Blog

Woman rock climbing granite rock face.

Welcome to the Women’s Lead Club blog! We are working on populating this page so please email us if you have ideas for a blog post.

  • In The Pink

    In The Pink

    The first time I went to Yosemite with them, I had no idea what to wear. I figured I wanted something that protected my legs and could be ruined on the rock. For whatever reason, I chose some old pink sweatpants and a pink t-shirt. I think I looked pretty cute but I took a…

  • Gateway to Living a Granola Lifestyle

    Gateway to Living a Granola Lifestyle

    Climbing strangely also seeped into other parts of my life: it helped mitigate my fear of heights, I’ve become more patient with myself and others, and I’ve learned to enjoy fitness. I started weight lifting and one of my dearest friends from WLC…

  • A Light in the Darkness

    A Light in the Darkness

    Climbing has given me a space in which I finally feel safe enough to fail. For the first time in my life, failing is fun because it means I’m challenging myself and I get to grow!

  • The Consequences of Dirtbagging

    The Consequences of Dirtbagging

    I had dreams of dirtbagging probably into my second year of climbing, but I was in a relationship that wasn’t conducive to that lifestyle. At the time…

  • How to build a community when you don’t speak the language or understand the culture 

    How to build a community when you don’t speak the language or understand the culture 

    Climbing began as my deepest wound and became my greatest remedy—a journey where the poison and the antidote were the same. Like a lot of the nonmale climbers in my community…

  • Coming Out of My Shell

    Coming Out of My Shell

    That was the moment I realized what really does matter. It’s not fixating on where my family or society thinks I should be in life personally or financially, it’s moments like this. Climbing has given me the opportunity to be in nature more and absorb all the wonderful gifts our earth has to offer.

  • Climbing in 2 Chapters

    Climbing in 2 Chapters

    We were all there as protagonists of our own stories. We were out there on pause from our home lives to commune with nature and with each other. To test ourselves doing something we all loved and try hard in a safe space. 

  • The Rock Warrior’s Way – Book Review

    The Rock Warrior’s Way – Book Review

    The Rock Warrior’s Way by Arno Ilgner shows the path to learning is this – taking appropriate risks to grow and expand your zone of comfort. What I love about this book is how universal it is…

  • Team Gear Picks

    Team Gear Picks

    When I started climbing over a decade ago, I bought a bunch of gear I never ended up using and a ton of gear I grew to hate. I didn’t know why you would choose one style of carabiner over another and I didn’t consider how to have multi-functional tools.

  • Climbers Coffee Q&A

    Climbers Coffee Q&A

    The Women’s Lead Club met for our first Climbers Coffee on Sept. 8th, 2024, hosted by Ed Team. The instant takeaway was how good it feels to be together in community, to talk about our shared passions, to voice our dreams and fears, to be heard and supported, and the stoke in this group is definitely…