Ever considered listening to that little voice in your head and doing something super big (and scary) with your life? Following a lightening-bolt moment while riding a chairlift at Whistler, that is precisely what Vancouverite Steph Jagger did, breaking free of her job, home and belongings to travel the world and ski 4 million vertical feet across five continents. Now, she’s revealed all in her new book Unbound: Finding Myself on Top of the World … and in this exclusive interview with us. As we approach International Women’s Day on March 8, Steph’s advice for those of us with similar dreams (including those of us who are considering travelling solo) is particularly empowering. Trust us, it’s worth a full read. —Aurea Dempsey
Q: Your story has been compared to the likes of Eat, Pray, Love and Wild. Did these serve as inspiration or did your journey come about more organically?
I’m not going to say these stories weren’t an inspiration to me. Both of them were. I read Eat Pray Love prior to my journey and Wild post journey. What both authors did was inspirational. That said, I feel my journey came along organically. I was struck with the idea to go on my ski trip like a bolt from the blue, which, in my experience, is typically the way callings appear. I followed the scent of that intuition until it led me to my first flight to Chile.
Q: You made your decision to travel five continents and break the record for most vertical feet skied in a year while employed full time, and with a mortgage. How did you come to terms with leaving these responsibilities behind?
To be clear, I didn’t learn of the record until months into my adventure. Originally, I made a goal for myself of skiing 4 million feet cause I’m the kind of gal who likes to have a carrot at the end. I did indeed worry about all those things in the beginning of my planning but, instead of seeing them as restraints, I did my best to identify them one by one and come up with a solution. Should I rent out my apartment or sell it? Should I quit my job and cross my fingers it’ll be there when I get back? The easiest ones where the tangible things: money, job, apartment, quad strength! The hardest were my limited beliefs, like, “I’m not a good enough skier to do this. Who am I to leave something good behind in search of … I’m not even sure?” Those were harder to tackle but, with the help of some wise friends, I came to realize the calling of the trip felt bigger and more important than the calling of my “responsibilities”—and I listened to that. It’s kind of like when you’re at a restaurant and you know you should eat the healthy salad but the burger is calling you more, so you go with it! In all seriousness, I knew if I didn’t go on the trip I would live to regret it. And that’s no way to live, always wondering what if?
Q: What surprised you most about experiencing slopes near and far?
Skiing has always held a sense of freedom in it for me. I think that’s why I choose it. Deep down, unconsciously, I think freedom is what I was after. And I came to love the sport more. It led me to see some of the most amazing places on the planet and it led me to see myself within those places. How could I not be in love with it? That said, I’m a pickier skier than before. If it’s too cold, or the visibility is shoddy, I’m happy to stay home. No more toughing it out in poor conditions!
Q: What words of advice can you offer?
My advice for others is to stick with the mind frame of “I’m searching for something good or better” as opposed to “I’m leaving something sh*tty.” There’s a huge difference in the energy of those things. The former is a negative energy (and will attract a different set of circumstances). The latter is more like, “I believe if I immerse myself in my own joy and bliss, I will find everything I need.”
My other piece of advice is DON’T WAIT. When we wait, our boredom turns into frustration and self-sabotage. Or, worse, it becomes rage, depression, addiction, disease—the things that FORCE us to change. I think that’s one of the most important messages of the book for women: you don’t need to be broken to ask for more, to become stronger, to demand better. While we need narratives about being broken and recovering, we also need stories and permission and validation for wanting something different. There’s a great quote from Laura McKowen that goes, “The normal question is, ‘Is this bad enough for me to have to change?’ The question we SHOULD be asking is, ‘Is this good enough for me to stay the same?’ And the real question underneath it all is, ‘AM I FREE?’” That would be my advice to women: ask yourself if you feel FREE. If the answer is “no,” or “yes, but,” or “yeah, in relation to,” you must ask yourself what you can do to become more free. I believe this is our responsibility as women: to show the world settling for things is no longer part of the female narrative.
Q: Did you know you’d eventually write a book? And a really good one at that?
HA! No, not really. I’ve always loved to write and I’ve written a lot in journals and when I’ve travelled, but I never planned to write a book. When I look back at my life, I can connect the dots. I can see the various times the very “far-off” idea of writing a book popped into my head and went ignored. I can see my grade 11 English teacher encouraging me to join the creative writing class and me saying no. I can see the pile of emails I sent to my aunt and uncle while travelling through West Africa in my 20s and I can hear them saying, “You know, this could be a book.” And I can also see me laughing it off. I think a book (and being a writer) was always in the cards, but I never took it seriously until 2014. The “knocking on the door” just wouldn’t go away so I heeded the call.
Q: Any tips for women travelling solo?
Don’t let you being the only one be an excuse for not travelling. That said, sister, you gotta be smart! My tips are:
> Aways carry chapstick.
> Country depending, if you’re not married, wear a small wedding band on your left hand. You’ll get less hassle. If you are married, perhaps you might want to leave the diamonds at home.
> Always book your first few nights at a hotel you’ll feel comfortable in—a safe, clean place. Try to book a car or taxi in advance from airports, too; you’ll have less to worry about when you arrive.
> Talk to the locals. They’re typically friendlier than you might think and they have all the good tips and tricks!
> Take your sense of humour into marketplaces, etc., to get better deals. Let go of the idea you’re being ripped off. Maybe you are, but most places indeed have “local prices” and “tourist prices,” and chances are you can spare the two extra dollars they’re charging you!
> Bring something with echinacea and reishi mushroom. There is NOTHING worse than being sick on the road.
> Use your gut. A woman’s intuition about what’s safe and what’s not is typically pretty bang-on. If you feel like you need to cross the street, do it. If you don’t think you should get into the cab with that man, don’t. Tap into what your body is telling you.
> DON’T OVER PACK! When you’re cruising through a city with multiple bags, you’re a walking target. Choose two outfits, bring a killer scarf and leave the rest at home. A lighter bag also means more space to buy stuff along the way!
Q: What’s next for Steph Jagger?
A: I get asked what’s next on my bucket list a lot, and it’s one area I feel has really changed for me. If you had asked me prior to the trip, I would have rattled off 100s of things. Now there are only two: Am I listening for the call to adventure and do I have the courage to accept that call when it comes? If I put 100 things down in advance, I feel as though it’s me, the 36-year-old version, making decisions for my 45-year-old version and, potentially, the 55- and 65-year-old versions. My guess is that the older versions of me are going to be all the wiser, so I want to let them decide. I think we do this to ourselves a lot, and why so many of us in our 30s and 40s feel dissatisfied. We let our 20-something-year-old create our future list!
To get more specific though, I do feel the call of writing more books. I’ve had hints here and there, and I plan on investing more time this summer to dive into those at a deeper level and see what surfaces.
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