“I saw that the work I was getting was from women requesting female guides. And I thought, Okay, I’m gonna put together a women’s climbing event, and then the boys can’t take this work from me.“
– Kelly Fields
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The mountains themselves might be unbiased, but the systems we live in are not.
Kelly Fields is a rock climber, certified climbing guide, and owner of Athena Rock Climbing, a nationwide guide service with a specialty in multi-pitch trad climbing and a primarily all female guide staff. Kelly’s been building a career around climbing since 2004 and took part in a historic Baffin Island expedition with a team of all women in 2025.
Hear about the trade offs that Kelly made in order to pursue a career and life in rock climbing, the sexism that she faced and still faces in the sport, and a recap of the Arctic multisport expedition.
Kelly and Angie talked about:
- Why Kelly left college to pursue big-wall climbing
- The sexism she faced (and still faces) as a guide
- How she built Athena Rock Climbing from a desire for ownership and community
- Why women make excellent climbers
- The physical and emotional dynamics of a 42-day all-women expedition in the Canadian Arctic
- Internalized misogyny and how we unknowingly carry it into the outdoors
- Inviting men into conversations about gender equity outdoors
Join Trailtober here for a chance to win trail prizes and to help close the gender gap outdoors.
Check out these resources:
- Share your story on this podcast! Submit for Field Notes here.
- Athena Rock Climbing
- Athena on IG
- Kelly on IG
- The Summit Scholarship Foundation
- Become a Trailblazer
- Women of Mountaineering Calendar
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You can help us close the gender gap outdoors and beyond:
- Become a Trailblazer. Your Adventure Fundraiser makes wilderness experiences possible for girls and women.
- Check out the Summit Scholarship Foundation.
- Share this episode with a friend or family member.
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The Cairn Project
Mobilizing to empower young women in the outdoors through grantmaking.