Presentation at Midwest Mountaineering’s Outdoor Adventure Expo
Saturday, Nov. 21, 2:00pm
U of M Humphrey Center, Cowles Auditorium
Photo: Julia Niles | Mountain Hardwear
Julia Niles is a climber, skier, and guide. She is currently based in Squamish, British Columbia surrounded by the snowy mountains which will host the 2010 Winter Olympics and that keep her playing hard.
She recently enjoyed a climbing trip exploring the “country routes” of South Africa and Alaska, which does not allow much time for sitting still. She was the first female to on-sight solo the Grand Traverse of the Tetons in a day, part of the first all-female team to ski the Grand Teton in a day, and she has climbed El Capitan six times. Her recent skiing pursuits had her choking on powder on first descents in the Waddington Range, the highest in the BC Coast Range, and the Canadian Rockies.
Julia also has a very personal story to tell. Two years ago, diagnosed with a lung tumor, she was not sure she would be able to continue her alpine climbing and guiding. Her doctor said she would lose a lung. But she found a great doctor who saved half of her lung and her passion for climbing picked her right back up after surgery. Less than six months later, she became the first woman to on-sight, solo the Grand Traverse of the Tetons in a day.
Julia’s talk, slides and movie will express her passion for skiing and climbing. She will surely inspire us too seek and live our passions, too.
