Ep. 10 - All In Ice Fest: Making Ice Climbing Accessible with Liz Sahagún
Dec 13, 2023
It takes a village to raise an ice festival, and for Liz Sahagún and her co-organizers, it’s all hands on deck for the All In Ice Fest — which will take place from January 5th to the 7th of 2024. Entering their third year, the mission of the fest is to create a space where folks from historically marginalized communities can simply have fun ice climbing without having to feel like they’re checking a box that defines their identity.
As a first generation Mexican-American and woman in neuroscience, Liz has spent a lot of time straddling cultures, navigating concepts of identity, and trying to find community in activities she enjoys.
To help make ice climbing more accessible, Liz, Claire, Mari, Christina, and the rest of the team started All In to help reduce barriers to the sport — they do this by offering low-cost clinics and programs to develop as guides, cater to people of all physical abilities, and fostering a culture where folks can simply show up and feel welcome.
Listen on to hear how Liz first fell in love with the mountains, her Journey to 30 ice climbing road trip, and how she’s developed her self-care toolbox.
Timestamps
1:42 - Growing up in California
4:35 - Discovering Patagonia
6:34 - Solo trip to Nepal
13:56 - First time ice climbing
19:30 - Journey to 30
26:10 - Starting All In Ice Fest
33:18 - What makes the festival special
40:08 - Identity, ambition, and support systems
Resources and links:
If you’re interested in attending or volunteering, you can register at allinicefest.com. And if you’d like to support the organization, you can donate here.
Want to learn more about what affinity spaces are and why they are important? The AMGA helps explain in an article by Monserrat Alvarez.
Credits:
Cover photo by Louis Arevalo.
Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).
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