Generation Z Mountain Guide Talks Safety, Inclusivity on the Mountain

Although there are a growing number of women working on peaks in the Coast and Cascade ranges, men still make up the overwhelming majority of guides, climbers and sponsored mountain-athletes. (WWU student Lael) Butler says that representation in media is a start, but like all progress there will need to be big systemic changes before these spaces are as inclusive as they claim to be.

Amelia Bynum, a climber from Oregon, is Butler’s housemate and peer at Western Washington University, where they both work at the campus rock wall. 

“The barrier to entry is already high in these sports,” Bynum says, “and what I’ve seen is a lot of women being even further discouraged from even participating because of how the sport is marketed and what climbing spaces feel like.”

Bynum and Butler talked about the competitive energy that surrounds climbing and mountaineering, something that is thrilling for those in-the-know, but frustrating for beginners still learning the difference between top-rope and lead. They also pointed out that a big barrier is the biological tendency for men to develop muscle more quickly, and make larger strides upon first entry into the sport.