Episode Four: Jennifer Olson

Nahanni is a Metis artist, photographer and skier based on Treaty 7 Territory. In our conversation we dive into the colonialist legacies often perpetuated within the outdoor industry, and decolonizing the mountains. We also discuss her part in the 2022 ski film Beyond Begbie, and her thoughtful and often controversial artwork which explores themes of disruption and coexistence. ​

Get a sneak preview here of the upcoming second season of the podcast, in which you'll have an opportunity to hear the stories, lived experiences and first-hand accounts from people of traditionally marginalized genders working within the outdoor sector.

Jennifer Olson is a climber and ACMG / IFMGA certified mountain guide, and has spent her career guiding rock and ice climbing, skiing and mountaineering trips all over the world. She also makes time for personal trips, with several first ascents under her belt in Pakistan's Nangmah Valley and the Icefall Brooke region of the Canadian Rockies. Jen recently decided to take on a new challenge with a foray in the medical field, and is currently finishing the last requirements of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with practicums in Uganda and Invermere, BC.

Kelly Chapman is an ecologist and an environmental planner with 30 years experience working with government, First Nations and non-governmental organizations on biodiversity conservation in Canada, Australia and West Africa. For her PhD research she explored how complexity theory can be used to help untangle "wicked" environmental problems. Kelly is currently working on nature-based climate change adaptation for BC’s south coast.Kelly is also an active backcountry skier and long distance paddler, having soloed BC's infamous inside passage, an approximately 1,000 mile route, by sea kayak. She was also the first woman in recorded history to solo the Churchill River in Northern Saskatchewan. Kelly dabbles in kiteboarding, rock climbing, mountain biking and mountaineering, and is an adventure travel enthusiast, having visited over 45 different countries around the world.Show notes and resources:Coastal Douglas-Fir Conservation Partnership: https://www.cdfcp.ca/about-the-cdfcp/Biogeoclimatic zones of BC: https://www.sfu.ca/geog/geog351fall07/Group06/webmap.htmlCumulative Effects Framework of BC: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/cumulative-effects-framework

Shams loves being an outdoor guide because it lets her explore the ocean while learning from different cultures and plants. She grew up between Montreal and Tunisia which could explain her call for adventure and languages, having an arsenal of five languages. Shams loves facilitating a deeper connection to the outdoors whether through sea kayaking, wildcrafting, or interpreting, and has a particular passion for bringing underserved communities outdoors. Most recently, Shams worked as an outdoor guide with Outward Bound Canada in the Vancouver urban chapter and in the West Coast chapter out of Tofino. Prior to that, she completed a medicinal herbs apprenticeship on Vancouver Island, where she also earned her Advanced Open Water Diver. Currently based in Whitehorse, Yukon, in her spare time you can probably find Shams honing her carpentry skills, sewing, or practicing her Mandarin.

"Hailing from the remote and snowy island of Newfoundland, Michaela believes in the importance of preserved wilderness and untouched powder. An environmentalist by osmosis and endurance athlete by choice, Michaela spent her formative years deep in backcountry fjords and remote mountains while recreating and guiding in her childhood 'backyard' of Gros Morne National Park. She finds the greatest form of happiness skiing deep backcountry snow. Michaela has spent the past decade discovering the gratification of human propelled travel in a full time way, ski mountaineering in Alaska, running ultramarathons on arctic, desert and mountain trails of the US, and bike packing through South America. She's taking this passion into her professional life now, working as a tailguide in the ski industry while she strives toward earning her lead guide certifications." Tune in for a conversation about the backcountry skiing scene in Newfoundland, mentorship and exploring Northern BC's plentiful mountain ranges on skis. BONUS: Michaela and I made it through the episode without talking about our dogs even once.

The trailer for Season 1 of Different Aspects Podcast shares some samples from the first few episodes, and gives the gist of the podcast.