Reflections from the Wild Women's Project

The Wild Women’s Project is the brainchild of Amanda Goad of Bold Brew, a creative and communications shop that does a lot of work for clients in the outdoor industry. Based in Durango, Colorado, the team is focused on “building meaningful cultures, innovative landscapes and gritty people,” according to its website. After spending a weekend with women from around the country who are blazing new paths in the outdoor industry and beyond, I’d say we moved the needle, in our own incremental way, on gritty, innovative and, most importantly, meaningful.

Where the Wild Women Are: How a cross-country upheaval started a movement | 360Durango

It was an impeccable summer morning. Sixteen women, leaders within the outdoor industry in their own rites, made their way up Highway 550 to Ophir Pass Road. They had been hand-selected, based upon their various involvements in the outdoors, to be a part of something bigger than them. Bigger, in fact, than their host had even conceived.

How a Weekend Retreat in Colorado's Durango Mountains Has Spurred Real Change in The Outdoor Industry. | Adventure Sports Network

“[The trip] provided such a valuable perspective on the fact that I’m not the only one who stays up at night thinking about outdoor issues like diversity and education,” says Boué, who joined other outdoor-industry professionals like pro skier Caroline Gleich, Wylder co-founders Jainee Dial and Lindsey Elliott, freelance writer Heather Balogh Rochfort and conservationist Maddie Carey on the “no cell service here”-style escape in Colorado.

Wild Women's Project | Ursa Major

Our friends at BoldBrew launched a new initiative this year called the Wild Women's Project. The goal of the project was to create an innovative leadership and empowerment camp for women in the outdoors industry, including editors, athletes, photographers, and influencers. The weekend included hikes, yoga, workshops, and campfires. But in the end, BoldBrew just wanted to create a memorable experience for these incredible women and see what would happen, what would be shared, and what would come out of it.

the summit field guide