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Skier in mid flip

Photo:

Akio Joy

Akio Joy

Climb

Pronouns:

Hometown: Placerville, CA

Current Location: Bozeman, MT

Favorite Zone: Gallatin Canyon

Proudest Achievement: Being able to follow my passions and maintain a work-life balance.

Favorite Advocacy Org: The AMGA, the Access Fund

Biography

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I learned how to rock climb as a teenager in the Sierra foothills. Between after school sessions at Lovers Leap and weekend trips to Yosemite Valley, I quickly fell in love. During these years, climbing and the people I met began to shape who I am. For me, climbing provided confidence, community, freedom, and an intense connection to nature that I hadn't experienced before. More than anything, it preserved the child like sense of adventure and wonder that seems to fade with time. After moving to Montana for university, I knew that I wanted to become a mountain guide. My desire was to inspire others and share these experiences with others.

Instagram Website

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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Who is your mentor?: Josh Wharton
How did you get involved with your respective sport?: I grew up skiing in South Lake Tahoe, looking for trouble to get into every summer. When I was about 14, a friend's father introduced us to rock climbing on his old gear. Not long after, me and my best friends were top roping every route at the local crag, just 15 minutes from school, between dips in the nearby Consumnes river.
Who were your influences early in life?: My older sister has always had a major influence in my work ethic and I still really admire her focus. Jay Renneberg was a huge inspiration in my early climbing career and is dearly missed.
What draws you to the outdoors?: The experience, the challenges, and mainly the people I get to share it all with.
What’s your dream trip or expedition?: Traveling South America (or anywhere, really) for a season with my wife, Anju.
What makes a good skiing/climbing/running/hiking partner?: Primarily, someone who's main priority is to have fun and learn. Being open minded and a good listener is something I always strive for.
How are you going to pass on what you learn in the mentorship program to others?: By sharing and speaking up within my community, the people I take out climbing, and mentoring others in the future.