Episode Intro:

Dear listeners of the Female Guides Requested Podcast, happy Wednesday. This is your host Ting Ting and our guest today is Julia Niles. Julia was the first woman to solo the Grand Traverse in a day as well as part of the first all-female ski descent of the Grand Teton. She has guided Denali and Aconcagua, climbed El Cap multiple times, and put up first ascents and descents in the Canadian Rockies, Wyoming, and South Africa.

Julia’s mountain prowess eventually earned her the title of Certified AMGA/IFMGA guide. She was the 5th American woman to reach this status. Right now Julia lives in Squamish, BC with her two children. She is an athlete for Arcteryx and splits her time between guiding, parenting, and her new counselling business: Mountain Mindset.

I had heard impressive stories about Julia, about her gnarly achievements in the mountains and about her toughness, so I was nervous to even contact her for an interview. But I was so glad I did. She was fabulous. During the interview, she offered thoughtful answers, shared relatable life experience. Listening to her calm and soft voice I could sense this inner strength and her love towards mountains and the people she worked with.

I loved this interview. We talked about guiding of course, but at the end I realized what we really talked about was life. I don't even know how to summarize it and I think it’s totally worth your time to listen to this episode from the very beginning to the end. Trust me on this one and enjoy.

Links:

• Julia's website for her guiding and counselling business: www.mountainmindsetsquamish.com
• Julia's Arcteryx's athlete page: https://arcteryx.com/ca/en/athletes /julia-niles