Bio:
Jessica Olson (aka JO) was born and raised in San Diego, where her love for climbing took off. She was introduced to the sport by some friends who took her out to climb at Mt. Lemmon while attending University of Arizona. It wasn’t until she came back to the states after traveling abroad for 8 months, that she truly started to shape her life around climbing. Moving back to San Diego, JO started working at the local climbing gym in 2014 and over the course of 3 years learned the ins and outs of the climbing lifestyle.
Having found a passion for teaching youth, JO wanted to take the classroom outside, to where her dreams continued to grow. After acquiring her SPI in 2016, she started to seek outlets that would allow her to develop as a guide. She built out her small SUV and hit the road, making her way to Alaska for a summer of guiding. While living on the road, Jo has traveled across the country in the pursuit of adventure, finding joy in the Eastern Sierra, Washington Pass, Squamish, Deserts of Utah, and out east in Tennessee and Kentucky. Since moving away from San Diego, she has been guiding primarily in the Pacific Northwest, furthering her love for teaching others how to become self sufficient climbers.
JO is an AMGA Apprentice Alpine and Rock Guide, Single Pitch Instructor, and Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician.
1. Why did you want to become a guide?
I started instructing at a Climbing Gym, and was welcomed into an amazing community of like minded climbers, who always wanted to go climbing outside. No matter what skill level each person was at, everyone was stoked to get out and have fun. Each person I went out climbing with, would teach me new skills, help grow my tools both on my harness and in my mind, getting me hooked on the learning process and growing my desire to continue my educational development in the climbing world. It got to a point where I wanted to learn the technical meanings of ‘why’ for every part of climbing. Building my own foundation of understanding and becoming more self-sufficient in the sport became so important to me, enabling me to become a leader and better explain the ‘why’ to friends when they started to ask me questions. A good friend and mentor was planning on signing up for their SPI course and exam, and I quickly followed suit, what better way to really solidify those skills, than to become a certified instructor? From there, my passion for teaching others about the sport evolved and developed into where I am today.
2. What’s your favorite part of the job?
My favorite part of guiding are the events I run called Ladies Weekend Out. Each event is focused around empowering women to learn foundational skills for whatever adventures they find themselves pursuing from Rock Climbing, to Backpacking and Backcountry Snow Travel. I love seeing the fire ignite with each person I work with, as they learn and acquire the tools in working towards becoming self-sufficient in the specific disciplines we dive into.
3. What’s your least favorite part of the job?
As I’ve grown within my role, I find myself on the computer a lot more than I’m actually in the field, be that for guiding or personal adventures. While I love being able to coordinate events, plan trips and make all the magic happen, it’s quite a role change from when I first was getting into climbing or developing as a guide.
4. What are some hard truths about guiding?
It’s hard on your body, mind and soul. Long days, little compensation (especially when you start, although it’s getting better), being looked down on for being small or being a woman, guiding is hard work and you’re not always appreciated for everything you do. With that being said, it’s also so rewarding in seeing your personal strengths develop, how much you’re able to problem solve at the drop of a dime and how nurshing the work can be when you guide people with purpose, and who are so grateful for sharing your experiences and knowledge to help them in their own personal growth.
5. How do you see guiding evolving in the future?
I would love to see guiding evolve to be more encompassed within educational establishments, partnering with climbing gyms and brands who are at the forefront in seeing the climbing culture boom. It would be awesome to create broader partnership with companies to make a positive impact by providing the tools (be that the gear we use to climb, or the accessibility to understanding movement and systems within a educational space) by partnering with guides and guide services to help break down the barrier for education, and helping foster a community of responsible people recreating in outdoor spaces.
Give her a follow here: @jessielyse
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