Caroline Gleich is a ski mountaineer with a big social media following, sponsors and a life filled with travel and adventure. And this past spring, she became the fourth person and the first woman ever to complete the 90 “gnarliest” ski descents in the Utah guidebook The Chuting Gallery.
But not everyone is celebrating. Caroline has been the victim of extensive online harassment. “To harass me on social media, they’ve created like 20 different accounts, over the last four years,” Caroline shares in the new video Follow Through from REI. “It just gets under your skin, and then you think about it in weird ways sometimes. Having a checklist and a goal, and having these clear guidelines, helps to overcome that self doubt.”
This 20 minute film is a “story of loss, belonging and a desire for respect. In this age of hyper connectivity, which voices to we choose to hear and which do we ignore.”
Caroline clearly listens to her own voice… “Even if they say I don’t belong, I’m gonna keep doing my thing. I don’t need their acceptance or approval.”
Lead image via Caroline Gleich Facebook page