At the beginning of March a diverse group of 11 women interested in the winter backcountry got together in Truckee, California to become Avalanche 1 certified. The course, offered by Babes In The Backcountry, a business offering all-women’s adventure sport workshops throughout California, Colorado, and Canada, was three days and two nights. The rest of the women and the venue for the course definitely made the weekend great, but the instructors and the knowledge they were able to pass onto us were truly the standout aspects of the trip.

The course was held in Cold Stream Canyon, a gorgeous area located about an hour’s skin outside of Truckee. This area’s terrain is large enough to be a good place to take a look at avalanche behavior, yet still small enough so as not to overwhelm students who are new to the backcountry. We stayed at The Lost Trail Lodge, a skin or cat access only lodge complete with mountaineering books, comfy rooms and a massive fireplace. To make our situation even more comfortable, we had a chef (one of only two men we saw all weekend) to make all of our meals---which were fantastic. Cold Stream and The Lost Trail Lodge were great places to spend the weekend, inside and out.

Within the group of women, there was a mix of local Tahoe/Truckee girls and some representing southern and northern California and Nevada. The most fun part of our group was the age range, running from a freshman in university to a grandmother in retirement. The pace during our physical activities accommodated everyone, so there was no hecticness in that realm. And as would be expected, experience levels varied but the intellectual pace accommodated everyone as well. All told, it was a comfortable and unthreatening situation in which to ask questions and learn.

Leslie Ross, owner and founder of Babes In The Backcountry, was the head instructor of the course. Her years as a competitive telemarker and ambassador for Patagonia and Black Diamond in addition to her personal pursuit of backcountry knowledge through various apprentice situations and experience in outdoor education have combined to give Leslie a broad base of information. Along on the trip to assist Leslie was local Squaw Valley Avalanche Forecaster Lel Tone who herself has impressive resume, including many years of guiding in Alaska and an enormous repertoire of avalanche/backcountry education. Rounding out the instructors were two spirited Squaw Ski Patrollers, Amanda Clarke and Megan Mickel, both accomplished and strong women in adventure sports who have dedicated their lives to understanding the backcountry. The four worked together nicely, each bringing her knowledge, expertise, perspective and personality to the weekend. Questions were readily answered, either during a course activity or over a glass of wine at dinner. And despite their years of experience, the leaders were never condescending to even the greenest student, and seemed to clearly remember the days when they too were wondering how to cut their own skins or prepare their pack for a day in the mountains.


By far the best and most valuable aspect of the course was the knowledge exchanged. A series of slideshows that Leslie had complied were the base of the education, outlining avalanche types, terrain features, human factors, snow behavior and weather. Almost an entire day was spent out touring. We had planned out our route the night before and set out for some southern aspects to ride in the morning before the snow got too soft. The group learned how to dig snow pits and to perform the various shear tests and then to analyze the information gleaned from those tests. Also, a good deal of time was dedicated beacon use and search protocol through the use of buried beacons and mock slide scenarios. These types of exercises truly brought home the serious nature of what we were learning that weekend.

The trip with Babes was a comfortable, fun time with inspiring and accomplished women at the helm in a beautiful place. Our group had a good dynamic and it made it easy to take in all of the knowledge provided. Beyond learning facts and statistics, the course taught how to think in the backcountry, and that was the most valuable part of Babes In The Backcountry.

Check out the other courses and adventures offered by Leslie and Babes at


Head to www.losttraillodge.com to to check out our sweet accommodations.