shops, out walking someone’s dog, or hanging off the walls of the local climbing gym. back to top
Margo Talbot
Margo’s love affair with the mountains began 22 years ago when she discovered the Canadian Rockies. Having preferred winter sports since childhood she naturally gravitated towards ice climbing and ski mountaineering. Her love of ice has taken her to the high Arctic as well as Antarctica, where she has guided several expeditions to the South Pole and the Vinson Massif. She is the co-founder of Glitter Girls, a women-based adventure program. Margo is an Outdoor Research sponsored Athlete who lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, her current platform for international guiding and adventure. back to top
Dawn Glanc
Dawn Glanc was born and raised in Brunswick Ohio. After high school, Dawn realized Ohio was not the place for her. In 1996, she moved to the Black Hills of South Dakota to pursue an Outdoor Education degree from Black Hills State University and to experience the outdoors. It was in the Black Hills that Dawn started to climb both rock and ice. After spending 8 years in the hills, Dawn craved bigger mountains, and in 2004, she moved to Bellingham WA to begin a full time guiding position with the American Alpine Institute. Dawn has averaged more than 200 days of climbing and guiding each year since then. Climbing and guiding has taken her to mountains in the Northern Cascades, Eastern Sierras, the French Alps, the Fairweather Range and the Alaska Range, as well as Squamish and Bugaboos Provincial Park in Canada. Dawn is pursuing the American Mountain Guide Association certifications. She completed both her Rock Guide certification and the Alpine Aspirant in 2008. Dawn lives in Ouray each winter to be close to her ice climbing passion; since living in Ouray, she has begun mixed climbing, and this learning curve went quickly. Dawn’s latest accomplishments include winning first place at the 2009 Ouray ice festival. back to top
Caroline George
Caroline was born in Switzerland 30 years ago amongst the big mountains of the Alps where her passion for mountain climbing started at age 18. For three years, she traveled the world competing in World Cups Ice Climbing Competitions. Meanwhile, Caroline was also in law school and after graduating she devoted her life to the mountains, focusing on the big alpine north faces. In 2003 she became the first American woman to climb the north faces of the Eiger , Matterhorn (in winter) and the Walker Spur on Grandes Jorasses in only three months. In 2005 she came to the United States and worked as a mountain guide for Exum in Salt Lake and for the Colorado Mountain School in Boulder Colorado . When Caroline first came to the Rockies, she climbed five major ice climbs in a day, the most ever done by a woman. Here, she met her husband and was married six months later. She spend her honeymoon in Patagonia and upon returning to the states, place third in the Ouray Festival. She now resides in Ouray Colorado and her passion and the serenity of the mountains is what powers her life. back to top
Lauren Blank
An experienced all-mountain athlete, Lauren Blank guides for Jackson Hole Mountain Guides in the summer, and ski patrols at Snow King Resort in the winter. While Lauren has called the Jackson, Wyoming and the Tetons home for the past eight years, she can also be found rock climbing in Red Rocks, Yosemite, Potrero Chico, and the Gunks. She has also participated in the Wyoming Bouldering Series for the past four years. Lauren is an avid alpine and telemark skier. She has made numerous turns in the Teton backcountry, and has skied from the summit Mt. Hood.
Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, Lauren, discovered her love of the mountains while attending Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Although she earned a B.A. in East Asian Studies and is fluent in Mandarin, Lauren got hooked on rock climbing on her first trip to Smith Rocks in 1998. Lauren's guiding career started after she completed two years of intensive language studies in China. She has lead cultural tours along the Silk Road of China, backpacking in Tibet, and glacier tours in Alaska.
Whether or not she is guiding clients up Gannet or the Grand, Lauren is always ready for adventure. back to top
|
