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Caroline Gleich on Public Lands in the 2024 Election

We talk with the pro skier, adventurer, and politician about the intersection of politics and the landscapes we love.
Nick Mott
ByNick Mott
Nov 20, 2024
Caroline Gleich is the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate race in Utah. She’s also a highly accomplished ski mountaineer. To scratch the surface of her resume in the mountains, she’s summited some of the highest peaks in the world—from Cho Oyu to Mt. Everest. She’s also a U.S. Ski Mountaineering National Champion and was the first woman to ski all 90 lines in “The Chuting Gallery,” the best and hardest steep descents in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. Her bid, to replace the seat of former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, aims to break the state’s decades-long Republican stronghold in the Senate. The last Democratic U.S. Senator from Utah was elected in the late 1970s. As a Senate candidate, she’s pushing for meaningful action on climate change, environmental justice, and addressing the backlog of maintenance on public lands.

Our conversation with Caroline Gleich took place before the 2024 election. Ultimately, she lost—but still secured more than 30 percent of the vote in the conservative-leaning state. “Running for the US Senate was the most challenging thing I’ve ever done,” she said in a statement. She went on to name the critical issues she focused on, where she hopes to see progress ahead: climate change, public land, and reproductive rights. “We proved that people from different backgrounds, who lead regular lives and are first-generation politicians, can run for office and make an impact,” she wrote. The 2024 elections will have a potentially unprecedented impact on our public lands, and we’ll continue to break down what you need to understand on how what’s happening in Washington could affect the public lands you treasure.

Better Trail: Your background is in ski mountaineering. Why did you decide to take this step and run for a seat in the U.S. Senate?


Caroline Gleich: Seeing the current state of politics in this country is my main motivation. We need something new. There's also a lot of inspiration from Senator [Mitt] Romney himself, whose role I am running to fill. He called for the next generation of leaders to step up, and it's our generation that is going to have to deal with a lot of the issues and problems that Congress is failing to address right now. We have one of the least effective Congresses in United States history. The polarization and the partisan divide have been at an all-time high. And I think there is a real need for millennials, Gen Z, for all people who love the outdoors of all ages, to step up, to run for office, to be the leaders that we want to see.


And on a personal level, my time in the mountains, on public lands, and on trails, has given me so much resilience and fortitude. I've devoted my whole life to the outdoors. For everything that the outdoors has given me, I feel a strong duty to give back and to be a voice for these places that cannot speak for themselves.

Caroline Gleich skiing

BT: Your list of accomplishments in the mountains is extraordinary internationally—and also locally, here on U.S. public lands. Tell me more about what our public lands mean to you from all the time you’ve spent on them.


Caroline: Growing up, I struggled a lot with depression and anxiety. I still struggle with mental health challenges. I went to rehab for drugs and alcohol when I was 13, and at that time I never thought that I would live until I was 30. My time in the outdoors has really helped to save my life. Being able to go and climb mountains and run trails and just be outside—to hear the birds chirp, or the way that the wind blows the snow across the slope—all those little things have been such a powerful source of healing for me. And especially as a woman growing up in a household with three brothers, my time in the mountains really helped to find a sense of personal power and leadership. It was a place where I learned how to make my voice heard, to be assertive and aggressive. It was just such a powerful place for healing. Public lands can deliver so many great benefits for our physical health and our mental health. They're huge drivers also for our economy. There are just so many great benefits that we really need a champion for the benefits of protected public lands in Congress.


BT: You’re running in Utah, a state that’s more than 70% public land. What’s at stake locally, regionally, and nationally when it comes to public land in 2024?


Caroline: There is a huge effort on the Republican side to dismantle protections for public lands. And, when you look at who's funding a lot of those candidates that are leading that charge, there's a lot of special interest groups and extractive corporations. In Utah, when public lands are turned over to state control, 70% of the time they are sold to the highest bidder and permanently closed for the sake of different types of industry. Our public lands really can be a place where we go to find that resilience I spoke to. They shouldn't be a place where we're opening up to more drilling, mining, and extraction.


There's a real benefit to keeping public lands in public hands. There's also a really interesting intersection between the protection of public lands and climate solutions. Intact ecosystems can serve sort of like carbon sponges. Look at old-growth forests like the Tongass in Alaska, for example. Old-growth forests are carbon sinks; they are our country's lungs. They help to clean the air and improve the ecosystem. So I would like to see more people championing conservation and bringing more funding to public lands. We really don't want to lose them to private interests and to special interest corporations. Once they're closed, we're going to lose them forever.

There is a huge effort on the Republican side to dismantle protections for public lands. And, when you look at who's funding a lot of those candidates that are leading that charge, there's a lot of special interest groups and extractive corporations.

BT: Earlier this year, this sprawling blueprint for conservative policymaking called Project 2025 was released. It’s this massive tome of a policy document, something like 900 pages long. Among all kinds of policies, it broadly recommends dismantling public lands protections and climate policy. That includes expanding oil and gas drilling on public lands, weakening parts of our environmental review process, rolling back the Endangered Species Act, and reviewing and potentially reducing national monuments.


Caroline: Project 2025 would be absolutely destructive and horrible for the land, air, water, for our public health, and for our economy. The threats today couldn't be any larger; there’s just so much to lose. My opponent, John Curtis, has an 84% rating from the Heritage Foundation [the organization behind Project 2025]. When you have this party that's going in such an extremist direction, we really need to stand up to counter that and to put our money and our time and our energy into electing people who have a different agenda and a different vision for America. We need a vision of progress, not destruction and deregulation.


BT: We’ve talked about climate a little bit so far, but I want to dig in a little bit more. Climate has a real-time impact on coastal cities, drought, and heat. But also when it comes to public land—we can see escalating wildfires and changing ecosystems. What sort of policy in action do you want to see in regards to climate change?


Caroline: In terms of policy recommendations, I think one of the first actions that I would take as Utah's next U.S. Senator, is to work on removing federal subsidies for fossil fuels to level the playing field between fossil fuels and renewables. In a state like Utah, we have abundant renewable energy resources like wind and solar, even geothermal. But we're still getting about 70% of our electricity from coal-fired power plants. Speaking with coal miners and meeting with them and really understanding the needs of the community, one of the things that struck me is they're like, in 20 years, we're going to be so disappointed at how much of our coal that we burned and we didn't save to make things with. Their priority is really good-paying union jobs.


Taking action on the climate crisis can bolster our economy and it can create jobs. It spurs tons of economic innovation that can benefit Utah and America. First and foremost, in order to level the playing field and create free-market solutions, we need to remove federal subsidies for fossil fuels. In 2019, federal subsidies for fossil fuels outweighed those for renewables 22 to 1. So our government is really propping up that industry and externalizing the cost of burning that pollution onto the consumers.


The second thing that the federal government needs to really work on is 21st-century grid integration. Connecting our grid and fortifying it, especially across state lines, can also help to address the intermittency of renewables. With a better-connected grid, we can deliver reliable, cheap electricity. This could help us solve intermittency problems—as in, keeping energy going when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing. Finally, I think we also need to be looking at advocating for policies like 30 by 30 to protect 30% of American public lands and waters by 2030 as a climate solution, and then even thinking about going bigger: 50% by 2050, for example.

Caroline Gleich professional headshot
Caroline Gleich outdoor headshot

BT: In national parks and national forests across the country, there’s a multibillion-dollar backlog of work on public land. That means our federal agencies have a long list of activities like trail maintenance and improving infrastructure the government wants to get done, but lacks the money and personnel to tackle. How do you aim to tackle this backlog?


Caroline: In the West, so much of our states are federal public lands. But the Senators and Representatives from the East aren’t dealing with the same land ownership. We really need a champion in the U.S. Senate who will work on the Budget and Appropriations Committee to bring that kind of funding to our Western states. It's just so important to have someone that will work with the federal government and be leading interagency collaboration, and not just fighting the federal government, which is what project 2025 and what Republican senators want to do. In Utah, for example, so much of our taxpayer money goes to suing the EPA, suing the BLM, suing all these federal agencies because of federal overreach. And I think what we need instead is someone who will be willing to work with the federal government to bring home resources to the state.


BT: We've talked about partisanship and divisiveness in our modern era. And that's really disheartening to see. But to return to what you said about the mental health benefits of public lands—to me, just being out on a trail can be a sort of refreshing experience. In a way, it can be an antidote to that venom and divisiveness. Out on the trail, everybody has a stake.


Caroline: Yes, and I think that we're so much more united than politicians and media shape us to be. As part of my campaign, I meet with people all over the state. In those conversations, I find it's really not outdoor rec versus fossil fuel. We're all in this together and we all share so many overlapping identities. You know, there are tons of Republicans that love to ski, that want to see a viable future for the snowsports industry. There are miners that love to hike. There are human-powered split borders that despise motorized recreation. There are skiers that love snowmobiles and helicopters. We all have so much overlap to our identities.


I think public lands are a great unifier. And that’s something that we can really come together and bond and find a shared love from. We're messy. We're humans. Things aren't black and white. I think that's one of the biggest things that I would love to urge people to consider in this day and age: There are a lot of different ways that we have these overlapping identities and wants and goals. It’s not all or nothing; we need to be able to see more of the shades of gray and the nuance of things.

I find it's really not outdoor rec versus fossil fuel. We're all in this together and we all share so many overlapping identities. You know, there are tons of Republicans that love to ski, that want to see a viable future for the snowsports industry. There are miners that love to hike. There are human-powered split borders that despise motorized recreation. There are skiers that love snowmobiles and helicopters. We all have so much overlap to our identities.

BT: Yeah, and I think we're also very siloed in our media bubbles in a lot of ways. When we’re on the trail, it's one of these shared spaces that we really don't have a lot of anymore. It’s one of those places where you can make eye contact and say hello to and engage with people who don't share our same ideology, necessarily.


You're also running as a Democrat in Utah. The last Democratic U.S. Senator elected there was back in the 1970s. So this is an uphill battle. How has this campaign and this journey felt to you so far, and what have you learned?


Caroline: I love a big, hairy project and I really love my home state. I feel very grateful for the opportunity to serve Utah and to serve America. And Utah is already so much more purple than most people realize. A lot of people here have traveled abroad to do missions or to do other public service. And so people have a really global perspective, like we're really warm and welcoming, and we're also the youngest state in the nation. At 38, I'm the average age of America. The average age of Utah is around 30, while the average age of the U.S. Senate is 65. So I'm not a traditional U.S. Senate candidate, but I think that is very fitting for a state like Utah. We have a really powerful opportunity here to give especially new and young voters someone to vote for rather than to vote against. We're so used to having to pick from the lesser of two evils that it's going to be really exciting, this opportunity to invite people into the political process.


The way that I see the world, everything is political: how your electricity gets to your house, the fillers in the sunscreen you put on, the Internet, the roads we drive on, groceries, gas—it’s all political. We live in a democracy. So if we want to have an influence, we have to participate. I've taken on challenges before that had very low odds of success, and I have defied the odds. I'm excited to continue to prove people wrong about what I'm capable of and what Utah is and what it's not. And finally, labeling a state like Utah ruby red is a form of voter suppression, and it is very demotivating for people. It makes them feel like they have no voice. And I want people to know that through my campaign, we have a voice. We have power.


BT: We're talking in the midst of the craziest news cycle I can remember. How are you maintaining your own mental health on the campaign trail amid all this?


Caroline: Yeah. I mean, it is a really challenging news cycle and it's a challenging time. I think collectively there's a lot of people too that have actually PTSD from the pandemic. I want to acknowledge and hold space for all these things that people are feeling. There is collective trauma and grief. As millennials, we've lived through so many of these unprecedented events; it's hard not to be always on edge. And so it's okay sometimes to take a step away, to turn your phone off and to get out into nature. I prioritize doing a run or a workout almost every day and building my schedule around that, even if it's like I have to get up and get out on the trail really early to make sure that I prioritize that for myself.


We also really need people to take that anxiety and depression and turn that into action. More than ever, we need people to do everything they can to help with the presidential election, especially in those swing states—whether that means phone banking or postcard writing. All of those things can be really helpful and can be easy to get involved with. At the state and local level, too, there are so many competitive down-ballot races. Wherever you live, there are always opportunities to make your voice heard to get involved. For me, I've found that taking action is a really powerful turnaround to get through those feelings of despair and depression. That’s especially true if you can connect with people in person, on a human level. Keep showing up and speaking up. Let’s give it all we can.


BT: It really is an easy time to despair. But I mean, the very act of running to me is an act of hope. What you're doing is a hopeful act. You clearly have such hope and optimism for what the future can be. Where do you find that source of optimism?


Caroline: The conversations I have with people and the excitement around what’s next is what gives me hope. That means getting out of the news cycle, getting off the phone to end the doomscrolling, and getting out into the community. Talking to people. Humans are so resilient and resourceful. We've survived a lot of things. I also think that my time climbing high-altitude mountains is valuable. That stuff breaks you and it grinds you into pieces. But I'm just always amazed at how you can wake up the next morning and put your boots on and keep taking a step forward. No matter how hard it is—like on Everest at 25,000 feet, it takes me a good two hours to eat breakfast and get my boots on and get out of the tent in the morning. No matter how long it takes, once you start taking that step and get into motion, then the path begins to seem a lot more clear. It can be really hard. And I don't want to deny the space of the depression because it's real. But the other big thing that I've learned is that you can hold space for the depression and anxiety and joy at the same time. You are allowed to feel hope and happiness even in a world that feels overwhelmingly sad. Being able to see things in shades of gray, being able to see the humanity of people that we don't agree with—all these are really helpful things that help to get me out of the downward spiral and into a place of action and above-the-line thinking.


BT: For readers anywhere in the West who care about public lands—not just in Utah—how should they vet candidates?


Caroline: Two of the best resources to start at the top of the ticket. For the bigger races, check out the League of Conservation Voters and their candidate score cards. My opponent, John Curtis, for example, has a 6% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters. That is for all of his environmental votes, and that is a really, really bad track record. I would also check out Protect Our Winters Action Fund. They create a lot of guidance on this. And then when it gets further down the ballot into your local and state elections, I highly recommend subscribing to your local newspaper if you can afford it. In Utah for example, The Salt Lake Tribune, the Deseret News, and our local Park Record where I live in Park City—they provide an indispensable resource of covering candidates in elections and giving you information you cannot find anywhere else.


There have been so many attacks on these little newspapers and media outlets that have closed a lot of them across the country. And when it comes to elections, that's really, really terrifying. One other thing that’s helpful is creating a sort of buddy system of activism. For example, in Utah, we have universal vote-by-mail. So we get our ballot and we can really take the time and call a friend. Don't be afraid to ask others and check things out and really take your time to get your ballot ready. Do that before election day so that you don't feel overwhelmed. Make a plan, execute on it, and don't be afraid to ask for help.


BT: Thank you so much for the time today.


Caroline: Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it.


This conversation has been edited for clarity.