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20 Inspiring Films About Women In Adventure

Our favourite adventure films about women in the outdoors

As International Women’s Day rolls into another year, the theme for 2021 is ‘#ChooseToChallenge’. Luckily for us in the outdoor industry, we don’t have to look far to find inspiring women; from women challenging social norms, to women challenging their body and mind in the most inhospitable areas in the world, the outdoor industry is luckily home to many inspirational women.

With that in mind, we’ve decided to compile a list of twenty of our favourite films about women in adventure and the outdoors. We’ve got films about skiers, trail-runners and climbers. Most importantly, all of these films do a fantastic job at celebrating women’s achievements from around the world. So grab a seat and get stuck in.

Summer of Wonder

Coming in at a length of 94 miles with a total of 24,000 feet of elevvation gained, it usually takes the average thru-hiker 10–14 days to complete the Wonderland Trail. Summer of Wonder shows the incredible feat of Kaytlyn Gerbin, who completed it in 19 hours.

Hers To Take

Hers to Take follows filmmaker Annie as she learns to overcome her fear of failure while bouldering. Annie does this by meeting with other women, to learn how they come with risk-taking in the outdoors and adventure sports world.

Emily Harrington climbing Golden Gate in a day

This behind the scenes look at Emily’s single day send of Golden Gate (the fourth person in the world to do so) is nothing short of phenomenal. Yes, it may be lacking in Free Solo levels of production, but this raw glimpse into a climb of this standard is a must watch.

Just Keep Running

Just Keep Running follows one of the world’s most promising trail runners – Ruby Muir – as she learns to cope with the pressures of racing at elite levels.

Arc’teryx Presents: Motherload

A story of loss, love, and life featuring professional skiers and mothers Izzy Lynch and Tessa Treadway. A powerful film about carrying our past, and emotional connections, with us into the mountains.

Shaped By The Wild

‘Shaped By The Wild’ takes a look at professional skier Christina Lustenberger and the ways in which her expertise and passions were formed amongst the mountains of British Columbia.

Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy is about adapting to unforeseen circumstances, and finding hidden reserves of strength you didn’t know you had. It follows Laura Sanderson as she overcomes a life changing illness with wild swimming, and makes it her mission to make a stand for nature.

If you’ve not yet given our live Q&A with Laura a listen then be sure to follow this link to catch up on the amazing work Laura’s currently doing.

Dream Job

While on the face of it ‘Dream Job’ may seem like a jokey spin-off about Katie Burrell trying her hand at the various roles within the ski industry, the clever story hides the true meaning of the film – to showcase some of the most badass women in the world of skiing.

From big mountain steep skier Christina Lustenberger, Diny Harrison, the first female certified mountain guide in North America and Girls Do Ski founder and coach Leah Evans, Dream Job is a must watch.

Heart of the Valley

Giulia Delladio lives in the Val di Fiemma valley in northern Italy. She became the first woman to run the family-owned, and iconic, outdoor brand La Sportiva.

Within Reach

In short, ‘Within Reach’ is a film about women who like rock climbing and the origins of the Women’s Climbing Festival. Scratch a little bit beneath the surface though and you’ll see that it actually touches on the marginalisation of women within outdoor culture as well. Worth a watch.

If I Can

British paraclimber Anoushé Husain has competed at a national level in the field of indoor climbing. ‘If I Can’ is a film that follows her on her inspiring journey into the outdoors

Free Flow

Featuring climber Hazel Findlay, and the mountains of Wales, ‘Free Flow’ is a genuinely stunning film; one that serves up some great free soloing from Hazel. This inspirational outdoors film reminds us that opportunities for adventure are often on our doorstep.

China Doll

‘China Doll’ follows Heather Weidner on her journey to become the first woman to climb a 5.14 trad route in Colorado (the route, you guessed it, is called China Doll). If you want to watch a rad climber get to grips with a properly challenging climb, look no further.

Speak To Me Softly

Some sport films look at sport from a purely athletic point of view. Some sport films explore things in a deeper way. ‘Speak To Me Softly’ is definitely the latter. It dives into the experiences of Jenny Abegg, and the psychological battles she has to overcome while on a route.

Frosty

Anna Frost is an elite ultra-runner. ‘Frosty’ is a film that explores connections, community, competition and Anna’s transition into motherhood.

Mira Rai

Mira Rai is a trail runner from Nepal. She only discovered trail running was even a sport around 18 months before winning a prestigious running event at Mont Blanc. This excellent little Salomon film explores Mira Rai’s remarkable story so far.

Batgirl

Rhonda-Marie Avery has no depth perception, and cannot see during the day at all. She is legally blind and, surprisingly, can see better at night. This last point is why she has taken on the nickname Batgirl. Rhonda wants to smash down the barriers she came up against as a child. She’s an ultramarathon runner.

Lhotse

In 2018, Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison achieved the first ski descent of Lhotse. Lhotse is the fourth highest mountain in the world. This film, backed by the team at The North Face, takes a look at the pair’s unforgettable skiing adventure in the Himalayas.

Liv Along The Way

Whether she’s climbing mountains, ski mountaineering, or BASE jumping, Liv Sansoz is as ‘mountain lifestyle’ as they come. Back in the year 2017, Liv set herself the challenge of climbing to the summit of all 82 (yes, all 82) of the 4000 metre mountains in the European Alps. She aimed to do it without the assistance of ski lift, and within the course of a single year.

A Walk In The Park

Kelly Halpin of Jackson, Wyoming, is both an artist and outdoor athlete. ‘A Walk In The Park’ tells the story of her attempt at the Picnic. Not a scotch egg in sight, mind. The Picnic is actually a mountain triathlon event in Grand Teton National Park. It involves a big bike ride, a big swim, a hike and a climb (and then all that again, in reverse).