Travel & Leisure

Saturday September 15, 2007

Girls, come play outside

At last, we have a non-profit organisation supported by the Youth and Sports Ministry that will encourage women to go outdoors.

By LEONG SIOK HUI

Ladies, if you're keen on hiking up mountains, paddling down rivers or scrambling up limestone crags but are clueless about where or how to do it, join the newly set up Women's Outdoor Recreation Association (Wora).

A non-profit, non-governmental group, Wora offers monthly outdoor activities like hiking, rock-climbing, mountain biking, rafting and just about anything done outdoors. Members get e-mail updates and pay reasonable rates for the outings.

"There aren't many Malaysian women who go outdoors, maybe because they're sceptical or intimidated," says Wora president Marjorie Gabriel (above).

"It's nice to pull them out slowly. Some may be landlubbers but they can do rock-climbing or if they're water ‘people' they can take part in kayaking or rafting. Once they start having fun, they may learn to like the outdoors.

"And hopefully, these activities may become their passion, then we can start producing competitors," adds Gabriel, who is a certified whitewater kayaking instructor and runs outdoor programmes.

Some activities in the pipeline like the First Aid course and swift water rescue courses are usually inaccessible to individuals.

"You can't just sign up for a First Aid course with either Red Crescent or St John's with a group of five friends. You usually need a group of at least 20 people to run a course," says Gabriel. First Aid knowledge is the most basic skill everyone should have before venturing outdoors, Gabriel adds.

And when it comes to fantastic deals for outdoor gear or commercial trips, groups always trump individuals.

"We hope to approach outdoor gear shops to work out discounts for our members and we will also recommend the right sort of gear for different activities," says Gabriel.

Ready to tube.

For each activity, Wora will work with outdoor operators who offer the best value for money and have a good track record. Run by a 13-member committee group, Wora is registered with the Commissioner of Sports Office and is supported by Youth and Sports Ministry.

The soft ‘launch'

Wora held its first activity for members recently at Kuala Kubu Baru, Selangor. More than 15 members showed up for the two-hour-plus river tubing trip.

Norinna Bahadun and her two friends were on an all-girl weekend outing, sans husbands and partners. Initially, they planned to go rafting but when they heard about Wora, they signed up for tubing.

"We had a great time!" says Norinna, 32.

"This is the first time I've done tubing, yet I feel I'm in safe hands. You know you're dealing with experienced people from the way they handled everything, especially the safety aspects."

"Many women would like to do outdoor activities but they don't have the right number of people or knowledge about where to go. Wora is great because they can gather a group, take us there and let us enjoy the activities with like-minded people," chips in Aida Razak, 32.

Call it Girl Power, but when women get together, they pluck up the courage to tackle certain adventurous tasks, WORA's treasurer, Karina Bahrin, adds.

Women united to have fun. — SIA HONG KIAU/The Star

"To date, more than 200 members have signed up but it'll take a while for them to get outdoors," says Karina, 38, who enjoys hiking, mountain biking and rafting. Currently, membership is free but the association will eventually charge a minimal fee. Wora is also looking into sponsorships to keep the association running.

"Though this is a women's organisation, you are welcome to bring along your partners or husbands on the outings," adds Karina.