The Origin

The path to creating more diversity, equity and inclusion in the climbing and outdoor sports community is a journey, not a destination. As we consider this journey, listen to people of underserved communities, and think about what we have learned, we feel it is our responsibility to create more access, support, and opportunity for Climbing and Outdoor Athletes from BIPOC, LBGTQ and Disabled communities. We think improving diversity and inclusion needs to happen on all levels, from new outdoor enthusiasts to active outdoor athletes and that there needs to be an accessible progression of steppingstones that will help people follow their dreams and reach their full athletic or professional potential in climbing and outdoor sports. We want to do our part to elevate and empower aspiring athletes and influencers from all different backgrounds to the highest level, so they can inspire others like themselves to dream about one day achieving the same. We acknowledge that our North America athlete team and therefore our mentors are not representative of every group, but we feel that this is the first step in changing that. We hope you will consider joining us on this journey.

This is why SCARPA North America created the “SCARPA Athlete Mentorship Initiative”. Based on the belief that we cannot rest until we see people from historically marginalized communities at all levels of our sports and industry, including as sponsored athletes, professional guides, company leaders and in our boardrooms. The Athlete Mentorship Initiative is the result of the efforts and collaborations of so many amazing people inside and outside of our company, sports, and industry. The origin of this idea and vision for this initiative was based on the personal and professional experiences of our CEO, Kim Miller. Kim is an expert climber, skier, and outdoor athlete, a forty-year veteran of the Outdoor Industry, a person of color and an immigrant.