Pia Graham (She/They)

Friday, April 5, 2024

Dear Flash Foxy, 

I have been climbing for 20 years, I was an internationally competitive climber for 7 of those years,  and in that time nothing has taught me more about rock climbing than Flash Foxy. Climbing made  me who I am, and I am eternally grateful for that, but despite spending most of my life in this  community, as a femme person of colour there were very few moments where I didn’t feel out of  place. When I was growing up in climbing, I experienced trauma at the hands of men who are, to  this day, leaders in our sport. I would have given up my whole career in climbing to have not had  those experiences. Even though it was only a few days, attending this festival helped me take back  my girlhood. A girlhood that I had lost in a sport that I felt I had no right to be in at the hands of men  who felt entitled to me and to my body. The profoundly unjust and all too common instances of  abuse against women need to be shared, but that is far from all I want to hold space for here. This is  a thank you to all the incredible women and genderqueer people who continue to be who they are  and love what they do fiercely in the world of outdoor sport. This is a thank you to everyone who is  working towards making climbing more accessible and safe through education, opportunity and by  fostering supportive environments within our sport. Flash Foxy showed me everything that I always  knew rock climbing could be. Being a part of Flash Foxy showed me a boundless freedom and joy  that I had never felt while climbing until I had done so with other women, non-binary people, those  who are 2SLGBTQIA+ and people of colour within this community. Before attending this festival, I  would look to all the incredible young women and genderqueer youth climbers I have the privilege  of coaching with such fear that they would struggle to find their place in climbing just as I did.  Having seen the immense power of the people and initiatives that are transforming our sport, I now  feel nothing but excitement for them and their futures in climbing.  

Thank you to all of the organizers, volunteers, and attendees of the Flash Foxy Climbing Festival, not  only for creating the safest, most empowering, most educational, and transformative space in  climbing that I have ever entered but also for helping me find my way back to my life’s passion. You  are all responsible for more healing than you know. 

Sincerely, 

Pia Graham