Meet the Team

  • Anju Samuelson she/her

    Anju founded the festival in 2020 and soon got help from Becky, Karly and Kristen. She moved in 2018 to Bozeman and felt the need of connecting local female climbers. Her passion is to venture together with other women in the outdoors, from single pitch climbing and big walls to mountain peaks. She is a rock and mountain guide and runs with her partner “akioanju - mountain trips”.

  • Steph Bonucci she/her

    Steph joined the team in the fall of 2022 and is enthusiastic about celebrating feminine energy in climbing. She grew up in the corn fields of Illinois and never takes mountain landscapes for granted. Steph enjoys splitter cracks, slacklines, and power days, but mostly is fulfilled by snuggling with her doggo Fenn and eating good snacks. She worked as a NOLS instructor, but now spends her time as an environmental engineer, specializing in mine water treatment. Say hello when you see her at the festival!

  • Cora Steinbach she/her

    Cora is a Montanan through and through! A fiercely passionate ecologist, she continues to build her career in stream and riverine ecology and flip over every rock in search of life. After one too many rock climbing trips that felt like “The Bachelorette: Dirtbag Edition” she prioritizes female company in the mountains. Cora feels immense gratitude towards the community that introduced her to climbing, which has strengthened her friendships and shaped her life. She hopes to give back as a mentor and organizer of this important event!

  • Kristen Neithercut she/her

    Kristen moved to Montana from the Midwest for the winters and stayed for the summers. As an event planner by trade, she helps behind the scenes as well as on-site for the festival. During the summers, Kristen runs Project Wild Climbing, a climbing company that offers visitors the chance to experience Montana in a new way. She also partners with different local companies to help teach women in the Bozeman community how to climb! She likes oat milk matcha lattes, homemade focaccia, and helping show women their mountains are meant to be climbed 🙌🏼

  • Karly Rager she/her

    Karly is the founder and coach of Project Direct Coaching and athlete for Trango Climbing. A Montana-based athlete, coach, Certified Personal Trainer, AMGA SPI, and Behavior Change Specialist, she is passionate about helping women fulfill their potential on and off rock. She runs the marketing, advertising, and community outreach for the Montana Women's Climbing Festival. At past festival, she has run the Fear of Falling Clinic + Climbing Movement Clinic. Outside of the climbing world, Karly enjoys reading and writing. While she is a bit nomadic in general, she can’t wait to be back in Montana for the 2023 festival!

Instructors

  • Ryan Terry they/she

    Ryan grew up climbing and skiing in Anchorage, and moved to Montana in 2016. She has instructed cross country skiing, wilderness first responder and EMT courses, and most recently climbing. In spring of 2022 Ryan got their SPI, and has since been teaching at climbing festivals. She enjoys helping people from underrepresented communities find their place in the outdoors, and has both participated in and taught in affinity spaces. Their favorite days are long multi sport adventures, but she’s happy any day climbing or skiing, whether it’s a hard sport cragging day, or a long moderate ramble through the mountains.

    Certifications:
    AMGA SPI
    Wilderness EMT

  • Nicole Vidal she/her

    Nicole Vidal is a climber and AMGA certified Single Pitch Instructor with over ten years of climbing experience. She is originally from Puerto Rico, where she ran her own climbing school for four years, often hosting women's climbing clinics. An avid traveler, she has explored climbing areas across fifteen U.S. states and three different countries. Her interest in outdoor recreation and pedagogy have led her to explore many outlets within the industry. She is passionate about gender equality and inclusivity in climbing, as some of her most formative climbing experiences have taken place in affinity spaces. She looks to forward to sharing her unique perspective and learning from other incredible women at the festival!
    Certs:
    AMGA Single Pitch Instructor
    NOLS Wilderness First Responder
    Performance Climbing Coach

  • Karly Rager she/her

    Karly has been a full-time climbing coach for over a year and half. She is the founder and coach of Project Direct Coaching. In 2021, she worked with 53 athletes from 4 countries and 19 states on their physical training, mental game, and technical climbing skills. She also taught the Fear of Falling clinic at the 2021 Montana Women’s Climbing Festival.

    As an athlete for Trango Climbing, she spends a large amount of her time on difficult, single-pitch sport routes, but enjoys trad, ice, and multi-pitch climbing each year as well.

    She has sent 5.13b sport routes, 5.12 gear routes, and enjoys traveling to build her toolbox of movement skills.

    Certs:

    Certified Personal Trainer (CPT)
    Behavior Change Specialist (BCS)
    AMGA Single Pitch Instructor (SPI)

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