GO! Girls Outdoors

Find your passion!  And if you don't know what it is, start looking...

Laurie Bernier is an outdoor enthusiast and avid backcountry skier from Maine in the eastern USA.  In the winter she spends as much time as she can on her skis, whether that is telemark, alpine touring, classic or skate skiing.  In the summer months she enjoys slalom waterskiing, mountain and road biking and hiking and backpacking.  Laurie loves to get out into the backcountry to go skiing, but tries to be active in some way every day.  She says that she always learns something about herself, and she loves the sensations of warmth, good food, her muscles working and her breathing, as well as sharing the moments with other people and getting a sense of accomplishment. 

Laurie became involved in skiing when she met her husband, but has always biked and enjoyed the outdoors.  Laurie says that being in the mountains and having to make decisions that involve risk makes her feel alive.  After doing something like that in the mountains, she has a vivid memory of the event, including the feelings she had, that will always stay with her.

Laurie works as a recreational therapist for Northeast Passage, a non-profit therapeutic recreation organisation.  Laurie’s job in the organisation is helping people with disabilities participate in the sports or activities they choose, assisting to adapt the sport or the equipment to cater for their needs.   She loves being athletic in the  outdoors, and passes this onto her clients - she says that sometimes they catch the bug!

Laurie says that her peers are mostly men and believes that there are definitely a larger percentage of men involved in outdoor sports.  She says that men would like to have more women involved in the outdoors because women are just as capable and bring a different attitude and knowledge that is very important in high risk sports.   Laurie says that the backcountry trips she has done with just female friends are quite different from her co-ed trips.  She and her friends make their own decisions, rather than a guy with more experience making the decisions for them.  She says this is even more exciting because sound decisions have such a great impact on the safety of the trip - and the fun of a trip is making decisions as you go along.


Laurie says that her own daughter is a role model for her.  Laurie’s daughter participates in extreme endurance sports and Laurie admires the way that her daughter remains calm and logical in stressful situations in the outdoors.  She also respects her daughter’s psychological and physical strength.  Laurie says that she is always striving to become better in every way, and is pleased that her passion for the mountains is inspiring to others.

If you want to ponder why people take risks, Laurie recommends watching the movie Steep.  She also recommends finding something you’re passionate about and pursuing it - and if you don’t know what it is, start searching!


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