Darby Knoll

Executive Director, Backcountry Squatters

TBD

Steering Committee Member

The Basics

Company Name: Backcountry Squatters
Location: Headquarters: Bozeman, MT & Chapters in 4 other states
Founded: 2015
Full-Time Employees: One full-time volunteer
Products/Services: Avalanche safety classes, job fairs, Backcountry Prom, rail jams, kayak clinics, mountain bike tuning seminars, hikes; all designed for women who love the outdoors.

The Calendar. With our annual nude calendar, we hope to love and embrace our bodies for all that they can do, no matter the shape or size. This calendar is intended to promote a positive body image in the female outdoor industry, desexualize the female body, and inspire and celebrate the human form. We wish to normalize nudity and encourage others to feel a real connection to their bodies, rather than the accessories they use to cover it.
Social: Facebook Instagram
Claim to Fame: Within our first year as a nonprofit, we opened 6 new chapters ranging from Washington to Vermont.

The Culture

The best thing about working at Backcountry Squatters is: Knowing everyone you work with is doing it just because they believe in the mission. We’re currently 100% volunteer-run. Every time we take a step back and acknowledge that we’re all showing up and putting in the work simply because we want to see the vision become a reality is inspiring and recharging.
When we’re not working, we’re: Day-dreaming about skiing, going to grad school, working on a fishing boat, traveling in Ecuador, road-tripping with our dog. We are hustlin’ to make our lifestyle work!
What we’re reading: Our professor’s lecture notes and just about any book that comes recommended
What we’re listening to: Maggie Rogers and Lizzo.

If they made a movie about our workplace, it would be called: Do you think we’ll ever get paid for this?
Inclusion in the outdoors matters because: The more spaces you feel like you belong, then the more spaces you feel like you belong. Our members feel empowered by connecting with other women in the outdoors, a space that oftentimes can feel male-dominated. After finding their voice and space in the outdoor community, our members have more tools to take that confidence and mindset into the classroom and workplace.

We’ve observed and felt this effect ourselves, but we want to make sure the momentum white women are seeing in inclusion in the outdoors is spread out and shared more equally among black, indigenous and other women of color.

Five years down the line, it’s our hope that: Any freshman joining a Backcountry Squatters chapter can connect with a BCS alumnus who she identifies with. We want to build a network of empowered women, who love the outdoors. We hope five years down the line, any female-identifying freshman feels like the outdoor community is her community to join.