Hetty Key and Charlie Low wanted a climbing community. So, they built one for themselves. The Women’s Trad Fest has gone from strength to strength since its inception in 2016. Connecting, inspiring, including and supporting women, as they transition from indoor climbing to outdoor trad in the Peak District, UK. In this episode we chat about their personal stories and the motivations behind the festival. We delve into Hetty’s research about mental wellbeing and discuss the barriers facing women who want to get outdoors.

Bronwyn Hodgins has boundless energy. And she’s been putting it to excellent use. For 35 days she journeyed by pack raft through the Auyuittuq National Park, on Baffin Island. With her husband, Jacob Cook, and two friends in tow, she climbed some of the world’s biggest and most remote walls. We catch up on this latest expedition and hear about where it all started for her. From her outdoor family life, to professional river guiding, to her pursuit of big climbing adventures with outcomes unknown.

Angus Kille has pushed himself in all the disciplines of rock climbing. From Shropshire sandstone, to the Indian Face on Cloggy, and big free climb adventures on El Capitan. We talk about life on a big wall, climbing partnerships and pushing yourself physically and mentally. Angus has done so much and he’s still young. Perhaps his secret is to stay in the moment and not worry too much about the outcome. He’s also very passionate about all young people being given the opportunity to discover the outdoors.

Kev Shields is straight talking and funny. He understands adversity. He climbs rock and ice at a very high standard, with only one fully formed hand. Kev claims that discovering climbing changed his life and helped him deal with tough times. We chat about what drives him and whether he thinks attitudes to disabled people have really changed all that much.

Former kickboxing champion Nasim Eshqi is one of Iran’s rock strongest climbers. A pioneer of new routes, we hear about the obstacles she has had to overcome, in climbing and in life. She tells us what she learned on her travels outside of Iran and explains why the liberation and energy she gets from nature is one of the her main attractions to climbing.

Julia Virat is one of a handful of French women to become a Chamonix High Mountain Guide. Here she shares how she broke through barriers into an elite male dominated world, recounting tales of adventures, on skis, in a yacht and on the world’s biggest rock walls. She relives the drama of getting lost on Yosemite’s 3,000 foot El Capitan. Solo. In the dark. And admits, that in this case, her mum had the best advice.