Cassie Ayoungman

Building connection through climbing

words :: Jane Marshall

For many in the Bow Valley, the first introduction to Cassie Ayoungman came through an Indigenous film night at artsPlace, where her nonprofit, Soul of Miistaki, was featured in the Arc’teryx Alberta film Cultural Climbing Camp. The short film captured a diverse group learning to rock climb at Bow Valley crags while listening to Blackfoot Elders share stories. The participants’ on-camera reflections revealed just how powerful the experience had been.

A member of the Siksika Nation and an avid adventurer, Ayoungman understands the healing power of the mountains. With Soul of Miistaki (miistaki is the Blackfoot word for mountain), she’s creating access to mountain sports—offering scholarships, reduced fees and community-based support—while rooting the experience in the Indigenous history of Treaty 7 lands.

Over tea, Ayoungman reflected on her journey. Right from the start, her path has been focused on strengthening her community: She launched its inaugural fitness program and then joined the Canadian military program Bold Eagle, where she took medic training. This experience inspired Ayoungman to complete paramedic studies in Calgary, then came a full-time role at Siksika Emergency Medical Services.

During her time in Calgary, she found herself drawn to the mountains, and drove there often to hike and immerse herself in the land. Ayoungman loves a challenge, and she pushed herself with tougher, longer days out. For her, the elevation and physicality felt like therapy. “Movement is medicine,” she says.

Climbing came next, despite a fear of heights. “I’d cry. It challenged my mind, and I learned a lot about myself by learning to climb,” Ayoungman says, adding the process was both confronting and empowering. Mountain activities were helping her unlock power and potential, and she took things to the next level when she moved to Canmore in 2021—while still working for Siksika EMS. As Ayoungman’s outdoor skills expanded, she discovered a critical gap: There were few Indigenous climbers, and none in her community. Ayoungman wanted to change that.

In 2021, the Canmore-based Dirtbabe Collective, a nonprofit focused on therapeutic mountain skills, helped her secure a grant, and Ayoungman ran a climbing course for ten Siksika women. The success of this camp inspired Ayoungman to found her own nonprofit, and in 2023 Soul of Miistaki was born.

The goal of Soul of Miistaki is simple: increase diversity in mountain activities and provide outdoor opportunities for those historically excluded—particularly within BIPOC communities. Soul of Miistaki now offers climbing, hiking and skiing programs specifically for BIPOC individuals, as well as events that include allies.

Cassie’s work resonates deeply with her family, who, like many Indigenous families, carry the weight of intergenerational trauma. Her great aunt, Laura Sitting Eagle, participated in two Soul of Miistaki camps and appeared in the film.

“I went to residential school when I was six,” Laura recalls. “At seven, I was sent to Edmonton with tuberculosis. I didn’t see my parents again until I was 12. I kept thinking, Where are they?”

Healing has taken time, but she says, “I tell people, ‘Don’t pity me.’ I went through a lot and worked hard to better myself and my kids. I pushed them to get an education. I’m proud when someone graduates. Cassie makes me proud.”

She remembers praying for participants during camp smudges. “In our culture, rocks are holy and alive,” she says. “It was beautiful. We talked about residential school and how hard we worked to be where we are. I told them, ‘You need to know I worked hard—and now it’s up to you to work hard, too. Go for your dreams.’”

The camps facilitate intergenerational knowledge-sharing. Elders speak freely outdoors, while people listen and build connection— through story and through stone.

Artist Kayla Bellerose, from the Sawridge First Nation and Bigstone Cree Nation, joined the 2022 Cultural Climbing Camp after completing a mural of the Three Sisters in Canmore. Growing up in rural Alberta, climbing was never on the radar for Bellerose. “None of my family members were interested in climbing,” she says. “There were no mountains!” But in Calgary, where she completed her fine arts degree, bouldering gyms opened a door.

Through Soul of Miistaki, she found belonging: “The camp was beautiful. Elders shared teachings from a Blackfoot perspective. We were women of colour from different backgrounds, and we felt safe enough to be vulnerable.”

For Bellerose, outdoor climbing had once felt intimidating. “But they had professional guides who made it enjoyable,” she says. “Being in that environment helped me feel confident and supported.”

She describes Cassie as a leader—for Indigenous communities and for the broader outdoor world. “She’s creating a safe space for diversity. I have respect and love for her and the work she’s doing,” says Bellerose.

Good teachers are key to creating that safe space. Soul of Miistaki partners with Yamnuska Mountain Adventures (YAM), whose guides bring technical skill and open minds.

“Our guides at YAM are keen to work with Cassie and curious to learn,” says Tim Ricci, Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) member and Yamnuska’s director of operations. “These synergies are what make a great relationship.”

Cassie is also an Arc’teryx Alberta ambassador with support from the company’s No Wasted Days Community Grant Program. “Cassie is an inspiring leader in the outdoor space,” says Tammy Primeau, Arc’teryx Alberta’s community marketing manager. “She’s elevating Indigenous voices and helping move the outdoor industry toward equitable access. Our hope is that everyone can see themselves outdoors and experience the power of the mountains.”

What’s next for Ayoungman? She dreams that one day there will be a climbing gym on the Siksika Nation, that one day she will witness an Indigenous person become an ACMG-certified rock climbing guide, and that Soul of Miistaki will have a ski mentorship program. Ayoungman is ready for whatever life throws at her, and the community is climbing right alongside her.