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Julia Kean Niles

@julia.niles

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This is an in person support group for women who have experienced trauma in intimate relationships. It will help us to heal, build community, access self-compassion, and strengthen our voices. Please contact me for more information or to sign up. by @julia.niles

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18 days ago

There’s a special kind of magic guiding an all-women team on the Spearhead traverse. In an all-female environment we were not muzzled — we could talk about bleeding through base layers, ovarian cysts, birth and labor, and the messy, beautiful realities of life. We weren’t in defense against microaggressions because we didn’t have to perform safety around being ourselves. What that turned into (and what I so often see) is a finely tuned group that truly helps one another: we take someone’s weight when they’re suffering, we say “me too” without shame, we laugh until our bellies cramp, and we actually heal from our traumas together.

Those spaces create better leaders and better safety. I see it in practice every time: emotional honesty becomes operational strength. As Rachel Reimer and colleagues put it in their incredible new study, non-dominant guides face “a non-stop second shift of risk management due to human-caused hazards, in addition to the regular work shift of mountain hazard mitigation.” Their framing of “intersectional risk” — risk as a function of mountain hazards plus human-caused hazards, exposure, and vulnerability — names what we live. (Reimer et al., The Second Shift in Mountain Guiding and Avalanche Work; doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2026.106144.)

A few lines from the paper that hit me hard:

“Nowhere in our work has evidence emerged to support the theory that mountain environments and professions are exclusively suited for cis-males or people who perform a certain type of masculinity.”
Members of non-dominant groups “must navigate a non-stop second shift of risk management … This invisible workload emerged as metaphoric ‘invisible avalanches.’”
I wholeheartedly concur with the lived experiences shared in that study — as a queer woman with 26 years of guiding, a single parent, and someone carrying a lot of mountain trauma (both human and nature-based), I recognize those narratives as my own and my colleagues’.

Ode to Rachel Reimer and co-authors: thank you for naming intersectional risk and the second shift. Your work helps us push the profession toward actual safety. The kind that includes psychological and social hazards, not just snow and rock. by @julia.niles

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6 months ago

"I stand on the sacrifices of a million women before me, thinking what can I do to make this mountain taller so the women after me can see farther." — Rupi Kaur

Honouring my dear friend and guide Aimee Barnes — your guidance and light are with me on every ridge. I’ve been honoured and privileged to share mountains and passion projects (backcountry skiing) this winter in affinity spaces. Becoming and staying a mountain guide took struggle and perseverance — and it matters for making the mountain community more diverse.

This season I led incredible women on successful trips through my women’s ski touring series, She Minds Big Lines (working title) — a play on Mountain Mindset. A mountain mindset is about making the mountain taller so future women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other marginalized folks can see farther. We’ve raised $500 so far to pay for cleaning services for single parents in the Sea-to-Sky. One more trip: Spearhead traverse on April 17 — one spot left (female-identifying folks welcome). It’s an empowerment mission: creating conversations about what holds us back, the limiting beliefs culture hands us, and then climbing those mountains — yes, all 17 of them.

Grateful to Coast Range Heli and their pilots, and to the women who joined the last mission — a yurt, steeper lines, and conversations that reminded us shame around burnout often comes from pressure to represent, to be ‘perfect’ pioneers. Examples: instructors who invested more in boys, tokenized sponsorships, disrespect from clients. We keep pushing.

If you want to join the Spearhead trip (April 17) or learn more, DM me. by @julia.niles

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6 months ago

Adventure beyond the lift lines—into big terrain with skill, confidence, and community.
I’m deeply honoured to be invited by local Mountain Guide Julia Niles to co-facilitate movement, breathwork, and embodied support for Women Mind Big Lines — a women-led backcountry ski & snowboard touring series for women and female-identifying folks.
This progressive series is designed for those seeking adventure, resilience, and self-trust in the backcountry. Together, we blend technical mountain skills, mindset, and strong community support as we step beyond the crowds and into wild spaces.
✨ And 100% of proceeds support professional cleaning services for single mothers in the Sea-to-Sky — supporting women at home while we support one another in the mountains.

Progression: • Retreats 1 & 2: Foundational backcountry skills, safety, and confidence in approachable terrain • Retreats 3 & 4: Bigger terrain, winter camping, and deeper technical learning

🔗 Learn more: mountainmindsetsquamish.com 📌 link in bio to Mountain Mindset
@julia.niles - Mountain Guide by @julia.niles

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9 months ago

We have a support group tonight in Squamish! Today we will talk about stigma, microaggressions, and their real life consequences. Message me to get the address or more details! by @julia.niles

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9 months ago

My favorite trips in the mountains have been those where female identifying folk get together in the mountains and get rad. Last year I met some of my favorite people ever in an all women's Whitemantle traverse (thanks to the generosity and creativity of Arc'teryx and Ange Percival), the year before it was a women's crew at Journeyman lodge. I think it is the support, the relief of not needing to compete or meet any imaginary standard, and the power of connection that fuels the psych. There is no time like the present to simply live into the things that make me happy. I hope you will join me in my following of dreams. by @julia.niles

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9 months ago

Come and join us on the Spearhead Traverse this Spring! I have a grassroots backcountry women's ski touring series that supports single moms. Inspired by all I've learned as a counsellor and guide of 25 years. I am so excited! Sign up. check out the link in my bio. or julianiles.ca or www.mountainmindsetsquamish.ca by @julia.niles

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10 months ago

Women Mind Big Lines
An Empowering Backcountry Ski Experience for Women
Dates & Locations:
February 6-9, 2026
Location: Whistler
Hours: 8 AM - 4 PM
Price: $600
March 6-8, 2026
Location: The Duffey (Condition Dependent)
Hours: Friday 8:30 AM - 4 PM, Saturday-Sunday 8:30 AM - 4 PM (One overnight in a hut)
Price: $850
April 17-19, 2026
Location: Spearhead Traverse (Condition Dependent)
Hours: Friday 8:30 AM - Sunday 4 PM
Price: $950
May 16-24, 2026
Location: Waddington Range (Condition Dependent)
Price: $3200
Join Our Guided Women’s Ski Touring Series!
Escape the resort and ride some pow while supporting a worthy cause.

Why You Should Participate:
Empower Your Voice: Engage in meaningful discussions focused on women's empowerment.
Develop Skills: Learn about reading terrain, snow science, and safe travel in the backcountry.
Support our community: All proceeds will go towards free house cleaning services for single parent families in the Sea-to-Sky.
Embrace Self-Love: Join conversations centred around self-care and acceptance. by @julia.niles

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10 months ago

Women Mind Big Lines: I've put together a women's ski touring series designed for women and female identifying folk. Together we will find adventure, empowerment, backcountry skills, and self-love! These retreats are about more than just skiing; it's about building a supportive community and finding your voice in the mountains. All proceeds go towards house cleaning services for single mothers in the Sea to Sky. This is a grassroots small business female owned multicultural and diversity friendly movement. Check out my website for more information. Link in bio. by @julia.niles

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10 months ago

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/1?cid=ZDVmMWU0ODAwZjU4MzEzY2IzMjIwYjk3NjgzZGVlZGQ2YzQ3ZDcwZjFlN2U3Mjk3N2QyNTVmMzMwZjk4NDQ5NkBncm91cC5jYWxlbmRhci5nb29nbGUuY29t

This is a link to the dates of our meetings! Email us to get on the list. by @julia.niles

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a year ago

High above the ground, every move becomes a lesson in slowing down, embracing the moment, and rediscovering what it means to truly thrive 🧗‍♀️

In “Climbing Through”presented by @arcteryx, pro climber @emclimber steps away from life’s whirlwinds below to joining her friend @julia.niles, a professional mountain guide, on the towering walls of Cochamó Valley, Chile.

Head to @vimeostaffpicks’ bio to watch the full-length film. #vimeostaffpick by @julia.niles

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a year ago

Kodiak, Ava and I had the profound pleasure of reconnecting with their nanny from 2013 at the Brackendale fall fair. Nangsal was attenting Quest University at the time. She inspired us to sponsor a student from Shree Mangal DVIP School where she went as a child in Katmandu. She is from the village of Nubri a tiny herding community near the base of Manaslu. She was a magical caregiver for us at the time and has held beloved status in our family lore. Now, she has a beautiful business making dog treats out of Nepalese cheese and cat houses out of wool. https://www.nepalaya.ca/our-story by @julia.niles

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a year ago