Need a little inspiration? The Mountaineers have you covered.
The third year of the BeWild speaker series begins on April 15. The series brings in adventurers to tell their stories.
Kristina Ciari, director of membership and marketing for The Mountaineers, helped create the speaker series, which she said is an opportunity to encourage the every day adventurer.
“We wanted to support and encourage the public to get outside, to connect with nature and to be inspired to care for the wild places where we play,” she said. “We bring in people who have local appeal, who have interesting stories. This year the theme has been using the outdoors to overcome personal adversity, and how putting yourself in the outdoors can create this transformational experience.”
Here’s the lineup for the series.
Sasha DiGiulian
The series begins on April 15 with Sasha DiGiulian, a 23-year-old rock climber. She’s won gold at the climbing world championships, among other big wins. She was the first American woman to climb a route rated 5.14d, which is recognized as the hardest sport climb ever by a woman. She also has many first ascents to her name.
“I’ve followed her career for years because I’m a rock climber,” Ciari said. “The things that she’s been able to achieve in the outdoors, and the perceptions that she’s changed, specifically around female adventurers, I find personally inspiring.”
Brendan Leonard
Brendan Leonard is the author of Semi-Rad, which Ciari describes as an irreverent and hysterical blog. He will speak on May 19. He’s a recovering alcoholic who hit rock bottom and used the outdoors to help pull himself out, Ciari said. Leonard has climbed and adventured around the west. He’s has also written books and for a number of other publications.
“His talk should be really great and very funny and, overall, the message of overcoming diversity is very true in his case,” Ciari said.
Libby Sauter
Libby Sauter seems to somehow have more time in her days than the regular human being. She’s a nurse, she holds the female speed record for The Nose on El Capitan and, when she’s not working on some of the hardest climbs in the world, she helps save the lives of children in developing countries with the Novick Cardiac Alliance. She will speak on June 2.
Jess Roskelley and Ben Erdmann
Jess Roskelley, who was raised in Spokane, started as a mountain guide on Mount Rainier when he was 18. By 20, he had summited Rainier 35 times and was the youngest American to climb Mount Everest. He started pioneering new routes in Alaska, where he met Ben Erdmann. Erdmann is known for his endurance pushes. Roskelley and Erdmann now live a migratory life, traveling from Patagonia to Alaska, with stops in the Cascades and Rockies. The duo will talk about the highs and lows of their migratory adventures.
If you go
Each talk starts at 7 p.m. at The Mountaineers Seattle Program Center, 7700 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle. Get details and tickets at www.mountaineers.org/bewild.
The series is $35 for members/$45 non-members. Individual talks are $10/$12.
The lineup:
April 15: Sasha DiGiulian
May 19: Brendan Leonard
June 2: Libby Sauter
June 22: Jess Roskelley &Ben Erdmann
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