Why Getting Girls Outdoors Matters (And What It Could Mean for the Future of Women in the Mountains)

Co-authored with Jenny Dart, Women's Alpine Adventure Club

There’s something quietly radical about a group of girls pitching tents, sharing stories by a campfire and waking up with the sunrise to hike together. It might look like just another adventure, but there’s a bigger story about confidence, courage and cultivating a sense of belonging in the wild.

We’re in the early stages of planning an adventure with the brilliant team at Women's Alpine Adventure Club (WAAC) to offer an overnight hiking and camping trip for girls aged 8–12. We hope this experience will be about more than just time outdoors. We want to plant the seeds for a future where more women feel at home in the outdoors, and anywhere else that’s traditionally felt off-limits.

“We're really excited to be working with Fearless Girls Club to showcase how girls can take the lead in the outdoors and benefit from all the transferable skills we can gain in the wilderness environment,” says Jenny Dart, Founder of Women’s Alpine Adventure Club. “We are looking forward to showing the girls all the amazing things that are possible in the mountains and that everyone can belong in and enjoy these spaces. We hope to contribute to developing everyone's confidence and self-esteem with the help of our fantastic leaders and role models.”

WAAC was created to challenge the status quo in alpine climbing – a space that’s historically been dominated by men and where many clubs still expect a certain level of skill just to get in the door. Through community-led trips, workshops and training (all run by women, for women), WAAC helps beginners and improvers build confidence and independence on their own terms. The ripple effect is real: women supporting women to become leaders, guides and mentors in the outdoors.

But if we want to see more women at the top of mountains, we need to start at the bottom of the trail – with girls.

Being outdoors helps girls develop exactly the kinds of traits we often celebrate in adult mountaineers: resilience, self-reliance, decision-making, trust in their own bodies and the ability to stay calm and connected in uncertain situations. These aren’t abstract benefits, they show up in everyday life too, from speaking up in class to navigating friendships and setting personal boundaries.

Outdoor adventures also shift the social dynamics that often shape how girls behave. There’s less pressure to perform or please, and more room to take up space, take risks and get things wrong – something that girls are often subtly discouraged from doing. Whether it's finding their footing on a rocky path or learning how to light a stove, these small challenges build up into a kind of quiet self-belief that sticks.

And then there’s the power of being in a space led by women, surrounded by other girls. WAAC’s members often speak about the value of being taught by female instructors, seeing role models in action and learning from each other in environments that feel encouraging rather than intimidating. One member, Lucy, described the club as “a space to be seen, supported and celebrated” – and that’s exactly the kind of space we want to create for our girls too.

The link between access and representation matters. When girls spend time outdoors with women who are living, leading and thriving in those environments, it becomes easier to imagine themselves doing it too.

We’re at the early stages of shaping our Fearless x WAAC camp, but we already know this: it’s going to be about more than hiking. It’s a chance to create new stories for girls about what they’re capable of, and to show them that the outdoors and all of the magic it holds is for them too. 

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