Empowering women through mountaineering: Inside Ascend’s global impact

PARK CITY, Utah — In an effort to expand awareness and financial support, Ascend: Leadership Through Athletics has found advocates across the globe, including in Park City. Allison Dittmer, a Park City resident and member of Ascend’s development committee, recently hosted a fundraiser at her home, drawing over 40 attendees.

“The fundraiser was just to really bring awareness and help raise money,” Dittmer said. “I invited mostly women and encouraged them to bring their daughters. People were really interested in how they could help.”

For Marina LeGree, Ascend’s executive director and founder, events like these are essential in keeping the nonprofit’s programs running. “We rely on private donors and word of mouth,” she said. “There’s so much need, and we want to keep growing, but resources are the limiting factor.”

When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, one of its first actions was to ban girls from attending school. For Ascend: Leadership Through Athletics, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering young women through mountaineering, fitness, and leadership training, the shift forced an urgent reassessment of how to continue its mission in a country where women are now largely restricted from public life.

“The mission is to empower girls through mountain-based leadership training and community engagement,” said LeGree. “That part hasn’t really changed, although we’ve had to pivot in Afghanistan since our girls are no longer allowed outdoors.”

Founded in 2014, Ascend originally operated exclusively in Afghanistan, providing outdoor-based experiential education for young women. In response to the changing political landscape, the nonprofit expanded to Pakistan in 2023, adapting its programming to fit the cultural and governmental attitudes of each region. While the five core pillars of Ascend’s program remain the same—physical fitness and nutrition, mental health, leadership development, community engagement, and environmental stewardship—each country presents distinct challenges.

“In Afghanistan, everything takes place indoors in our training center in Kabul,” LeGree said. “We have a gym and yoga facilities, but the multi-day backcountry expeditions we used to do are no longer possible. Instead, we increased the mental health offerings because that was the number one request from the girls.”

Mental health is a critical need for young women in Afghanistan, where suicide rates among girls have risen due to the severe restrictions on education and mobility. “These girls don’t see a future for themselves,” LeGree said. “But when they’re given an opportunity to be in a space with other young women, to move, to learn, to grow—it changes their outlook. They want to live again.”

In contrast, Ascend’s programs in Pakistan retain the physical and mountaineering aspects that were once central to the Afghan initiative. With its office in Skardu, near the base of K2, participants engage in rock climbing, trekking, and even ice climbing. “Pakistan has a fabulous mountain environment,” LeGree said. “Our girls are getting outside regularly, and we even partnered with the American Mountain Guides Association to bring in certification programs.”

Despite the differences in programming, the goal remains the same: fostering self-confidence and leadership in young women. “The theory of change is that if girls believe in themselves, they will be successful in whatever they do,” LeGree said. “It’s not about training mountaineers—it’s about building a foundation of confidence.”

Ascend also emphasizes community outreach, with Afghan graduates organizing educational sessions on mental health, nutrition, and feminine health in their local neighborhoods. “We have 50 girls in each four-month cohort, but those 50 then reach 800 or 900 by going out into the city,” LeGree said. “They’re reaching some really rural areas as well.”

LeGree’s work with Ascend is deeply rooted in her own experiences. Born and raised in Stevenson, Washington, she grew up on a small farm in the Columbia River Gorge, where she spent much of her time outdoors and played sports throughout her childhood and college years. “That was kind of the defining characteristic of my personal development,” she said.

Her academic journey took her to George Washington University, where she pursued a master’s degree in international affairs. Before completing the program, she sought field experience and took a job with the International Organization for Migration, which sent her to Afghanistan in 2005. “It was supposed to be a three-month thing, and I stayed for 18 months,” LeGree said. “I just fell in love with it.”

Living in Afghanistan marked a turning point in her understanding of gender restrictions. “For the first time in my life, I couldn’t be free to do what I wanted to do,” she said. “Sports were totally out of the question. There was nowhere to go. I needed to do as the Romans do, which drove me a little bit crazy.” This realization eventually inspired the creation of Ascend.

LeGree later attended Harvard University for a second master’s degree, using the time to refine her approach to nonprofit leadership. She now teaches courses at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education on increasing equity in girls’ education in the Global South.

The organization faces ongoing financial challenges. “We work really hard to raise every dollar that we get, and it’s all private funding,” LeGree said. “We don’t have institutional grants or government support, so we’re always fundraising.”

As Ascend looks ahead, the organization aims to expand further within Afghanistan and Pakistan while seeking opportunities to bring its model to other regions where gender inequality remains entrenched. “These girls need outlets, they need hope,” LeGree said. “And we’re doing everything we can to give them that.”