Halle Homel
Halle is a wilderness guide, AMGA Single Pitch Instructor, and overall outdoor enthusiast whose overall goal in the outdoors is to empower women to take up space outside. She has guided in California, Oregon, Washington, West Virginia, and Alaska and prioritizes advocacy for our environment while helping to make the outdoors more accessible. She believes that connection to our outdoor spaces helps more people to advocate for our wild spaces.
Thunderbolt to Sill Traverse
I’m climbing to help women reach new heights. This summer, I will be attempting the Thunderbolt to Sill Traverse, a High Sierra technical climb that covers 5 of California’s highest peaks while helping other women meet themselves in the mountains.
Why Get Out and Give Back?
Existing as a woman in the outdoors is hard. There is a constant need to prove your strength and your place on the mountain. Even as a certified outdoor professional, my abilities have been questioned. But, more than anything, I know how hard it is to learn the skills to safely be able to complete certain objectives in the outdoors. My journey into trad climbing was a difficult one, with multiple male climbing partners and potential mentors turning me down when it came to learning trad. It was a months-long process to find someone who could teach me how to safely become the climber I wanted to be. I don’t want any other women to feel like this, with any sports they want to pursue. Every woman deserves the freedom to learn at her speed, the safety to ask questions, and the ability to take up space in the outdoors. We deserve to be out here just as much as anyone else, so being able to help make that learning curve less intimidating is so important to me. It’s why I guide, and why I would love to be involved with the Cairn Project.