Join REI in a virtual event with professional snowboarder and 686 athlete, Hana Beaman; The North Face athlete and professional rock climber, Emily Harrington; and big-wave photographer, Sachi Cunningham as they join journalist Margaret Seelie in conversation about their passion for conquering giants and journeys to the top of these male-dominated sports. Register today to receive the Zoom link to attend the event on Wednesday, March 17 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET.
Zoom Link HERE!
When we see a massive avalanche-prone mountain, sheer rock face, or thirty-foot waves, most of us admire them from a safe distance. Not Hana Beaman, Emily Harrington and Sachi Cunningham. We’ll chat with Beaman about her backcountry runs on the Natural Selection Tour. Harrington will recount becoming the first woman to free-climb the Golden Gate route of El Capitan in under 24 hours. Cunningham will share stories from capturing the massive swells at Mavericks this season. The event will be moderated by journalist, Margaret Seelie.
Professional Snowboarder & 686 Athlete
Hana grew up in Big Bear Lake California, where she learned to ski and snowboard at a young age. She made the move to Mammoth Lakes where she began her career in professional snowboarding after attending a Snowboarder Magazine Superpark in the spring of 2001.
After a successful decade of competitive snowboarding, which includes World championships Gold, US Open Slopestyle Gold, 3 X-Games Slopestyle silvers, X-Games Real Snow Bronze Medal, and many others, she committed herself to backcountry riding and filming projects. She has graced the covers of both Transworld and Snowboarder Magazine, and won Female Rookie of the Year and Female Rider of the Year twice. Now, Hana spends her seasons chasing winter and filming backcountry freestyle parts for movies like INTERVALS, Full Moon, and Listen to the Eyes. She recently returned to competition this season for the Natural Selection Tour where she placed third in the first stop in Jackson Hole.
Professional Climber & The North Face Athlete
Emily Harrington is one of the most successful and versatile professional climbers in the world. She’s a five time US National Champion, has completed numerous first female ascents of 5.14 routes, summited Mt Everest, and made a complete ski descent of Cho Oyu - the world’s 6th tallest peak. This past November, Harrington became the first woman to free climb ‘Golden Gate’ on El Capitan in under 24 hours, making her the 4th woman in history to free climb El Capitan in a day.
Emily currently resides in Tahoe City, California where she spends her time training, climbing, and skiing with her partner Adrian Ballinger and their dog, Cat.
Sachi Cunningham is a pioneering big wave water surf photographer, filmmaker and Associate Professor of Multimedia Journalism at San Francisco State University. Her award winning work has taken her from the deserts of Iraq to the shores of the Amazon for outlets including PBS Frontline, The NYTimes, LATimes and top surf magazines. She has been included in both Surfline’s list of top filmmakers and Surfer Magazine’s list of top photographers. She has a B.A. from Brown University and an M.J. from UC Berkeley. A cancer survivor and mother, Cunningham lives with her husband and 8 year old daughter across from Ocean Beach in San Francisco, CA.