With Ren Lavergne, Janet Wong , Charlotte Kruszewski and Sarah Jackson

Sharing the perspective of a queer rock guide.

• How working with 2SLGBTQ+ groups has changed the way I guide

• What I have learned from these outings,

• How we can use the outdoors to build queer & trans community

• Queer representation in the industry.

Ren (they/them)

Ren is an ACMG Rock Guide who is passionate about climbing, teaching, and connecting with community at the crag. They believe in the power of affinity spaces and take joy in collaborating with local grassroots organizations to offer outdoor rock-climbing courses that are accessible, supportive and welcoming. Ren is a queer non-binary white settler and they live in Canmore, AB.

Janet Wong (they/them)
Janet is an ACMG Toprope Rock Climbing Instructor who has a passion for climbing with tools and shredding down mountains. They have participated in creating inclusive spaces and access for climbing in the past couple of years in different capacities, as a participant, organiser, mentor, recreationalist and instructor. Known for tooling around on rock upside down as well as climbing remote icefalls, Janet is queer and non-binary with Chinese immigrant parents and is based in Canmore.

Charlotte Kruszewski (They/Them)

Charlotte grew up climbing, beginning with a bookshelf and quickly moving onto solid walls at their local gym. This start in the outdoor recreation industry led them to become a whitewater canoe guide, bicycle mechanic, rock climbing competition belayer, the EDI Chair with the Alpine Club of Canada Edmonton Section, an Arc’Teryx Brand ambassador, and a co-founder of the Queer Climbing Collective in Edmonton. Charlotte is a huge fan of the outdoors. They are a white settler and live in Amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton) on treaty 6 territory.

Sarah Jackson (she/they)

Sarah is a climber, skier, and hiker, currently based a few blocks away on Treaty 7 territory. After university in an effort to better understand her Ukrainian-Canadian settler identity, the land she was raised on, and responsibility related to the space that we take up, she spent two years walking 12,000 kilometres coast-to-coast on the Trans Canada Trail. 

The journey fueled a deep interest in the intersection of outdoor pursuit with inclusive and diverse community engagement, and in 2018 (alongside her friends and climbing partners) Sarah co-founded The Crush Collective, a non-profit working to remove barriers to access, foster safe and welcoming community, and celebrate representation in the outdoors. More than anything, she loves sharing absolute psych for all things outside with everyone and anyone interested.