Joy as Resistance: What Boot Tan Fest Is Really About

Some conversations feel heavier than others, not because they’re difficult, but because they matter. This one was both. In this episode of Tarin It Up, we sat down with Jenny, the founder of Boot Tan Fest, to talk about what it actually looks like to create inclusive outdoor spaces rooted in joy, community, and human connection, especially when the world feels overwhelming.

Boot Tan Fest might be best known for its iconic naked ski lap, but if that’s all you know about it, you’re missing the point. What Jenny has built is so much bigger than that. It’s a women-first, radically welcoming festival that brings together skiers, non-skiers, creatives, founders, first-timers, professionals, and everyone in between. It’s a reminder that the outdoors don’t belong to a single type of person and that joy itself can be a form of resistance.

🎧 Listen to the full episode below

🎿 More Than a Naked Ski Lap

Boot Tan Fest started in a way that feels very Tarin It Up: scrappy, spontaneous, and deeply human. What began as a small, after-hours backcountry lap with a group of women turned into something no one could have predicted. Over the years, it’s grown into a full-scale ski and music festival expected to welcome over 1,000 women, non-binary folks, and trans women.

But the naked lap isn’t it. The real magic is in what happens when people feel safe enough to show up exactly as they are. Beginner skiers ride the lift next to professional athletes. People who have never clicked into skis come for the music, the art, the conversations, and the sense of belonging. No one is there to prove anything.

As Jenny put it, Boot Tan Fest isn’t about shock value. It’s about creating space. Space to play. Space to connect. Space to feel seen.

✊ Joy as Resistance

In a time when fear, division, and outrage dominate so much of our daily lives, choosing joy can feel radical. This episode didn’t shy away from that reality. We talked openly about human rights, inclusion, and how hard it can feel to navigate conversations right now without fear of saying the wrong thing.

What stood out most was Jenny’s perspective on learning. Boot Tan Fest didn’t start perfectly, and it wasn’t supposed to. Language evolves. Understanding evolves. What matters is the willingness to listen, to be corrected, and to keep showing up anyway.

Joy, in this context, isn’t avoidance. It’s intentional. It’s saying: we deserve spaces that celebrate us, protect us, and remind us of our shared humanity.

🔥 From Burnout to Building Something New

Jenny’s story is also a powerful reminder that there are no straight lines to success. Before Boot Tan Fest, she poured years of her life into building a coffee company, raising money, scaling fast, and eventually facing the heartbreak of shutting it down.

That loss was real. So was the burnout that followed. What helped her rebuild wasn’t another hustle, it was slowing down. Working on a ranch. Being around horses. Finding quiet again. From that grounding came clarity, and from clarity came Boot Tan Fest.

This part of the conversation hit close to home. Many of us are carrying stories of projects that didn’t work, dreams that changed shape, or paths that no longer fit. This episode is a reminder that starting over isn’t failure, it’s evolution.

🏔️ Reimagining Outdoor Culture

One of the most important takeaways from this conversation is that inclusive outdoor spaces don’t happen by accident. They’re built intentionally—through choices about language, access, pricing, programming, and who is invited into leadership roles.

Boot Tan Fest challenges the idea that you have to earn your place in the outdoors. You don’t have to be strong enough, skilled enough, or “outdoorsy enough.” You just have to show up.

And maybe that’s the point: when we make room for joy, curiosity, and conversation, we create cultures that last.

🎟️ Thinking About Going?

If you’ve ever felt intimidated by ski culture, or any outdoor space, this is your sign. Boot Tan Fest is proof that the outdoors can be playful, welcoming, and deeply affirming.

You don’t need to ski. You don’t need to fit a mold. You just need to come as you are.

Learn more and get your tickets: boottanfest.com

Follow Boot Tan Fest: @boottanfest

Buckwild Coffee: @buck.wild.coffee

Follow the pod: @tarin.it.up.podcast

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