“When I returned to the valley, I had a big goal of experiencing all the types of skiing and activities in this area. I decided learning backcountry access and safety was a high priority for me, due to where we ended up purchasing our home (rural/no cell service/in the mountains). I am a person who gets intimidated in certain groups and I will not ask important questions. This felt like a barrier to achieving my goals of backcountry touring as I did not understand where the risks existed, and kept putting off trying. 

Where we live, it is often intimidating to do certain activities because there are so many olympians, professional sports folks etc, the bar is often higher for physical skill. Additionally it is a place that has a higher percentage of men to women/femmes so it can especially feel impossible to try something new if you are not confident in yourself.

Once I saw the invite to the first event for this group, I felt more comfortable to join as it was women/femmes/nb centered which felt safer for me. My first time ever going uphilling was with Amanda & some GRGA ladies at Ski Cooper. I remember I was so intimidated at first (historical feelings coming up), but they made me feel like I was not a burden for not knowing what I was doing, and being really REALLY slow. 4 years later, I had gained enough confidence to attempt an AIARE class. GRGA just ran their first one this year with Colorado Adventure Guides, which was also a women/femmes/nb only group. I am now an AIARE certified individual and feel empowered to plan my own routes & be a leader in future tours, even with a multi gender group.

Returning to the valley after a bunch of years, I did not know that many people who were still in the area. This group has helped me make a bunch of new friends that I have a lot in common with. We will go to the gym, ski inbounds and out of bounds, grab birthday meals, and volunteer together. It has enriched my life so much.”

— Cate Brown