Episode Intro:
Dear listeners of the Female Guides Requested Podcast,
Happy Wednesday, and Happy Lunar New Year of the Snake! This is your host Ting Ting from Las Vegas. Today, we have Izzy Lazarus as our guest. I’ve known Izzy for a while, but it wasn’t until last fall that I finally got to meet her in person when she came to Red Rock for her AMGA Rock Guide Exam. I knew I had to have her on the show.
Izzy grew up in NYC, playing hockey, skateboarding, and finding a connection with the ocean. Her mountain pursuits began with a pre-orientation backpacking trip in the thick Vermont woods, and she’s been hooked ever since. Courses in rock and ice climbing and outdoor leadership led her to work at the Colorado Outward Bound School after college. Izzy spent several years working multi-week climbing, mountaineering, backpacking, and backcountry skiing courses, both domestically and abroad. In 2017, she moved to the Tetons to work as an alpine and backcountry ski guide. Between Teton seasons, she traveled and worked in the Southwest desert region and various peaks in the Northwest and Cascades.
Several years later, life took her back to Vermont to work for the UVM Outdoor Programs Dept and guide on the side. Izzy has a passion for adventure that is only surpassed by her love of education, teaching, building connections with people from around the world, and cooking!
Izzy is a Certified Rock Guide, Assistant Splitboard Guide, and Apprentice Alpine Guide.
We talked about Izzy’s different transitions in life, from a big city to the great outdoors, from seasonal guiding to a full-time job. We discussed what ignited these transitions, how she managed the changes, and what she learned from her experiences. Izzy always seems to have a positive outlook on life and genuinely cares about the people around her, wanting to learn from them. Izzy’s energy and positive attitude towards life are truly radiant. I had so much fun chatting with her, and I bet you’ll enjoy our conversation too.
Izzy’s Links:
Izzy’s profile on AMGA website
Setting the Track
Things We Talked about:
From a big city to the mountains
The power of metaphors
What guiding is about for Izzy
Izzy’s first mountain experience
From 13 years of hockey to finding identity in the outdoors
The UVM outdoor programs
West versus East for example Tetons versus Vermont
Outward Bound years
Nudged and mentored by other amazing female guides in the Teton Valley
Female representation in the guiding / climbing community
Seasonal guiding versus a full time job
Sustainability
Information gathering
Izzy loves planning but also loves spontaneity
Burn outs?
Next phase?
Best guide tool
