We are looking for residents of the U.S., Canada, or Mexico who are 16 to 18 years old on June 1 of the expedition year and are interested in being a part of a supportive community. Please review our Essential Eligibility, which details the minimum requirements to participate in our programs, and our Diversity and Inclusion statement for more details.

Please note that our application is shared with the Girls* on Rock branch, whose eligibility requires participants to be 16 or 17 years old on June 1 of the expedition year.

For the 2025 season, we will have 3 separate applications for the North American branches. You are welcome to apply to as many as you would like/ are eligible for. Many of the application questions are very similar (some are identical).

Please note that our application is shared with the Girls* on Rock branch, whose eligibility requires participants to be 16 or 17 years old on June 1 of the expedition year. Inspiring Girls* Expeditions- Pacific Northwest requires participants to be 16 to 18 years old on June 1 of the expedition year.

Three North American Applications:

• Inspiring Girls* Expeditions- Alaska branch (open to residents of the U.S.)

• Inspiring Girls* Expeditions- PNW branch & Girls* on Rock (open to residents of U.S., Canada & Mexico. Note that these branches share a combined application. You will be able to select your preferred expedition in the application, if you have one)

• Girls* on Ice Canada (open to residents of Canada)

If you choose to apply to multiple branches:
We suggest that you save your responses in a separate document while completing an application and use this text to copy & paste into the other applications. You will not be penalized for reusing your responses- we encourage it!

Girls* in Icy Fjords (mid July—beginning of August)

Girls* on Ice Cascades is postponed until summer 2026. Please check the eligibility for Girls* on Ice Alaska or Girls* on Ice Canada if you are interested in our mountaineering-based programs.

The Inspiring Girls* Expeditions-PNW applications will open in early December and close at the end of January (see exact dates above). All application materials, including at least one recommendation form, must be submitted by that date.

Please see the video above for a more detailed look at our application.

Our application process asks applicants to reflect on their sense of self, abilities, interests, and curiosities. Applicants complete sections for their basic information and short answer application questions all of which must be completed to submit your application including one recommendation form completed by a teacher-figure in your life.

Once you’ve submitted your application, you can sit back and relax! Our team of program staff and reviewers will read your application, and we’ll let you know if you’ve been accepted in April of the expedition year.

Congratulations! If you are selected for an expedition, you will receive a Welcome Packet via email that will provide everything you need to know about enrollment paperwork, packing for your expedition, arranging your travel, and other details.

If you are selected as an alternate, we will contact you if a spot becomes available on an expedition team. A spot could become available at any point between late March and the start of the expedition. We do not rank our alternates, so you are just as likely as any other alternate to be selected for an open spot. Please contact us if you do not wish to be an alternate for an expedition.

Please see our “For Recommenders” FAQ section on our main Apply page.