A conversation with Coalition Snow founder Jen Gurecki and Caren Ensing on equity in the outdoors, building a bold brand, and expanding who belongs outside.

Women’s History Month is a time to celebrate the women who challenge expectations, open new paths, and make space for others to follow.

In the outdoor world, that kind of leadership is especially powerful. For decades, the industry has been shaped by narrow ideas of who belongs outside, what adventure looks like, and who gets to design the gear, lead the trips, and tell the stories.

Through our “Women Adventurers Who Inspire Us” series, we highlight the voices of women who are expanding that definition.

One of those voices is Jen Gurecki, founder of Coalition Snow. From challenging how women’s gear is designed to advocating for equity and inclusion in the outdoor industry, Jen has built a career around disrupting the status quo and creating space for more women to feel seen in outdoor spaces.

In this conversation, Jen shares how the outdoors shaped her life, why women-only spaces matter, and how redefining what it means to be “outdoorsy” can open the door for more people to experience the power of the natural world.

Jen Gurecki smiling during a cycling adventure in Africa, wearing a helmet and standing with local women in a village.

Q. How has the outdoors personally made a difference and had a positive effect on your life?

Ans: I appreciate that I have found that joy in the natural world. It's a way to connect with things that are bigger than yourself, and things that you can't always explain. The absolute beauty of nature, all of its surprises, the ways it fucks with you, she's the boss. I have also met the most incredible friends through the outdoors and through starting my business, which is wrapped up in being outside.

Q. Who introduced you to the outdoors?

Ans: My parents. We certainly didn't grow up doing traditional outdoorsy things, like skiing or hiking, but we did camp and fish, and my father and brother hunt. That was definitely a big part of growing up, in that you just did things outside. Also, I grew up in the 80s, and got to just ride my bike around with other kids all the time. It was an era where you’d watch cartoons on Saturday morning, and then you were kicked out of the house. Being introduced to the outdoors doesn't have to be this grand thing of a family ski trip or summiting a peak; it can be as simple as getting kicked out of the house every weekend.

Q. What inspired you to make your passion for the outdoors into your career?

Ans: Part of it was being naive. Not knowing anything is a really great way to start things. Also though, it was my passion for equity and inclusion that got me into the outdoors, more than my love of snowboarding. I felt like I could really fuck with the industry if I did something that only men did. That wasn’t going to be making beanies or selling apparel, but producing hard goods. I didn't feel like “Oh, I love snowboarding so much, I want to manufacture my own gear,” it was more “I want to fuck with the industry so hard, I'm going to manufacture my own gear, and it just happens to be snowboards and skis because I love it.”

Things are really different now than when I started Coalition Snow. In 2013, the industry was a very different place. All the gear made by women-specific brands was short, pink, and the graphics sucked. Now women have heaps of choices, but when we started Coalition, people equated women-specific as being absolute trash, and there was hardly any of it.

It’s not rocket science to design women's equipment; just as simple as not making shitty gear and using the same quality construction components. What I didn’t anticipate was that because people equated women's gear with being shit, when I made women's gear, people felt the same way and were like, “Who is she? What does she think she knows?” I thought I would be more embraced by the industry and by our peers, but not everyone could be convinced that we were making something good. The way I saw it, if the industry couldn't be bothered to make gear for women, it said what they thought about us as an entire demographic.

It was also in an era where female athletes, for the first time, had their own platform on Facebook. Before, everything was filtered through print magazines, and to get in, you had to be sponsored or “pay to play.” With Facebook, female athletes could say what they wanted, and I anticipated this change. I wanted to be a part of this, and I felt like part of that was to manufacture hard goods, because women didn’t do that.

Now, we’re the only ski company that has posted anything about Gaza or Roe v. Wade being overturned. That is posted on Instagram and in blogs, on our website, in emails, in every single thing. I think there’s a big disconnect where many women confuse giving money to all these men and wanting the world to be different. You have to do some things for that. If you want the industry to change and to be more inclusive, you have to think about where you're putting your money.

Q. Why do you think women's only outdoor groups and stories are important?

Ans: It’s a place where women can feel safe, understood, and seen. There is the safety aspect, as in the physical safety of not being around people who could physically hurt you. In general, there is also a perspective on how to move through nature and different expectations of the people around you. By and large, men tend to be relatively competitive and aggressive. They approach different things in the outdoors by focusing on getting to the summit or completing certain things. Not everybody wants that kind of pressure.

So while there’s certainly a bodily safety aspect, there’s also the emotional and psychological safety of a safe space where you know you won’t be pushed to do something you don’t want to do. That doesn’t mean women can’t pressure each other, but on the whole, women feel more comfortable being a part of an affinity group. Affinity spaces are for any group of people and help you feel included, safe, and seen.

Jen Gurecki with friends on a snowy mountain summit, enjoying a playful moment outdoors during a winter adventure.

Q. What does adventure for all of us mean? What does an inclusive outdoors mean to you?

Ans: You just do it your own way. The way that I adventure is going to be really different from somebody else, but there's enough space for us to all do it the way we want to. My vision for a more inclusive outdoors is a more expansive definition of being “outdoorsy.”

This is already happening in the industry, and it bothers some people who identify as “core”. Take E-bikes, for example. It's a perfect thing. There are people who don't ride e-bikes and can’t stand them. Personally, I don't have an E-bike, but it doesn’t upset me when I see a person on an e-bike because I'm excited that there are more people on two wheels. They fly past me on the trail, but I don’t care, because I'm not out to compete with them. It’s a different story if the e-bikes are damaging trails and things, but ordinary people on e-bikes is a great accessibility thing. It gets more people outside who may not be able to physically ride as much.

There are always things you have to deal with when more people are in space, but it’s not just reserved for the “core” athletes who can summit every peak and cycle a century off the couch. The outdoors for everyone is an expansive definition and perspective in a place where, if somebody says, “I'm outdoorsy because I walk through my local park every day,” then welcome to the club, and we’re happy you’re here.

Q. How do you, or do you, separate the outdoors as a passion and a profession?

Ans: How I separate it is I go snowboarding, and it has nothing to do with work. I go out not to do a photo shoot or film a reel, but also for a powder day with friends. When I’m doing that, I’m not trying to get the perfect shot, but just shred. That is one way that I differentiate between the two by not trying to get work out of every outdoor adventure.

Q. What is your most memorable experience outdoors?

Ans: I've done a lot of things, from cycling across Africa to twenty-eight days rafting in the Grand Canyon. I've had a few powder days that were hands down epic, though. It would be those handful of days where you are just like, “I can't even believe this right now.”

A collage of images from the South African trip organized by AdventurUs.

Q. Who's another woman in the outdoors that inspires you?

Ans: That’s rude to make me pick just one!

Q. What does the outdoors mean to you in one word?

Ans: Joy.

Q. You're stuck on Groundhog Day, and you're waking up in one outdoor spot every single day. Where would it be?

Ans: The Sierras.

Q. What does women supporting women mean to you?

Ans: You never try to make another woman small by thinking she's too much or telling her that she's too much. That this idea of women being too much is something that you couldn't even consider.

A group of female travelers eating ice cream in Portugal as part of the adventure trip organized by AdventurUs.

JOIN US ON MARCH 29TH FOR SHRED THE PATRIARCHY IN BEND

Your activity. Your cause. Your community. A global day of action where you rally your crew around the things you love and raise funds for organizations and groups doing real work in your community. We are fundraising to support female and non-binary athletes at Oregon Adaptive Sports and are hosting a celebration party at UPP Liquids.

At AdventurUs, we celebrate the women who push boundaries, challenge industries, and inspire others to step outside with confidence. Their stories remind us that the outdoors becomes stronger, richer, and more welcoming when more voices are included.