Abi Schneider
Favorite Beverage: Yoo-hoo
Sunrise or Sunset: Sunrise
Non-Outdoor Hobby: Adult Gymnastics
Go-To River Snack: Sour Gummy Worms
Favorite Season: Summer
Guilty Pleasure: Trying to Perfect a Baking Dish
Post-Trip Meal: Chicken Nuggets
Fun Fact: I’m Less than 5ft Tall
Hot Take: Swimming is Part of the Sport of Kayaking
Book Recommendation: Hell or High Water
“I started outdoor sports as a fisherman and a hunting type person. I grew up in Missouri, so that was pretty classic. I actually took outdoor education classes in high school where we got our hunting license and got to go shooting. There was a fishing semester at the end where you got to take a field trip to go fishing.
So those were my first outdoor sports, but then I moved to Phoenix and I started getting into hiking, biking, packrafting, and also running. That's when I turned cool.”
“When I first moved to Bend, I knew that I wanted to get into hardshelling. I was into packrafting and was really looking to make the transition so I volunteered at Benham Bash, which is the race at Benham. That was a really quick way to make community, to volunteer within the community. I met a bunch of guys, they were super supportive. But, it was also going into winter.
That next spring, I took a whitewater immersion course with Tumalo. And two of the guys from the Benham race were my teachers. They just immediately thought that was so cool. They were like, ‘She said she was going to hardshell and now she's hardshelling.’ And, I think they gave me a little bit of special attention because they knew that I was really gonna do it.
They made some intros for me and then I met Al and Al kind of took me under her wing. She taught me how to roll and took me down so many rivers.”
“I wanted to learn to roll so that I would not drown at the most basic level. And, it definitely feels embarrassing to swim. And, it can get unsafe to level up without a roll. Also, I wanted to be the person that was saving people in swims and not the person always swimming so that's part of it.
My learning process was just a ton of failure. It's pretty safe to try rolling on your own so I would spend time alone on the flat water, trying to roll for hours. And then Al taught me the finesse that is kind of how women roll, less muscles and more hips. You'll see women's rolls and you'll be like, ‘That is beautiful,’ and you'll see men's rolls and you'll be like, ‘That's because they have biceps.’”
“I think I am drawn to isolation, but not isolation as in no one. I really like being in important and beautiful places with a curated team of friends. I find that time to be really special. I love seeing preserved nature. I feel like the middle of a river canyon is pretty untouched and just amazing. I think it could really inspire people to protect the world a little bit. And yeah, I think more than anything I love the curation of only having people I really trust around me in the middle of a river canyon.”
“It feels really important to me to encourage all types of humans to paddle safely. I really want there to be access to lower class boating in Bend. I think a lot of people endure the problem that if you're not a Class IV or V boater, there isn't a crew for you.
And, I feel really passionately about helping people get over that hump. It's also really exciting to help somebody roll. When they hit their first roll, I'm just as stoked as they are.”
“I feel really proud of the community that's around me. I think you attract people that are similar to you and I am genuinely surrounded with just trustworthy and kind and just really, really skilled people. It makes me think that maybe one day, if I keep learning from them, then I'll be like that.”
“I think my biggest struggle has been having the confidence to get in and out of weird situations in my boat. I know that I have the skills, but my brain doesn't think that sometimes.
There have been times wherever I’ve been at the put in crying, being like, ‘I don't want to go down this river.’ And, my partner has been there to remind me, ‘You love this river. You love kayaking.’
It's gotten a lot better recently. I started working specifically on the mental aspect and that has been really helpful. I've been doing hard moves in easy water, which people kind of always say. But, also just listening to the people around me.
I feel like it's really easy to get in my head and be like, ‘I can't do this.’ But, then I'm like, ‘Okay, I trust these people with my life,’ and they're like, ‘Abi, you can do this. You're strong. You're confident. You're a good boater. You can do this.’ And, I’m just actually choosing to believe them.
This season, I have also been showing a lot of people down runs, just beginner boaters. And, I’ve been teaching a lot of people to roll. Teaching is confidence inspiring. I don't know if I'm faking the confidence because these people are relying on me, but that has inspired a lot of confidence for me.”
“I did a Main Salmon trip this year that was really cool. It was the first time I had done Class IV rapids in a hard shell, which felt like a really major win for me. I had done quite a bit of Class IV packrafting. Deciding to take a hardshell for seven days, I was like, ‘I'm brave. I'm tough. I'm confident.’ I really liked that trip because it was a break in my confidence journey.
I think it was almost a fake it till you make it kind of thing. I was like, ‘I know I can do this in a hard shell. I don't need the packraft.’
The packraft serves me in so many situations and it's not just when I'm scared, but it is common that if I am feeling scared, I will packraft instead. It's just a vehicle I've spent more time in. I'm very confident in it.
So the process for me to decide to take my hard shell was mostly just me hyping myself up at my house. Like, ‘I can do it. I'm strong.’ All that was left to do was put it on the car and ratchet strap it down.
Then, the first rapid on that was supposed to be Class II+ and man, it might have been the third or fourth biggest rapid on the whole river. I thought I was in over my head so quick. I was like, ‘Wait, that was II+? Oh no!’ But, I styled the rest.”
“In general sports and outdoor sports make me really appreciate my body. I get to see these beautiful spaces and I am thankful that my body can take me there. To my core, I'm so grateful. and, That makes me feel better about myself, which I take into the world.
A lot of humans have a hard time with their body, especially like, ‘Oh, my thighs touch’ or whatever. Then I'm like, ‘Yeah, but I have strong legs. They can run me 31 miles. They’re powerful. They’re strong.’ And, that makes me feel better about my legs.
There's definitely a confidence in the strength to do these things and see these places. To see those isolated, untouched spaces, you have to be strong. It takes toughness. It takes strength and mental strength, which is fun.”
