HikeMTL hosts the 2nd edition of Black Winterfest

In celebration of Black History Month, Hike is bringing the MTL community outdoors with the second edition of BLK Winterfest.

Activities until February 24 include ice skating, snowboarding and ice climbing as founder Jamilla Jean encourages everyone to fight the winter blues.

“During the winter months, the black community is at a significantly higher risk of depression and the winter blues,” says Jean, who has worked in education and social work.

In working with young people, she found that those who were employed “typically have a lot of mental health issues, depression, anxiety. There was a range of different issues and we used the outdoors as a therapeutic tool,” Jean says.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, 15% of Canadians experience the winter blues. In addition to being a gin outlet, BLK Winterfest prides itself on encouraging leadership and camaraderie in the community.

“We don't think the BIPOC community is going to be the outdoor leader, so what we wanted to do differently this year was make sure all of our instructors are generally BIPOC, and certified instructors as well,” Jean told CityNews.

“It made perfect sense to start BLK Winterfest – and use it as a way to introduce winter sports – like beginner-friendly lessons,” he added.

The founder's efforts resonate with Montrealers.

“If you had asked me to do it on my own, it would never have happened,” says first-time climber Cara Denis, “because it was a small group, we felt like we were united, because you don't usually see Black people doing this kind of sport.”

First-time climber Khalid Hussain shared, “Overcoming fear is the word I'm using right now. Because I've never been on the ice and it was a great experience this winter.”

Tickets for BLK Winterfest are available at hikemtl.com.