The Daily - January 27,2022 - 23

O
n the final day of
this year's Snow
Show (January
27), Scarpa North
America plans to
host a vaccine-requied reception
to celebrate the first graduates of
the company's Athlete Mentorship
Initiative (SAMI)-a yearlong
program comprised of 30 mentors
and 31 mentees.
" We've both benefited from
working together, " says mentor
Jordan Cannon of his relationship
with mentee Patrick Dunn.
Cannon, a top big wall free climber
and speed climber, has linked
Yosemite's Half Dome, El Capitan,
and Mt. Watkins in fewer than
24 hours, and he's freed El Cap's
Golden Gate in 20:26. Dunn is
a climbing guide at Smith Rock,
Oregon, and founder of OUT in the
Wild, a guiding company focused
on the LGBTQ+ community.
Spearheaded by Scarpa North
America CEO Kim Miller-who
is an expert skier, climber, and
40-year outdoor-industry professional-SAMI
aims to increase diversity
in the outdoors among marginalized
communities, including
LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and adaptive
athletes. " Scarpa acknowledges
that its current athlete team, and
therefore mentors, are not representative
of the communities the
Athlete Mentorship Initiative aims
to cater to, " Miller says. He hopes
to make this change by pairing
his athletes-including skier Chris
Davenport, climber Alex Puccio,
trail runner Joe Grant, and dozens
more-with members of underrepresented
communities. " This
program is the first step within a
much longer journey that (we're)
committed to. "
With help from his team,
Miller-a person of color and an
immigrant-is leading emerging
athletes. Through the growing
partnerships between mentors
and mentees and monthly
meetings with BIPOC leaders
and other groups via Zoom from
its office in Boulder, Colorado,
Scarpa also benefits.
Goals between mentors and
mentees include establishing conOUTDOOR
RETAILER SNOW SHOW 2022 /
23
nections in the outdoor industry,
building brand partnerships,
increasing social media presence,
transitioning athletic interests into
careers, and working effectively
with nonprofit organizations. " We
want to do our part to elevate
and empower aspiring athletes
and influencers from all different
backgrounds to the highest level,
so they can inspire others like
themselves to dream about one day
achieving the same, " Scarpa posted
on Instagram.
" It's helping develop these
athletes into becoming more
inclusive, " says Stefanie Kamm,
athlete manager and digital
marketing coordinator at Scarpa,
one of three people overseeing
the project. The other two are
Melanie Hood and Miller.
Kamm says what makes the
program work is the individual
strengths of the athletes and finding
" people on the cusp of being
professional and just need a little
support. " She says the first signs of
success in the project were Cannon
and Dunn's budding relationship.
WHAT PIQUED CANNON'S INTEREST
was how the program targeted
those with diverse backgrounds
and was designed to help their
athletic and personal growth. As
he thumbed through the stack of
mentees, he zeroed in on Dunn.
" Before I even got through the application,
I knew this was the guy I
wanted to work with, " he says. " But
then I kept reading and learning
more about him. "
Through his research, Cannon
learned that Dunn founded OUT
in the Wild, worked as a climbing
guide and was an artist. " Climbing
has not only taken me to amazing
places, but it has expanded my
relationship with myself, teaching
me endless lessons of resilience
and self-acceptance, " Dunn says.
" Rock climbing is not always about
the send or achieving the goal,
but about the process and journey
along the way. " His favorite style
" SCARPA ACKNOWLEDGES THAT ITS
CURRENT ATHLETE TEAM, AND THEREFORE
MENTORS, ARE NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE
COMMUNITIES THE ATHLETE MENTORSHIP
INITIATIVE AIMS TO CATER TO. "
-KIM MILLER
Scarpa North America
CEO Kim Miller talks to
mentees at the brand's
Boulder, Colorado,
warehouse.
MELANIE HOOD
The Daily - January 27,2022

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