At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic within Australia, we had the opportunity to chat with Kate Donald, an avid outdoor athlete and health worker.

In our conversation we discussed the widespread impact of this crisis on the outdoor community; as Kate shares how she sees the industry and culture undergoing an enormous shift. Her unique viewpoint on the pandemic further reveals the wreckage it will leave in its wake, as we all alter the way we conduct ourselves in the wild.

Living in the heart of an adventure base like Jindabyne, Kate has witnessed a rapid change within the community in the past season. “The backcountry is a massive part of the town” Kate stresses, “there are a lot of businesses here that never picked themselves up after the fires… and I feel like they will never really recover after this”. Amidst the global pain of this crisis these small communities have seen a complete halt to their life blood; as events beyond their control and subsequent restrictions halt the flow of outdoors-people into their area. Though, Kate acknowledges that amidst this loss and turmoil the local community has grown even closer, as they strive to support each other and ‘flatten the curve’. 

Read on at WildEarth