Credit: Mountain Training

Credit: Left: Veronica Melkonian & Womens Trad Fest | Middle: Lena Drapella & Womens Trad Fest | Right: BMC

Inspired by conversations with walkers, climbers, and mountain leaders about the struggles of managing their periods, menopause, and toileting when out in the wild, BMC and Mountain Training have created some simple ‘how-to’ guides that cover these topics and more. At Cotswold Outdoor, we’re proud to partner with both BMC and Mountain Training to provide kit lists and expert product guides that you can explore in the hub.

Sometimes resources tailored to offering advice on the unique challenges and barriers that women, trans, and non-binary adventurers often encounter in outdoor spaces are hard to come by. To recognise these issues, taboos and lesser spoken about topics, and to highlight the importance of fostering an informative hub for adventurers, the OutdoorHer Hub was created as a platform to have all this expert-advice available in in one place. 

The resources platformed on OutdoorHer are for everyone who is looking to learn more about health, wellbeing, and kit requirements in the outdoors, from participants to leaders and allies.  

Visit the hub

The hub includes expert advice through a range of articles, videos, case studies, infographics, event listings and podcast episodes. One highlight to check out is the linked BMC podcast episode featuring Steph Wetherell from Every Body Outdoors, titled ‘Plus Sizes and Good Kit,’ as well as the listed outdoor women’s events that you may want to add to your radar.

The Hub also links to the complete playlist of Women in Adventure Films submitted to the BMC competition which will provide hours of inspiration to any adventurers' rest day. 

In the ‘Resources for Leaders’ section, you can re-watch some of the main lectures covered at the Women in Mountain Training Conference covering further topics about the women’s lifecycle, nutrition, and the challenging sexism in the outdoors panel.

If case studies are your thing, why not check out Christine Cornock’s taboo-busting blog where she recounts her experience of getting her period whilst backpacking the South West Coastal Path.It is a must-read and includes advice on constructing a makeshift hot water bottle out of a plastic bottle, a jumper and almost-boiled water when the cramps hit in the tent at night!

There is also a brilliant link to from the hub to Mountain and Climbing Instructor Vicky Owen’s blog post about perimenopausal experiences in the mountains.

Moreover, the Hub strives to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all women adventurers as well as for trans and non-binary folk who have shared experiences of these health issues, whilst also requiring catered advice for their experiences. So, as the Hub expands its resources, expect to see additions of articles covering these topics too. 

By encouraging empowerment through providing expert-knowledge and sharing of case studies, the hub is a testament to the BMC and Mountain Training’s commitment to gender equality and accessibility in outdoor pursuits into the hills. It is a catalyst for positive change in the outdoor world as more women embrace their love for adventure and exploration, and the OutdoorHer Hub stands ready to support and uplift them every step of the way. 

Visit the hub

Credit: Left: Veronica Melkonian & Womens Trad Fest | Right: Lena Drapella & Womens Trad Fest