Kristina Ciari Tursi
For our member profile this month we spoke with Isabel Suhr, a graduate of our MAC (Mountaineers Adventure Club), about who inspires her and why she volunteers.
10 Essential Questions
How did you come to be involved with The Mountaineers? In the fall of 2009, my aunt Louise asked if I wanted to take the Basic Climbing course with her. I thought “Okay. This should be fun! How hard could it be?” Obviously, I had no idea what I was getting into!
What motivates you to volunteer with us? I like being part of the community and keeping in contact with people I met in the Basic course. For example, I recently climbed Kangaroo Temple with Cebe Wallace and was one of the rope leads! It’s nice to pass on what I learned to the next group of students. You learn a lot better when you have to teach, and it’s fun to talk to other people about my passions. I had a great time taking courses because instructors were knowledgeable and dedicated, and I want to be that for someone else.
Favorite Mountaineers Memory: After graduating from high school, I went on an eight-day trip to the North Cascades with MAC (Mountaineers Adventure Club). It was our first trip longer than a few days and I had spent several months organizing it. Even though it rained SO MUCH and all did not go as planned, we all had a great time.
Who/What inspires you? Two people. The first is Cebe Wallace. He was my SIG leader and has been a fantastic teacher and mentor. Watching him helped me learn the best ways to teach climbing techniques. He made everything a teachable moment, without hovering or being overly critical. And he always treats his students with respect — I was 16 when I took the Basic course, but he didn’t treat me like a kid.
Becca Polglase is the other one. She's a great leader and mentor who works very well with kids and teenagers, which is something I’m interested in doing. She treats everyone with respect and treats teens like adults, not children, which always inspires me to live up to her expectations.
What does ‘Adventure’ mean to you? Doing something fun, challenging and outside, with cool people.
Lightning round!
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