The Women’s Adventure Film Tour 2026
Come be a part of the 2nd Annual Women's Adventure Film Tour (WAFT) hosted by Cornell Outdoor Education! The Women’s Adventure Film Tour will feature a thrilling selection of films that span extreme sports, personal journeys, and boundary-pushing storytelling from across the globe. This year’s program highlights the resilience and creativity of individuals navigating the challenges of both the outer world and their own inner landscapes. These films represent the spirit of perseverance and the power of women in the outdoors to inspire, entertain, and spark important conversations. WAFT is committed to celebrating diverse voices and innovative storytelling. This year’s selections showcase not only groundbreaking sports films but also powerful narratives that highlight women in adventure, athletes challenging societal expectations, and the transformative power of travel and exploration. The program includes: Beyond the Known Filmmaker: Sami Sauri What does adventure mean? For Sami, a multisport athlete and filmmaker, it’s movement and shared experience.In collaboration with Assos and Mammut, Sami leads a cycling expedition across Turkey with four women. Strangers from different backgrounds, united by their love for riding. Neza from Rwanda dreams of becoming a coach. Melina juggles a full-time role at Mammut with a passion for gravel and road cycling. Denisa is quiet yet fearless, most at home in nature. Lena is a climber and photographer who captures the soul of the wild. Together they ride through raw landscapes and remote villages, facing obstacles, falls, and unexpected moments that turn strangers into a team. More than a sporting challenge, this journey becomes a story of connection, resilience, and rediscovery. It’s proof that the best adventures are the ones we share. La Rubia Filmmaker: Bronwyn Hodgins, Julia Cassou In this all-female production, 32-year-old Canadian climber Bronwyn Hodgins faces burnout after a series of Big Wall expeditions. Unsure how to move forward she decides to shift her focus to sport climbing, thinking it will be less mentally strenuous than big walls. Little does she know that this new curiosity for training and athletic performance will plunge her into the most intense mental undertaking of her life. Beauty in a Fall Filmmaker: Nat Segal In her toughest adventure yet, Canadian mountain guide Julianna Howatt seeks to embrace her identity as a trans woman following a fierce struggle with PTSD. Join Julianna on her journey to self-discovery in the face of an industry that struggles to accept folks who currently fall into the margins of mountain culture. Visiting the mountain-scapes that were her livelihood, she confronts her past experiences and her journey’s cost. There will be a panel discussion following the films with three accomplished women discussing courage, adventure and self discovery. Kristen Pike (KP) - Moderator - Ithaca native, English teacher, Outdoor Educator KP is an Ithaca native who relishes her outside time. KP has led backpacking, climbing, paddling and mountaineering trips for COE and international and independent schools in Costa Rica, the Himalayas, South Africa, the Pacific Northwest, Hawai'i, and Baja, Mexico. She has been an English teacher and Outdoor Educator for more than 20 years in schools around the world, and in addition to being an Instructional Specialist at TST BOCES, she also leads courses for the Cornell Team and Leadership Center. KP is the proud mother of two awesome and hilarious daughters; she can often be found rowing a crew shell or paddling an outrigger canoe on Cayuga Lake. Bethany Adams - writer, mountain athlete and experiential educator. Bethany is the first woman to achieve 100 Fastest Known Times (FKTs), and in 2020, she and Katie Rhodes became the first women to climb all 46 Adirondack High Peaks unsupported. Her stories of endurance and healing through nature have been published in Trail Runner and Outside magazines and in the short story collection Blood Sweat Tears (Rugged Outdoorswoman Publishing, 2024). Adams is a proud community ambassador for SheJumps, a non-profit organization that works to provide more women and girls access to the outdoors. She can be found at @bethany.climbs on Instagram. Maria Klemperer-Johnson - Executive director of Hammerstone School Maria is the head teacher, and lead carpenter on Hammerstone construction projects. Her passion for building, in particular natural building and timber framing, is apparent in her work and in her classes. She is a proponent of high performance construction using natural materials. If you have had the chance to take a class with Maria then you know in carpentry, brain is just as important as brawn. She believes unabashedly in the empowerment that Hammerstone courses provide. She encourages women to think practically and use tailored body mechanics to perform tasks safely to prevent injury. Jennifer Wells - CEO of Paddle-N-More Jennifer is an outdoor leader, educator, and entrepreneur with over 18 years of experience in adventure education, higher education, and the outdoor industry. She has built her professional life at the intersection of outdoor leadership, experiential learning, and entrepreneurship—creating programs that develop people, not just technical skills. As the founder and CEO of Paddle-N-More, Inc., Jennifer grew a woman-owned paddlesports business from a single waterfront operation into a multi-site organization rooted in access, leadership development, and community connection. She is an American Canoe Association Instructor Trainer and is passionate about mentoring the next generation of outdoor leaders. Jennifer has guided multi-year sea kayaking expeditions with college students in the 10,000 Islands off the coast of Florida and taught a wide range of adventure courses, including backpacking, rock climbing, mountain biking, and many other outdoor recreation activities.PT3H2026-03-12The Women’s Adventure Film Tour 2026"The Women’s Adventure Film Tour 2026"Showtimes
March 12, 6:00 pm
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