Kirsty Pallas - Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor. Founder of Our Shared Outdoors, and panellist on, On the Outside Podcast.

Kirsty in her own words:   “I’m a mixed-race freelance mountaineering and climbing instructor from the west coast of Scotland. I love being able to introduce and share so many of the incredible Scottish environments, whether it’s the mountains in full winter conditions or a beautifully still sea with views out to the Hebrides.    Climbing in all forms is pretty much my life but earlier this year I also started mountain biking and roller skating, which are both great fun and very different!    Outside of work and play, I’ve been a member of Oban Mountain Rescue Team since 2013. I’m a callout manager and the Training Officer on the team, and love being able to give something back to the mountaineering community.    I’m the founder of Our Shared Outdoors, an organisation set up to tackle and change the lack of diversity in the outdoors and promote underrepresented groups. I’m really passionate about making outdoor communities as accessible as possible to everyone, because it should be!   I’m also a panellist on On the Outside podcast, where we discuss outdoor news in the UK with a panel of diverse outdoor enthusiasts.”   New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out.    The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.   Show notes Who is Kirsty What she does Her passions and interests Moving up to Scotland when she was 9 years old Getting to spend time in the outdoors as a child Her dreams as a little girl How she got into outdoor instructing  Doing work experience at an outdoor centre  Becoming a volunteer during the summer holidays Getting an outdoor education apprenticeship  What was involved in being an apprentice  What she loves about her job Mixing her passion for the outdoors with her job Deciding to join the Mountain Rescue Team as a volunteer  What the call out manager does The stresses of the job Wanting people to be as prepared as possible for the outdoors Being a founder of Our Shared Outdoors  Changing the narrative  Call to the Mountains Film (Jan 2020)  The women who inspire Kirsty Advice for women who want to start doing their qualifications Summer and Winter Mountain Leader Training  Why we need to go and do it Being a panelist On the Outside Podcast  The barriers that stop people going outdoors Struggling with equipment and finding kit to fit The changes over the past 10 years How the statics haven’t changed in 30 years Having a 10% female membership…. Why women are less likely to wing it Support for women who have children  Dealing with skill fade Kirsty’s favourite walk/hike up in Scotland   Social Media   Personal -  Instagram: @kirstypallas    Facebook: @kirstypallas    Our Shared Outdoors - An organisation working to redefine the outdoor narrative to become inclusive to all. Join our community by sharing experiences #oursharedoutdoors    Instagram: @oursharedoutdoors    Facebook: @oursharedoutdoors    On the Outside Podcast Launched Summer 2021 - is a UK based news-panel podcast sharing diverse views on outdoors news.   Instagram: @ontheoutsidepod    Facebook: @ontheoutsidepod