Sam In Cham with Samantha Ryder
Rachel Kerr on breaking gender barriers within the ski industry and empowering women to feel more at home in the mountains.
Rachel Kerr trained for 5 years to become a qualified ski instructor with French equivalence. She is an avid cyclist, kite surfer, runner, and one of 3 SheEO’s of the Women’s Mountain Club in Chamonix where she lives. Growing up on the banks of Loch Lomond in the Scottish Highlands, Rachel is no stranger to the great outdoors.
Despite massive snowfall, the ski industry was hit hard in 2020 with the COVID pandemic putting a halt to global travel and wiping out almost all bookings. For the WMC, supporting the Chamonix valley, and local communities became a top priority. After winning financial help from @thenorthface, Rachel and the team were able to book guides and instructors, confident they could fund activities.
In this male-dominated industry, Rachel talks to me about the importance of showcasing women’s skills as mountain guides, International Mountain Leaders and ski instructors, and empowering women and girls, in general, to be more confident not just as skiers, but ensuring they have the technical skills to face the often challenging and unpredictable mountain surroundings. We talk about the changing attitudes towards women in the ski industry and how companies such as @voelklskis are offering more diverse equipment allowing the WMC to help educate women in what kit works best for them.
Having been out for 2 years following the birth of baby Aonach, Rachel tells me being able to return to the mountains with the girls has been amazing. She says juggling baby with work is quite simply a walk in the park – as long as you have a pocketful of snacks.
Follow Rachel Kerr @chamrach or @womensmountainclub on Instagram or visit womensmountainclub.com for more details.
For more, head to Instagram @samincham_thepodcast and Facebook.
Rachel Kerr trained for 5 years to become a qualified ski instructor with French equivalence. She is an avid cyclist, kite surfer, runner, and one of 3 SheEO’s of the Women’s Mountain Club in Chamonix where she lives. Growing up on the banks of Loch Lomond in the Scottish Highlands, Rachel is no stranger to the great outdoors.
Despite massive snowfall, the ski industry was hit hard in 2020 with the COVID pandemic putting a halt to global travel and wiping out almost all bookings. For the WMC, supporting the Chamonix valley, and local communities became a top priority. After winning financial help from @thenorthface, Rachel and the team were able to book guides and instructors, confident they could fund activities.
In this male-dominated industry, Rachel talks to me about the importance of showcasing women’s skills as mountain guides, International Mountain Leaders and ski instructors, and empowering women and girls, in general, to be more confident not just as skiers, but ensuring they have the technical skills to face the often challenging and unpredictable mountain surroundings. We talk about the changing attitudes towards women in the ski industry and how companies such as @voelklskis are offering more diverse equipment allowing the WMC to help educate women in what kit works best for them.
Having been out for 2 years following the birth of baby Aonach, Rachel tells me being able to return to the mountains with the girls has been amazing. She says juggling baby with work is quite simply a walk in the park – as long as you have a pocketful of snacks.
Follow Rachel Kerr @chamrach or @womensmountainclub on Instagram or visit womensmountainclub.com for more details.
For more, head to Instagram @samincham_thepodcast and Facebook.