ARIELLE SHIPE (she/her)

WIFE. ATHLETE. DOG MOM. STUDENT. TEACHER.

Hi everyone! My name is Arielle. I am a wife, dog mom, climber, hiker/backpacker, snowboarder/skier, mountain biker, yoga teacher, grad student and holistic nutritionist. I caught the traveling bug at a young age, and this passion has taken me on multi-sport adventures around the world including extended stays living and sometimes working in New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, and Southeast Asia.

I moved from LA to Aspen, CO when I was 12 years old and my life was completely changed forever. Snowboarding became my entire world and by the middle of High School I was competing at a semi-professional level. I chased my snowboard career to college in Lake Tahoe where I continued to compete until I was 21 years old–at which time a slew of injuries and my third major concussion brought me to retirement. The transition was a devastating blow to my sense of self, but it ended up being the catalyst for me to find solace (and myself) through yoga and outdoor adventure.

I started rock climbing in 2011 and, as my snowboard career moved into the rear-view mirror, I funneled my passion and dedication into climbing. Traveling and seeing the world through the lens of climbing has given me perspective (pun intended) on what I am capable of and, at the end of the day, what really matters. I can lead single-pitch and multi-pitch sport, trad, and mixed routes. While most of my climbing experience is related to rock climbing, I have recently been falling in love with climbing mountains including some of the most challenging 14-ers in Colorado.

Growing up in the Colorado mountains meant that I was exposed to backpacking/hiking at a young age, but it wasn’t until college that I actually fell in love with it. I kid you not, when I was in 8th grade I went on a school backpacking trip where they gave each of us rope, a tarp, and a candy bar we weren’t allowed to eat and were sent off to survive 24 hours ALONE. I’m not sure this was the best way to get 13-year-olds to enjoy camping but hey, cool to think we were able to do it (and in a thunderstorm no less!).

In college, I started hiking, backpacking, and camping by choice and began to fall in love with any opportunity to spend time in nature. It was during this time that I first heard of and hiked a small portion of the PCT, the Pacific Crest Trail; a trail that journeys 2,650 miles from the Mexico border to the Canadian Border through California, Oregon, and Washington. In 2020, I had myself all set up to thru-hike this amazing trail but was forced to cancel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, that summer I linked up with Krissy for our 180-mile, 8.5 day thru-hike of the Tahoe Rim Trail. I am so excited to take what I learned on the trail as I return to my goal of thru hiking the PCT in 2022.

Mountain biking is a new love of mine but, as crazy as it sounds, it reminds me so much of snowboarding and I have found myself catching on quickly. While I enjoy getting out to pedal, I am an even bigger fan of downhill mountain biking. Chairlift and gondola rides up? Yes please!!

As someone who has participated in extreme sports from a young age, I can’t begin to tell you how refreshing it is to start to see more women out there sending. Being a woman in a male dominated industry led me to feel like I had to disown parts of myself to fit in. NO MORE. I am so excited to see more and more women out on adventures and it is my hope that this guide gives you the confidence to get out there and send!