{"id":162656,"date":"2020-09-17T13:16:15","date_gmt":"2020-09-17T20:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=162656"},"modified":"2020-09-18T09:58:44","modified_gmt":"2020-09-18T16:58:44","slug":"arcteryx-athletes-how-i-fell-in-love-with-the-outdoors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/arcteryx-athletes-how-i-fell-in-love-with-the-outdoors","title":{"rendered":"How I Fell in Love with the Outdoors"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"cb-itemprop\" itemprop=\"reviewBody\"><p><em>Editor\u2019s note: This article is a part of the <a href=\"\/blog\/arcteryx-joy-of-resilience\">Joy of Resilience<\/a> content series, sponsored by Arc\u2019teryx.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>If you want to ski, climb, mountain bike or hike like a girl, look no further. These four <a href=\"\/b\/arcteryx\">Arc\u2019teryx<\/a> athletes have wisdom to share and a whole lotta accolades to boot.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Shelma Jun<\/h2>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-162674 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/09\/01-shelmajun.jpg?resize=1024%2C651\" alt=\"Shelma Jun\" width=\"1024\" height=\"651\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Home base<\/strong>: New York City<\/li>\n<li><strong>Athletic pursuits<\/strong>: Climbing, backcountry skiing, hunting<\/li>\n<li><strong>Key <a href=\"\/b\/arcteryx\">Arc\u2019teryx<\/a> pieces<\/strong>: Squamish Hoody, <a href=\"\/product\/152547\/arcteryx-proton-lt-insulated-hoodie-womens\">Proton LT Hoody<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cBeing outside has always been meaningful to me,\u201d says Shelma Jun, a professional climber and founder of women\u2019s climbing community <a href=\"https:\/\/flashfoxy.com\/\">Flash Foxy<\/a>. She is speaking from her apartment in New York City, where exposed brick gives way to bookshelves and low-maintenance succulents. She wears her hair short, her face framed by colorful dangly earrings and round wire-frame glasses, and speaks quickly and thoughtfully.<\/p>\n<p>Shelma grew up in California, where her parents immigrated to from Korea when she was 4. When her parents took time off from their seven-day-a-week jobs running a dry-cleaning business, they took her camping in nearby national parks. \u201cKoreans have a history of loving the outdoors, and it was a really affordable way for us to go on family vacations,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>But both despite her heritage and because of it, Shelma never felt like she fully belonged in America\u2019s outdoor culture. \u201cMy parents didn\u2019t speak English very well, and we didn\u2019t have technical gear\u2014we brought our blankets and pillows from home. It felt like we were separate from the advertisements we would see in the catalogs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shelma found her niche a couple decades later 600 feet above the ground on a red sandstone wall, muscles shivering, thinking only about reaching for a hold she couldn\u2019t see. Suddenly, she was no longer just an observer or an admirer of the landscape. She was an active participant in it\u2014conscious of belonging to a much bigger world than the one we have created. \u201cWhen I\u2019m on a wall that has been here for thousands of years, I\u2019m now a part of that wall\u2019s story,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m a tiny blip in a huge time span. Humans adapt to our environment by creating our own, so it\u2019s easy to feel like there\u2019s us, and then there\u2019s nature. But it\u2019s all connected. And no one should feel unwelcome in that space.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWe are all part of the same earth, and we affect each other.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Emilie Pellerin<\/h2>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-162675 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/09\/02-EmiliePellerin.jpg?resize=1024%2C651\" alt=\"Emilie Pellerin\" width=\"1024\" height=\"651\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Home base<\/strong>: Everywhere there are rocks<\/li>\n<li><strong>Athletic pursuits<\/strong>: Climbing, biking, running, skiing<\/li>\n<li><strong>Key <a href=\"\/b\/arcteryx\">Arc\u2019teryx<\/a> pieces<\/strong>: <a href=\"\/product\/168591\/arcteryx-c-quence-harness-womens\">C-Quence Harness<\/a>, Squamish Hoody<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The elements that make up human beings are the stuff from stars\u2014as in supernovas that exploded long ago. If you don\u2019t believe this to be true, you have never met professional climber Emilie Pellerin.<\/p>\n<p>First, there is her energy, which seems to rival that of our own sun. Next, there is her warmth, which enables her to create a vibrant community of friends everywhere she goes. Then there is her natural habitat, which is either hanging far above the ground or sleeping under the giant sky. \u201cI\u2019ve been on the road for the past 12 years, camping most of the time,\u201d she says in a thick Quebecois accent. The cliffs and lush mountains of Squamish, British Columbia, where she\u2019s getting her guiding certification, rise in the background.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel like my love for nature has always been in me,\u201d Emilie says, which may have stemmed from frequent trips to her family cabin in the woods outside Montreal. She discovered climbing at the age of 17 and experienced a feeling of freedom that immediately drew her to the sport. \u201cI felt like a little bird up there,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was such a magical moment. I moved through that terrain so naturally\u2014there\u2019s nothing that I was actually thinking about, nothing else but me and that piece of rock.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Using her body to propel her upward is a meditative state for her\u2014and suspended above the earth is where she belongs. \u201cI love hanging on to tiny little crystals, looking out over everything,\u201d Emilie says. \u201cWe need more people to do what they love because life is so much nicer and easier if you have something to live for.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI am home wherever I am.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Lucy Sackbauer<\/h2>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-162676 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/09\/03-LucySackbauer.jpg?resize=1024%2C651\" alt=\"Lucy Sackbauer\" width=\"1024\" height=\"651\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Home base<\/strong>: Ketchum, Idaho<\/li>\n<li><strong>Athletic pursuits<\/strong>: Alpine skiing, backcountry skiing, mountain biking, hiking<\/li>\n<li><strong>Key <a href=\"\/b\/arcteryx\">Arc\u2019teryx<\/a> pieces<\/strong>: <a href=\"\/product\/174718\/arcteryx-atom-ar-hoodie-womens\">Atom AR Hoody<\/a>, <a href=\"\/product\/156562\/arcteryx-sentinel-ar-jacket-womens\">Sentinel AR Jacket<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Lucy Sackbauer\u2019s days can be long. She works as a nurse in the ER in Ketchum, Idaho, which was a hotbed for COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic, and as a professional skier, constantly training and pushing her limits on the hill. Yet when she\u2019s stressed or tired, it\u2019s not rest that restores her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy friends and family will say, \u2018Lucy, you need to get outside,\u2019\u201d she says, \u201cand as soon as I do, it completely recharges me. I\u2019m there in the present, seeing the sparkly powder and hearing the snow fall off the tree branches. When I\u2019m skiing, I\u2019m in tune with everything, and I\u2019m only focusing on that here and now. It\u2019s so healing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When Lucy talks about her childhood\u2014she grew up in Vail, Colorado\u2014the mountain was as integral in her development as her parents. Her folks both worked for the resort, and she and her younger sister and brother skied nearly every day. \u201cEvery aspect of what we did as a family was oriented around the outdoors,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Her sister went on to be an All-American racer at Middlebury, and then followed Lucy to Alta before she moved to Ketchum. \u201cShe and I have the same connection in the mountains\u2014it\u2019s just total freedom. That\u2019s how we connect as sisters. We feed off each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The mountains also provided her brother, who has Down syndrome, a place he could participate at the same level as his sisters. \u201cHe\u2019s an incredible skier,\u201d Lucy says. \u201cWith his helmet and goggles on, you have no idea that he\u2019s different. It\u2019s the one time he\u2019s not separate, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s so special.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThe mountain was what raised us.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Alannah Yip<\/h2>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-162677 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/09\/04-AlannahYip.jpg?resize=1024%2C651\" alt=\"Alannah Yip\" width=\"1024\" height=\"651\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Home base<\/strong>: Vancouver, British Columbia<\/li>\n<li><strong>Athletic pursuits<\/strong>: Climbing, hiking<\/li>\n<li><strong>Key <a href=\"\/b\/arcteryx\">Arc\u2019teryx<\/a> pieces<\/strong>: Nuclei FL Jacket, <a href=\"\/product\/168591\/arcteryx-c-quence-harness-womens\">C-Quence Harness<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Professional climber Alannah Yip wears a tiny pendant of a tree around her neck. It\u2019s a necklace that her aunt gave her to remind her of home, and she touches it religiously before she competes.<\/p>\n<p>Trees are what make the outdoors special for her\u2014as a child growing up on the north shore of Vancouver, she spent hours every day exploring the forest behind her house. \u201cJust walking into the trees is so calming,\u201d she says while taking a break from training at her climbing gym. \u201cI feel so small and peaceful.\u201d She wears her long, black hair in a ponytail that spills over one muscular shoulder.<\/p>\n<p>As a sport climber, she spends most of her time training indoors, so she likens being outdoors in any endeavor to stress-relieving therapy. When she climbs outside, she has two distinct experiences: One is an enjoyable easy day, when she finds her flow; the other is what she calls a \u201cprojecting\u201d day, when she pushes her limits. \u201cI end up taking some scary falls, but those days can be much more rewarding in the end,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s about problem-solving.\u201d And problem-solving is exactly the mental aspect of the sport that her brain craves (she has a degree in engineering).<\/p>\n<p>For Alannah, persisting on climbs after she falls is perhaps the most important part\u2014a lesson that is transferable to every aspect of life. To attempt climbs she feels might be beyond her limits, she gets further than she ever thought was possible. \u201cIf we gave up the first time we tried anything, we would never accomplish anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, Yip is headed to compete in the summer games in Tokyo. She may fail or succeed there, but one thing is certain: She will be wearing that pendant of a tree around her neck.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cLearning to persevere through initial failure is the most important lesson we have as human beings.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Editor\u2019s note: This article is a part of the Joy of Resilience content series, sponsored by Arc\u2019teryx. If you want to ski, climb, mountain bike or hike like a girl, look no further. These four Arc\u2019teryx athletes have wisdom to share and a whole lotta accolades to boot. &nbsp; Shelma Jun Home base: New York [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12183,"featured_media":162763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,11],"tags":[724],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-162656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climb","category-snowsports","tag-gear"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/arcteryx-athletes-how-i-fell-in-love-with-the-outdoors","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"How I Fell in Love with the Outdoors","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/arcteryx-athletes-how-i-fell-in-love-with-the-outdoors","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/arcteryx-athletes-how-i-fell-in-love-with-the-outdoors"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/09\/190731_TheMonastary_Boyd_03367ftn_hero.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/09\/190731_TheMonastary_Boyd_03367ftn_hero.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Climb","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maren Horjus"}],"creator":["Maren Horjus"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["gear"],"dateCreated":"2020-09-17T20:16:15Z","datePublished":"2020-09-17T20:16:15Z","dateModified":"2020-09-18T16:58:44Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"How I Fell in Love with the Outdoors\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/snowsports\\\/arcteryx-athletes-how-i-fell-in-love-with-the-outdoors\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/snowsports\\\/arcteryx-athletes-how-i-fell-in-love-with-the-outdoors\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/190731_TheMonastary_Boyd_03367ftn_hero.jpg?resize=150%2C150\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/190731_TheMonastary_Boyd_03367ftn_hero.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000\"},\"articleSection\":\"Climb\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Maren Horjus\"}],\"creator\":[\"Maren Horjus\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Uncommon Path \\u2013 An REI Co-op Publication\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"gear\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2020-09-17T20:16:15Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-09-17T20:16:15Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-09-18T16:58:44Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/rei.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/09\/190731_TheMonastary_Boyd_03367ftn_hero.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12183"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162656"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162820,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162656\/revisions\/162820"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162656"},{"taxonomy":"internal-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-tag?post=162656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}