At small shops, employees often wear many hats and Heidi Skildum is no exception. As a self-described “runner with a skiing problem”, you’ll find Heidi boot fitting in the winter and talking up the trail running scene in the summer. She also enjoys managing staff wellness and volunteer programs, DEI and sustainability initiatives, and community outreach. Last summer, Heidi decided to volunteer for SheJumps, a national nonprofit that aims to get more women and girls outdoors. Read on to learn about SheJumps and the fun events Heidi is planning for them!
Why SheJumps? What does the organization do?
SheJumps exists to unearth potential in women and girls through outdoor pursuits by inspiring people to jump beyond their limitations and over fear of stereotypes, failure, rejection, and labels. They have a strong but mighty core staff that supports a community of 200 volunteers throughout the country. I join other Event Coordinators to dream and run events that build technical skills, push boundaries, and create community.
What made you want to volunteer for them?
I have my mom to thank for getting me on skis and my twin sister to thank for getting me into running. I feel lucky to have had so many strong women in my life who taught me about the outdoors and want to pay it forward by creating even more community and safe spaces for womxn through outdoor activities like skiing, mountain biking, mountaineering, and trail running.
Accessibility is really important to me and I am happy to be part of an organization that keeps the majority of its programs either free or low-cost, thanks to in-kind donations and fundraisers.
What are some of the highlights that you’ve been involved with?
Junior Ski Patrol was definitely a highlight! We had about 25 kiddos sign up to learn from the amazing female ski patrollers at Mt. Hood Meadows. The kids worked with transceivers and probes, learned first aid and snow science, and even took turns pulling the medical toboggan on the ski hill. Admittedly my favorite highlight was the look on the kids’ faces when they met the newest addition to the Avalanche Dog Team, Tele.
What are you working on now?
There are two series this spring that I am involved with. The first series is a Ski and Splitboard Meetup on Mt. Hood on the second Friday of every month. Mountain Shop and TREW Gear sponsor these meetups and it’s a blast!
I am also coordinating the Trail Running Series in Portland. The series includes run meetups, trail running lectures, and a fundraiser run on the Wildwood Trail. I am especially excited for the upcoming How to Run an Ultra Panel on May 15 because I don’t think we could get a better group of running experts together.
The series leads up to a fundraiser in Forest Park. The Wildwood E2E Fundraising Run is a completely self-supported endeavor to run the entirety of the Wildwood Trail. While some runners may choose to do the whole trail in one day, the fundraiser goes for the entire month of June so that folks can run the trail incrementally in a way that fits their schedule and goals. Particants are encouraged to raise either $10/mi ($300) or $10/km ($500). The fundraiser is open to everyone, all genders included, because we all have strong women and girls in our lives that we run for.
How do you get involved?
Join: Come to a SheJumps event! Most events are free with a suggested donation unless otherwise noted and you can find information about each event on either the SheJumps website or Eventbrite. Here’s a list of upcoming events this spring:
May 15, 2024
Mountain Shop
6:30 pm
How to Run an Ultra Panel
Featuring Pollee Brookings, Rachel Drake, Renee Janssen, Cindy Shepard, and Julija Šorytė
May 21, 2024
Lower Macleay TH
6:30 pm
Trail Run Meetup
5ish mile trail run from Lower Macleay to Pittock Mansion
June 14, 2024
Palmer Climbers Lot
7 AM
Ski and Splitboard Touring Meetup
Timberline Climbers Trail off of Palmer
June 1-30
Wildwood Trail
Wildwood E2E Fundraiser Run
An inclusive and accessible self-supported fundraiser to raise money for SheJumps
Follow on Instagram: You can follow @shejumps or the PNW focused account, @shejumps_pacificcoast for daily stoke, community, and event updates.
Donate: Heidi has an audacious goal of raising $5,000 for SheJumps through her own fundraising effort and Mountain Shop has graciously offered to MATCH her efforts. Your donation directly supports programs that advance the SheJumps mission to increase participation of women and girls in the outdoors and you can donate directly to her fundraising campaign here.
SheJumps is a 501c3 tax-exempt nonprofit and their Federal Tax ID Number is 68-0662227.
