Hello beautiful backcountry Babes ( babes is gender neutral),

My name is Leslie Ross and I am the founder and Executive Director of Babes in the Backcountry. Many of you ask – Why? What’s the story?  Like many of you, my love for “something” stirred a deep desire and passion to share this “something" with others.  For me, that something was Telemark Skiing and Backcountry Travel.  The bliss of powder, and especially powder in the backcountry was a feeling I wanted to others to celebrate and experience.  I was inspired to open doors for others to experience the freedom of exploration and the incredible community development. I wanted to create opportunities for others to enjoy the wonders of hut trips…the connections made through spending time together away from our daily routines, time touring, skiing, cooking, playing music, sauna-ing, sharing stories and exploring new locations.   

A couple words can sum up Babes in the Backcountry: Education, Experience, Environment.

Babes is committed to enhancing your backcountry adventures through

• Providing education, resources and opportunities to expand your awareness, assessment skills and technical knowledge.
• Creating positive life energizing experiences that may inspire and fuel all aspects of you life.  
• Bringing you to inspirational places or bringing a new awareness to your current environment as a means to connect with the earth.

With that premise, I created Empower, LLC (DBA Babes in the Backcountry). As our mission states, Babes is dedicated to inspiring connection through outdoor adventures.

Background:

In short…I moved to Breckenridge, CO in October 1991 after graduating from Union College in upstate NY. Prior to graduating, I had already begun my double life, spending the weekends teaching kids alpine skiing at Mt Snow, VT and spending weekdays in the art studio.  Summers took me to the mountains, rock outcroppings and rivers of CO and UT to work for America’s Adventure  leading Teen Rock, River and Backpacking Trips.  Post college, the call of the outdoors and the expanse of the west guided me from pursuing my artistic background in an urban environment to the abundant snow and scenic mountains in Breckenridge, CO.  Through my involvement with the non- profits the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center and Summit Huts Association, I found a new home and expression for my love of the outdoors and sharing this with others. 

The more time I spent in the backcountry, the more I noticed several missing components. The male/female ratio was way out of balance and the avalanche education available was directed at the professional rather then towards myself and my friends- the weekend warrior. There was also the challenge of accessing high quality female specific equipment. The day I walked into Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder and put on my first pair of Patagonia Drop Seat Pants, I knew there was hope.

Babes was birthed with these desires.

• To open and expand the possibilities for more women to experience the backcountry and the profound power of connecting with the outdoors.
• To provide user friendly education to allow access to useful resources and pertinent information for making informed educated decisions.
• To provide the proper tools (the who, what, why and where of equipment/food/clothing) to enhance our backcountry experiences.
• To provide an opportunity for each of us to realize our true potential as not only an athlete but as stewards of the earth. 

Babes is for anyone seeking to explore, experience and further educate themselves on how we walk in this world. In our tenth year serving Babes across the world, we have seen much growth in the industry and the women’s adventure arena.  As we have achieved one of our goals to even out the playing field through the introduction to over 1000 women to telemark skiing and backcountry travel, we are now ready to share our offerings with more than just women. Although we will maintain our women’s specific focus, we are excited to introduce our expanded offerings this fall to include a small number of programs through the Town of Breckenridge,as well as couples getaways and opportunities for young women and Latino Women. 

On behalf of Babes and our incredible team of inspirational mentors/coaches, I invite you to learn more about us and join us for an inspirational educational adventure in the backcountry year round.  We would love to create a trip for you and your group, family, friends, sports team, club, circle group, business organization or school group. Let us know how we can help you connect with the outdoors in a safe, fun, educational way to allow you and your group to find that inspiration to move boldly through life in balance and harmony with nature.  

I look forward to connecting with you.