Join Arc’teryx Ambassadors, Cassie Ayoungman and Ethan Berman, as they share stories about their recent adventures to Nepal, while focusing on connection to land, place, and people. All event proceeds will go to Soul of Miistaki. Event begins at 7pm.
Cassie Ayoungman travelled to Nepal in the Fall of 2022 with a group of 9 Indigenous Women from across North America in partnership with Native Women Wilderness. The women participated in a multi-day trek to Everest Basecamp having met for the first time just days prior. Cassie will share stories of hiking with the women and it's significance to their communities at home, highlighting her personal experiences and how they are connected to the culture of Nepal, the land and it's meaning to her. Focusing further on the connection of this expedition to her work with Soul of Miistaki, an organization she founded with the intention of offering diverse people an inclusive experience of the outdoors.
Ethan Berman travelled with Maarten van Haeren to Nepal in Fall 2022, with the intention of exploring new routing potential on Khang Karpo (6646m) in the Rolwaling Valley. The team spent 3 weeks trekking in the Khumbu Region and then 4 weeks in a remote basecamp near the Nepal-Tibet border. With just days to spare before heading home, they managed to make the first ascent of the NE face of Khang Karpo. The route involved steep ice and mixed climbing and took 4 days to complete. This was their first expedition to the Himalaya and the trip was the culmination of many years of development and progression as climbers and climbing partners.
By any measure the team accomplished an impressive objective, though in tandem with this, the expedition was a holistic experience with many parts: culture, adventure, unknowns, time spent climbing, time spent waiting, finding a different headspace, slowing down, and disconnecting.
"Some of these things are getting harder to connect with in our modern world and the pace with which we carry ourselves, and for me it is very powerful to be able to have these types of experiences, to climb high, but also to remember what is important in life."
ABOUT SOUL OF MIISTAKI
Soul of Miistaki (mountain) “Miis-dah-gee”, was founded by a Blackfoot woman with the intention of offering diverse people an inclusive experience of the outdoors. Involvement in outdoor activities has the power to transform lives. We break barriers by offering the BIPOC community an earlier introduction to outdoor sports and promote representation in activities that are situated on traditional lands of the Indigenous people in Treaty 7 — fostering connection and healing.
The term “movement is medicine”, has been used in various Indigenous communities to encourage physical activity not only in prevention of disease but healing that Indigenous people need from the historical events and that has caused immobility Indigenous people experience on reserves.
All proceeds from this event will go to Soul of Miistaki. Learn more about Soul of Miistaki here.
WHEN:
Tuesday February 21st. Doors open at 6:30pm, event start at 7pm.
WHERE:
King Eddy, 438 9 Ave SE, Calgary
Cassie Ayoungman (Iinaksinamyaaki) is a proud Niitsitapi woman from Siksika Nation, Alberta. As she started to embrace the outdoors, it became apparent that there was a need for more diversity in the mountains. This disparity in diversity is what sparked her to found Soul of Miistaki.
Climbing was one sport that became important for Cassie as it allowed her to explore and connect with her ancestral lands. Cassie's relationship with climbing has challenged her over the years, creating an avenue for her to reflect on life and her values. As part of her efforts to continue to develop as an outdoor athlete and community leader, Cassie was awarded acceptance into the SAMI program in the spring of 2022.
“By starting Soul of Miistaki, I have been able to share my passion of this healing practice of exploring our beautiful and sacred backyard with my community”
Born in India and looked after by a Tibetan nanny, it was only a matter of time before Ethan found his calling in high mountain landscapes. With climbing roots sewn between craggy outcrops in Thailand and granite monoliths in Yosemite, in recent years he has focused on alpinism, which has kept him busy in the greater ranges and at home in the Canadian Rockies.
Ethan was awarded the 2021 Piolet D’or for his new route on the Emperor Face of Mt. Robson with Uisdean Hawthorn and just returned from his first Himalayan expedition, making the first ascent of the NE face of Khang Karpo (6646 m) in Nepal. He also connects to the landscapes that inspire him through researching changes to snow and vegetation dynamics using satellite imagery. Follow Ethan here.