More women are taking fitness and adventure holidays that are a test of their courage.
Why go into a tame aerobics class when mountains and oceans await? Life is short, and women who no longer care to strive for cinderella's perfect body are, more than ever, choosing fun, functional fitness and companionship - challenges that are tests of courage and expressions of the spirit of adventure.
Women's fitness and adventure programs are popping up like wildflowers. From the early women's-only Outward Bound programs of the 1970s to today's Spokeswomen (mountain biking), Chicks with Picks (ice climbing), Wild Women Expeditions (everything from dogsledding to boxing, fly-fishing and kayaking) and Surf Sister (you guessed it), North America - is buzzing with women on the move. "More and more over the last year or two, I'm getting increasing competition," says Vancouver aeronautical engineer turned women's fitness/adventure leader Catherine D'Aoust, owner of six-year-old Gaia Adventures.
"There's a sense of danger, of risk at play. You suddenly have to call upon yourse1f to perform. It's not life threatening, but you have to be heads up." D'Aoust's clients love it. "They felt the fear and they went through it and did it anyway. That's empowerment in the most basic sense," she says.
On their Web site, Chicks with Picks explains the appeal this way: "Normally we're nurse Betty, caring for everyone's needs but our own. Sure, we can bring home the bacon, convince Ms Bossy-pooh she's thefairestin the land, and still whip up a green bean, tofu-loaf time for dinner. But for just four days, can't we be totally self-absorbed?"
D'Aoust's clients see Gaia's multi- and single-day rock climbing, hiking, snowshoeing and kayaking adventures as a way to combine health, fun, fitness and friendship. "As women we live with stress, tight time schedules, a tendency to carry a few extra pounds and we may be dealing with an injury or health problem," D'Aoust says. "Women are looking for a little fun and excitement in their lives and they want to meet really interesting women they would not I likely meet otherwise."
Eileen Wallis, 50, human resource representative, recently went on a Mayne Island hiking, kayaking and mountain biking I retreat with Gaia. "I want to be with women who are active, have a very good, positive outlook in life and want to not get old," Wallis says. "I'm 50 and I'm just shifting into second gear. I've got three more gears to go. I'm not hanging up the shoes yet."
Last year, Wallis checked out whitewater rafting. "Would I normally do that when the kids were younger? No. You only live once. Bungee jumping crossed my mind for about two nanoseconds. Skydiving might be on my list of top 100 things I want to do. Rock climbing might be on there too. When the kids were young, I stayed active, but I never pushed the boundaries. I did a lot of walking, biking, golfing.
I got tired of my life being tied to a golf course. I went back to school and completed an education. There was that feeling of accomplishment there. You know, I think I'm in better shape than my kids. They are 25, 24 and 21."
Women's-only programs now range from laid-back Bed and Breakfast kayaking getaways, to high risk activities with a huge skill development component such as ice climbing.
Erin Murphy, founder of Women's Only Mountain Biking . says the public is more willing to pay for outdoor recreational activity. "I've seen a huge change," Murphy says. "People are now paying to go for a run. This to me is the ultimate." In-line skating is also "coming on strong," she says.
Women approach learning risk activities quite differently than men, a fact that recreational operators have been quick to tap. "Instead of just busting out as men might do, say, on a motorcycle, women often get out their 'Palm Pilot' and schedule a class," D'Aoust says."They want to know how to do it right, especially the older women. They want to go to the best places, buy the right gear, meet up with other women who are doing it - and not get hurt."
Women's c1asses tend to be supportive and to teach skills in small components. At Women's Only Mountain Biking, for instance, you don't go out and jump a log until you've jumped a curb with a spotter on each side.
At Surf Sister, you practise getting up on a board, dealing with falls and learn about riptides and waves before getting anywhere near the water. "It was awesome," says Ready who took a Surf Sister class. "It totally plugged into the way you learn. For me - and it turns out a lot of other women - these are little things we like to know in advance. For guys maybe that would be really boring."
Recreational outfitters have caught on. Life jackets, wetsuits, bicycles, snowshoes, backpacks, climbing shoes and even water bottles (shaped to fit around your hips) now come in women-friendly shapes and sizes.
"When I learned to surf, I wore a huge bulky wetsuit that didn't fit right in the parts where I needed it to fit right and that made my learning curve pretty steep," says Jenny Stewart who started Surf Sister Surf School in Tofino, B.C., five years ago. "Nowadays, it fits right," she adds. "There are booties that fit small women's feet, small surfing gloves, boards with foam on the deck that's softer and more comfortable to lie on."
Will the women's-only trend last? Who knows? Barbara McIntyre, co-owner of Wilderness Women Adventure Trave1 Inc. began offering trips to women in 1996, but has now opened up her B.C., Alberta and U.S. cycling, backpacking and hiking trips to men.
She says the sensitive New Age kind of guy is seeking the sense of community and more relaxed pace commonly associated with women - although if the adventure trend continues, these guys might be in for a surprise.