Eagle County Ambassadors

Lead Ambassador

Leah is originally from Minnesota and moved to the Vail Valley in 2016 to be closer to the mountains. Leah has always been passionate about skiing. She started skiing when she was 2 years old at Buck Hill in MN, ski raced in high school and would head west to ski in the mountains every opportunity that she could. Now living here, Leah spends as much time as she can skiing, whether it is on the resort, uphill after work, going on backcountry tours or hut trips. When she is not skiing, she enjoys mountain biking, hiking, trail running and practicing yoga. She loves exploring in the outdoors and the people she has met along the way. Leah is dedicated to growing GRGA, showing up to more of the meetups than we ask, and helps create a welcoming environment to all who attend.

Instagram @leah.in.the.mountains

Abbee splits her time between Vail and Ferndale, spending as much time outside as possible. A mountain biker at heart, she races in both Michigan and Colorado and has an equal love for snow. Spring and fall are spent chasing fast, flowy Michigan singletrack, while summers and winters mean big Colorado climbs, long descents, and fresh mountain air.

Abbee made West Vail home in 2022 and discovered uphill through GRGA one outing was all it took. She is active in the Vail Valley outdoor and wellness community, volunteering with the Vail Valley Foundation and supporting local mountain bike organizations.

Off the mountain, Abbee works as an Account Manager at One Pass and brings more than 20 years of experience working with older adults and health plans, including SilverSneakers and One Pass. Yoga helps keep her grounded between adventures.

At home, Abbee adventures with her husband Jake and is supervised by her cat, Eva Kittay, who negotiates exclusively in Churu treats.

Instagram @abzbike

Pacific Northwest born and raised on a cattle ranch. New to the Colorado Mountain dream and loving every minute of it. Wildland Firefighter turned Nurse. Living life not as glass half full or half empty, but embracing every day we wake up as a blessing to have a glass at all. I love to get outside of my comfort zone, with a desire for spontaneous adventure and a big appetite for learning new things. If I’m slowing down, it is probably to cook, grill, read a book, or research the next adventure. My happy place is deep in the mountains, in the water, or in the gym. Fresh air, multi-sport days, and big efforts are the best medicine in life.

Dream it. Learn it. Climb it. Ski it. Run it. Bike it. Scuba dive it.

Instagram @anywhere_adventure

Carolyn grew up with the opportunity to live in many different places, but Colorado always felt special. She jumped on the first opportunity to move to Vail and has loved the journey ever since! Carolyn is passionate about music and education, and is living her dream of teaching music in the mountains. Growing up as a multi-sport athlete, Carolyn has found the outdoor community here as a place to belong and a space to embrace new learning opportunities. Carolyn picked up mountain biking a few years ago and has enjoyed the humbling and rewarding process of gaining new skills to access the outdoors. She also completed her first marathon in fall of 2025 and is looking forward to the next one! Along with running and biking, Carolyn enjoys ski touring, camping, and going on adventures with friends.

Fanni Sári is a true mountain enthusiast with a deep passion for exploring the outdoors. Whether she's carving powder on her snowboard, conquering a challenging via ferrata, or hiking alpine trails, Fanni thrives on adventures that combine adrenaline and breathtaking scenery. A former snowboard instructor and European tour guide, she brings a wealth of experience and a love for connecting with nature and people. Based in Eagle, Fanni shares her adventures and inspires others to embrace the mountain lifestyle through her GRGA. She's proud to support the outdoor community and promote a life fueled by exploration and courage.

Instagram @sarifanni

Laura moved out to Colorado in 2023 after visiting for many years. She comes from the coast of Maine, not raised as a skier but taking the initiative to learn at age 20. She started ski touring shortly before moving to Colorado as a fun activity to do with her dog Fern. Through GRGA she found a community of uphill-enthusiasts and quickly took up skimo racing along with other endurance sports. She is passionate about building an inclusive community for women and respecting the outdoors. With a background in marketing and graphic design she enjoys dabbling in graphics for GRGA and in her free time can be found most definitely with her dog!

Instagram @l.millsy

May Jackson is a woman of many trades. In the summer you’ll find her covered in dirt, whether that’s from her job as a garden artist for Ceres Landcare or from her love of mountain biking. In the winter you’ll find her either on a splitboard OR on skis wearing snow as her favorite winter accessory, otherwise she’ll be at Cripple Creek Backcountry helping people with their gear. No matter the season, May is always racing, or training to race and has completed races such as the Leadville 100 and the Aspen Power of 2.

May has been there from nearly day 1 with GRGA, whether she liked it or not. At the beginning, she was a little skeptical of what GRGA was, as sometimes groups of women can be clicky or feel a bit tough to fit in, but she realized pretty quickly what this group was about and dove in head first to be a part of its growth.

Instagram @mayjacksoncolorado

Nikki grew up in Connecticut but headed west in 2018 and hasn’t looked back since! Now, she lives full-time in her van, chasing powder in the Vail Valley during the winters and climbing mountains around the world in the summers. She only started skiing 4 years ago, but since the , she has racked up 50+ days a year and isn’t afraid to send it—up or down—just about anything. When she’s not skiing, Nikki’s probably mountaineering, backpacking, hiking, rock climbing, scuba diving, or fueling her adventures with a big bowl of pasta. She’s passionate about empowering women and people of color in the outdoors and making adventure sports more inclusive. Nikki also cares deeply about sustainability and is on a mission to become the first American woman to summit the 7 Volcanic Summits—a goal she’s set to crush this coming year!

Instagram @nickcholee

Sally has a huge passion for adventure in the mountains! From mountain biking to splitboarding, she loves a little adrenaline mixed with nature. You can either find her skinning in Minturn with her twin boys in tow or working in Alpine Kind, her mountain inspired retail shops in the valley. Sally was one of the first women to reach out to lead one of our meetups, and supports GRGA not only with her time, but donating her space at Alpine Kind to us for Apres for some of our uphills!

Instagram @sallytheadventurer

Susan, originally from Chicago, has lived in 11 states, including Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada & this will make her third time in Colorado! After raising her 3 daughters in Cincinnati she's ready to use that energy with GRGA as an eager hiker, skier, cyclist and other various outdoor adventures but also wants to help by using her 30 years as a ski patroller, a CPR Instructor, a Mountain Travel Rescue Instructor and as as a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy professional. This Eagle-Vail resident works remotely for a national Donor Advised Fund, and will also be a swim instructor at Avon Recreation Center and a volunteer with Vail Valley Foundation.