The Jen Higgins Grant for Young Women: Apply Today!
The ACC is dedicated to helping young women pursue their adventure dreams with annual cash grants from the Jen Higgins Fund. Teams must include a young woman who is central to conceiving, developing and leading the trip.
Get inspired today by reading some of our favourite adventure tales from past years’ winners of the Jen Higgins Grant, featured below.
Applications for the Jen Higgins grant are due January 31st, so make sure to get yours in soon if you have an initiative you’d like funded!
FOLLOWING THE FLOW OF THE FEDCHENKO, 2014
In May of 2014 Emelie Stenberg together with her team Holly Walker, Selena Cordeau, Vince Shuley and Zebulon Blais travelled to Tajikistan Central Asia to cross the fabled Fedchenko Glacier on skis, entirely self-propelled and unsupported. The Fedchenko Glacier is located in the Pamir Mountains which is home to some of the highest peaks in the world, and have been known as “The Roof of The World”. With a length of 77km and an area covering over 700 square kilometers, the Fedchenko Glacier is the longest glacier outside the polar regions. The expedition was completed in 30 days.
SOLO HIKING IN ICELAND, 2016
“As I took my first few steps moving forward, away from the ocean, I began to cry. All the months of research, organization, endless emails, a full university course load, long hours of work, plane tickets, meal preparations and so forth had finally brought me to this moment. I cried out of pure joy and anticipation for what was to come. I was nervous, but undeniably determined and feeling full of strength.” This report from Kara Folkerts details her experience on a solo hike across the entire distance of the country of Iceland.
TRAVERSING THE JUNEAU ICEFIELD, 2019
In the summer of 2019 Amaya Cherian-Hall, Claire Clarkson, Caleigh Warner and Sami Bierman spent 11 days traversing the Juneau Icefield from Juneau, AK to Atlin, BC. On the trip, they collected snow samples for the Juneau Icefields Research Program (JIRP), wrote, made art, pushed their personal limits while learning about themselves and the team.
KLINAKLINI KAYAK EXPEDITION, 2017
The recipients of the 2017 Jen Higgins Grant for Young Women were Maranda Stopol, Jo Kemper, Jordan Slaughter and Darby McAdams whose objective was to complete the first all-female descent (third descent ever) of the Klinaklini Canyon. "Our goal is to paddle a challenging and highly committing stretch of whitewater in one of the most remote and beautiful places in British Columbia’s Coast Mountains, while also promoting female athletes pursuing high caliber expeditions in the male-dominated world of action sports.”.
EDZIZA, BOTTOM TO TOP, 2018
Sam French, Melissa Makepeace, Colleen Gentemann and Sarah Sasges set off to Mt. Edziza Provincial Park with plans to ski tour the entire park from bottom to top, crossing over the Spectrum Range and Mt Edziza. The planned traverse is 68 km long with 4,325 metres of elevation gain and 4,190 metres of elevation loss. Less-than-ideal conditions presented the team as they were met with biting winds, icy slopes and several rock obstacles.
SEEKING BALANCE, FINDING ADVENTURE, 2019
Gabrielle Degagne, Marian Krogh and Stephanie Jones explore the rugged coastline of the Beagle Channel and Darwin Mountain Range in Patagonia, fall 2019. Their trip consists of travel by foot, kayak and skis in the remote region. Through managing logistical hardships, terrain and interpersonal dynamics, the team was able to discover more about themselves and the spectacular positions they were in. Additionally, travelling through Patagonia naturally brings one an appreciation for the environment, so the team brought to light many of the challenges the landscape faces under the weight of climate change.
BIG SKI LINES ON BAFFIN ISLAND, 2015
This year’s winners headed to Baffin Island for 17 days to ski some of the world’s most impressive couloirs and to kite on the sea ice. The mountains and landscapes they found were like something out of a Jules Verne novel. They got our first real sense for how massive and otherworldly the area is during an exploratory mission traversing from Polar Sun Spire to the Polar Star couloir on Mt Beluga.
THE CORDILLERA BLANCA, 2019
The Cordillera Blanca is known for its gorgeous white-capped peaks and also its ease of accessibility, so it’s no surprise that the Peruvian range has seen an increase in visitors over the past few years. With its increase in traffic and a lack of infrastructure, human waste has become a concern to backcountry water sources.
In this piece from Jo Bulmer and Heather Lightfoot, they head to Peru to climb in the gorgeous Cordillera Blanca range, specifically focusing on the granite tower “La Esfinge”. While sampling the local climbing scene, they immerse themselves in the mountains and the community, increasing their understanding of why it’s important to protect these special places.
PATAGONIA CLIMBING TRIP REPORT, 2018
Hannah Preston and Michelle Kadatz made their first trip to Patagonia this winter with intentions to climb Cerro Torre or Cerro Fitz Roy. Generally poor weather made for difficult climbing conditions and their options were limited. Over several small weather windows they managed to climb El Mocho, Torre Medialuna, and Aguja Guillaumet, all via beautiful multi-pitch rock routes ranging from 5.10 to 5.12.
Also see Hannah Preston’s story “Peace in Patagonia,” a supplement to this trip report.
ISLAND IN MY BACKYARD, 2018
In the Summer of 2018 Isobel Glover set out to complete the Vancouver Island (Spine) Trail on foot, becoming the first woman to hike the entire length of the Island. On the extensive hike, she encountered challenging weather, summit setbacks and various route re-directions. She writes of these in detail, but also goes into beauty of backcountry isolation and the quiet scenes one only gets from being away from city conveniences.