Caroline’s Wild Idea: To climb up huge mountains, ski down them, go on amazing adventures, and become an advocate for the environment and more.
Caroline Gleich is a professional ski mountaineer, adventurer, trail runner and activist. Based in Salt Lake City, Caroline recently became the first woman and fourth person to ski all 90 lines featured in “The Chuting Gallery,” a steep skiing guidebook to the Wasatch Range. A nature lover since birth, Caroline has used her voice as an athlete and an ambassador for brands like KEEN, Clif Bar and Patagonia to speak up about social and environmental issues like climate change, clean air, and cyber harassment. She’s graced the covers of magazines like Powder and Backcountry, appeared in multiple Warren Miller Films, and I even recently wrote about her in Outside Magazine.
On this episode, Caroline shares challenges and advice on being a woman in a burly man’s sport, training tips to climbing mountains and getting ready for an ultramarathon, how she handles fear and how she’s advocating for change.
Listen to this Episode if:
- You want to climb mountains.
- You love skiing.
- You’re passionate about environmental and justice issues.
- You like confronting your fears.
- You use social media to connect and be inspired by others.
Key Takeaways
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- 4:30 – What it means to be a professional mountaineer.
- 6:00 – Caroline’s favorite trails.
- 7:30 – Being a small woman in a burly man’s sport.
- 10:10 – How to get into mountaineering.
- 11:30 – How to train for big expeditions.
- 14:00 – Tools that have helped Caroline go pro.
- 16:15 – How your goals change as you age.
- 17:30 – Tackling post-accomplishment blues.
- 19:50 – How Caroline uses meditation to come back from her lows.
- 23:00 – Why it’s worth waiting for perfect conditions on the mountain and being patient with your body.
- 28:45 – How Caroline uses social media to advocate for her favorite causes.
- 31:00 – How Caroline dealt with fear after her half-brother was killed in an avalanche.
- 37:40 – What gear Caroline always takes on her travels.
- 40:00 – Caroline’s advice on letting go of other people’s expectations of you.