Gear manufacturers have realised that lots of women like the outdoors and they're different shapes from men. Here's what's out there, and where you can buy it.
Australia
Recently Slim Jim the surfski and I went in our first kayaking race, which required overcoming some intense intimidation and an attack of bicepophobia (fear of enormous men with bulging biceps and super fast kayaks). Despite all this, I actually ended up doing quite well. Here's the story...
I recently bought myself a surf ski and have been out paddling at every opportunity, suffering from new toy lust which recently developed into new toy love and will hopefully soon grow into a lasting and fulfilling relationship. I acknowledge that naming possessions and talking about them like people is lame and take full responsibility for any lame-ness displayed in this article.
Another month, another new sport! This time it's Rogaining - running about the bush (or in this case, paddocks) looking for orange and white flags for 24 hours.
These photographs have been provided by Emma Capp of the organisation Still Wild Still Threatened. They feature Tasmania's old growth forests, which Emma and her companions are attempting to protect from unsustainable logging practices.
A little photo montage to prove that romance is not dead, dying OR impossible at sea. Swoon...
I've seen more of the rest of the word than I have of my own Antipodean backyard, and it took a wedding to get me to New Zealand for a look. Now I'm itching to get back and explore - here are my first impressions.
Another year, another National Ride to Work Day. Here's my tribute to riding to work, because I couldn't make the Ride to Work Day breakfast because I had to leave early because I was...yes, that's right...riding to work. I call this tribute: Riding to Work is...
Lindsay and Sharon are keen outdoors-women who love to hike and sea kayak. I met them while involved in my "other" life (the one that occurs away from GO! Girls Outdoors and the great outdoors) and was thrilled to see that my careers had collided. So, I'd like you to meet Lindsay and Sharon - outdoor adventurers extraordinaire!
The first climb of the season - fraught with terror and self-deprecating internal monologues. Discovering why I like the sport so much after time away takes a little bit of effort. Does everyone experience this or is it just me?
Despite my claims of a non-competitive nature, I've recently discovered that there's a new aspect to my personality. The cause of this "new me" emerging is the sport of multisport racing, which is highly popular in Tasmania. Here's how the transformation occurs...
The Girls' Day Out is Tasmania's Female Lifestyle Expo, and its advertisement claims to provide "everything a woman could want". My Sunday was slow so I decided to go along and find out whether "everything a woman could want" applied to me or not. After astounding my mum with the invitation to join me (this is not my sort of event), we went together. Here's what happened...
In the Tour de France fever that is currently sweeping the world (even in Australia where the coverage is on in the middle of the night), I got to wondering why there are no women in the race, or at least why there isn't a corresponding race for women. I did some research and found out that there IS a race for women, then I wrote an article about it...
The Woman's Guide to Boating & Cooking is featured in a review on GO! Girls Outdoors. This is one of the recipes from the book - enjoy!
This article is in no way endorsed or paid for by Tourism Tasmania, although it probably should be! As a native Tasmanian, I tend to sing the state's praises a lot. This is an example of what you can do on a winter weekend, featuring unique adventures no more than 20 minutes drive out of Hobart.
A brief overview of the GO! Girls Outdoors financial story so far: this is for those who are interested and those who have been asking questions about the new additions to the website (the ads). And, of course, there's a nice picture of a tree that you can look at if you don't like finances.
Although sailing is fun, this article is not really about the traditional form of sailing. It's about a most excellent way of having a huge amount of fun, reusing, recycling, saving money and collecting some necessary baggage. Interested? Intrigued about this new sport? You know where to click...
A few lessons, learned the hard way, on how not to move thousands of kilometres.