Girls on Ice Canada: A Zine by Lawren Hall
Editor’s Note: In this piece Lawren Hall takes a deep dive into our program Girls On Ice Canada (GOIC) in a very creative way with her zine.
The zine features some very personal insight into the program as well as some beautiful imagery - read on!
In 1999, the first thought of Inspiring Girls Expeditions was sparked on a camping trip to the South Cascade Glacier. Today, eight expeditions exist across the United States, Canada and Switzerland– on ice, on water, on rock and in icy fjords. Lawren Hall, a student at the University of Calgary, has documented the growth of Inspiring Girls Expeditions and Girls on Ice Canada in an artistic zine (a zine is a noncommercial magazine that is often homemade, allowing for some customizable spunk!).
Through her own illustrations, memorable photographs, and art projects from past participants, Lawren gives a sneak-peek into “12 Days in the Wilderness” with the Girls on Ice Canada expeditions. She captures aspects of the program from skill development to natural camaraderie and reflects on quotes from the IGE (Inspiring Girls Expeditions) alumni:
“She did not simply teach me how to do things in the mountains; she empowered me to understand that I was stronger and more capable than I had previously believed”
In this zine, Lawren interviews Girls on Ice Canada, Ellie Bash; but this is not your typical interview. She aims to highlight Ellie’s personal path from Minnesota to the Arctic, and does so by identifying her role models and memories of summiting Mt. Baker - an experience that “helped [her] see their perspective a little more clearly on how hard it really is to do that.”
You can take can a look at Lawren’s zine below and discover the personal touch of Inspiring Girls Expeditions!