When Hannah Trask moved to Jackson she was right out of college and like many in her demographic, “super broke.”
Years later, she’s gathering gear in her closet for those in the place she once found herself in, or anyone who needs a little help getting outside.
Now there’s a budding gear library with ski boots, jackets, helmets, gloves and socks in her basement walk-in closet. She keeps a piece of paper with anything that’s out on loan.
She’s not the only one pitching in. There’s gear scattered at the homes of other Women in the Tetons board members, she said.
“People are really excited about it,” she said. “We’re just kind of lacking the gear.”
Offerings are for female-identifying people, but men’s donations can work, Trask said. Donations and pickups are coordinated through Instagram or by emailing Women in the Tetons.
The project started in fall of 2025, around the time when Women in the Tetons – an all volunteer, all female-run group – annually advertises scholarship applications. Selected candidates use money raised mostly via Old Bill’s Fun Run fundraiser to enroll in experiences from avalanche or swiftwater safety courses to guided trips up the Grand Teton.
Before WITT’s gear closet, people in-need of gear often turned to other channels. Gear requests are common in community pages on Facebook or several Jackson Hole GroupMe chats.
Ski tuning kits, snowshoes, hammocks and headlamps are some of the outdoor-related items available to rent in the Teton County Library’s “library of things.”
There’s the secondhand store Headwall Sports, but as Trask pointed out, that can still be a stretch for novices. Victor Outdoor Seconds and Lucky Dog are Teton Valley’s options for cheaper gear, though they also require purchases.
“Folks who are just wanting to try a new sport, maybe take a ski lesson, don’t even know if they like it yet,” she said.
So, the organization started collecting and posting available gear on Instagram and email newsletters.
The free gear library is still in its early stages. Trask admits there are some kinks to work out, like what if an item comes back damaged, or not at all. The honor system is working so far as they get things off the ground, she said.
“It’s such a cool idea that I feel like we can make it happen. Everything starts somewhere,” she said.
