At Sidetracked Adventures, we take pride in being a fully female-founded company and in offering women-led trips in an industry still largely dominated by men. Our guides aren’t just breaking trails through remote landscapes — they’re also breaking boundaries, proving that leadership, resilience, and adventure know no gender.

They are storytellers, motivators, problem-solvers, and guardians of the wild places we love. This month, we’re shining a light on the women of our guiding team, whose skill, grit, and compassion inspire every trip we run.

Sophie Nolan — Founder & Wilderness Guide

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt working in the outdoors is that leadership can be soft. I used to think leading meant being tough and direct – and sure, there’s a time for that – but it doesn’t have to be the default. I admire leaders who don’t shout the loudest or make themselves the centre of attention, but instead quietly guide people in the right direction. The best guides care about each person’s experience and understand that one size never fits all. I think women often do this really well – maybe because many of us know what it feels like not to be fully ‘welcome’ in these spaces, and that makes us more empathetic.

For me, the people are the trip – total cliché, but it’s true. I still don’t know how Sidetracked always manages to find its ‘people’, but it does. Every group is a lovely bunch, curious, and excited to explore cool places together. Even if I’m guiding the same route I’ve done before, the vibe is always new – different laughs, different stories, different little moments that make it unique.

Sirpa — Wilderness Guide

I think women have an innate ability to take care of their herd. They are very strong and decisive when needed. But they also have empathy and a caring spirit. The most important thing at work is flexibility — you have to be able to see things from many different angles and make decisions accordingly.

I love the trips where I can be as far as possible from the world. Surrounded by beautiful landscapes. Even in my free time, I don’t buy a plane ticket to a big city — I just drive way above the Arctic Circle and disappear.

Emily — International Mountain Leader

I guess, to stereotype, women are often maybe a bit more empathetic and perhaps more attuned to people's emotional states. Of course, this isn't always the case, but it can really help with forming connections with the individuals in a group and also creating more of a team. In turn, this helps with honesty and trust throughout a group, which can make the whole experience more enjoyable. But there are also plenty of male MLs/IMLs that also do a fantastic job with these, and I think this comes down to personality more than gender!

I prefer guiding multi-day trips over just a single day cause that you have much more time to get to know the people in your group. I really enjoy the progression from a group of strangers doing the same thing, to becoming a team of friends, and it often amazes me how quickly that transition can happen. I love getting to know the people I am leading and trying to discover what they are hoping to get out of the experience. When there is a certain amount of challenge, helping people to overcome that and make themselves proud of what they have achieved is really special.

Willow — International Mountain Leader

For me, it’s all about being in beautiful places with like-minded people, sharing those moments you just can’t get in everyday life. I love being part of someone’s adventure, especially when I can take them somewhere they didn’t think they could reach on their own. Helping them build the skills and confidence to navigate tricky terrain, so next time they can do it by themselves — that’s incredibly rewarding. There’s something magic about watching that shift happen in someone.

I think women often make brilliant mountain leaders because of the way we tend to connect with people. There’s often a bit more empathy and group awareness in the mix. And of course, there’s the joy of breaking stereotypes and showing others, especially young women, that they absolutely belong in these wild spaces. It’s inspiring, and hopefully it ripples outwards.

I particularly love guiding multi-day trips. There’s just something about heading deeper into the mountains, staying overnight in a little refuge or gîte perched on a hillside. Sunset from a mountain hut is a different kind of beauty, then you wake up and you’re already in the mountains before the day’s even begun.

Rebecca — International Mountain Leader

The thing I enjoy most is meeting people and getting to know people's stories. As the trips take place over many days, you really get to know each other as your traversing inspiring landscapes.

I love guiding long multi day hikes, especially mid way the trip when all the group has bonded, but we know its last few days in the mountains before going down to civilisation - it's a reflective day and if the weather's good you can see most of the mountains that you've already crossed. It can be hard to be away from my daughter and juggle with logistics. The best thing is coming home at the end of the trip and seeing how excited she is to see me.