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Shayna Unger

Shayna Unger

Climbing

Pronouns: She/Her

Hometown: Frederick, Maryland

Current Location: Frederick, Maryland

Favorite Zone: Andes

Proudest Achievement: Being part of the first all-deaf team to summit Aconcagua and Denali!

Favorite Advocacy Org: Aspen Camp of the Deaf & Hard of Hearing

Biography

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Hey there! I am Shayna Unger, a deaf woman, educator and mountaineer. I was born to a
multigenerational deaf family and raised in the deaf community. Growing up, my family went on 90’s
camping style trips in the Northeastern US. As soon as we got to the campsites, my siblings and I would
run off to explore the outdoors. But there was a lack of deaf representation in outdoor sports, so I was
never really exposed to different types of outdoor sports. It was not until college that I started traveling
and fell in love with backcountry hiking, sea kayaking, bikepacking and climbing mountains. Ever since I
climbed my first summit at Mount Kilimanjaro in 2015, I have been hooked on climbing mountains. In
2020 and 2021, I was part of the first all-deaf team to summit Aconcagua and Denali. When I am not
outdoors, you will find me teaching social emotional learning and providing support for deaf and hard of
hearing elementary school-aged students. My partner, Scott and I just launched a project, Seeing
Beyond: Seven Summits. We are aiming to be the first deaf individuals to reach the Seven Summits and
to inspire others in our community to try outdoor sports!

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ATHLETE MENTORSHIP INITATIVE

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The SCARPA Athlete Mentorship Initiative presented by Mountain Hardwear has been created to connect and engage the SCARPA and Mountain Hardwear Athlete teams with accomplished athletes from historically marginalized communities aspiring to take their sport or career to the next level. The mission of this program is to connect mentors with mentees focused on the sports we serve to provide participants with opportunities for personal, athletic and career development with the goal of helping to create a more inclusive and diverse community of athletes.

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Q & A

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  1. How did you get involved with the sport:: In 2015, my partner, Scott and I were on an African overland trip– Scott wanted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, but the thing is I’ve never climbed a mountain before! But we climbed, got my first summit, and the rest is history.
  2. Who were your influences early in life?:: My family, especially my parents. They raised me to embrace my identity as a deaf individual and to go after all of my dreams regardless of my disability.
  3. What draws you to the outdoors?:: The freedom, the challenges, and the serenity
  4. What’s your dream trip or expedition:: The Himalayas
  5. What makes a good climber/hiking partner?:: A good climbing partner to me is someone who is willing to step outside of their comfort zone and encourages others to do the same, and always is psyched about being out there in the outdoors.
  6. How are you going to pass on what you learn in the mentorship program to others?: I hope to passon the knowledge to my community and empower the future generation of Deaf and hard of hearing to pursue their own dreams in the outdoors.