Aspen, Colo.-based Alpine Guide’s Leave the Boys Behind program aims to encourage women of all ages to get outside and learn more about how to safely explore Colorado’s backcountry in a fun group setting. Launched in 2014, the program offers year-round adventures and educational trips created and led by female guides and tailored specifically for girls ages eight and up. Participants of this program will learn how to successfully navigate backcountry challenges, how to prepare and execute a multi-day stay in the great outdoors and how to cook and maintain a responsible campsite, along with valuable leadership and mentoring skills.
The Leave the Boys Behind (LBB) program operates a series of peak climbs and day hikes, and hut and backpacking trips in the summer, guiding groups throughout the mountains in and around Aspen, Colorado. The program also offers backcountry ski and hut trips in the winter and will be introducing AIARE Level 1 avalanche education courses this year as well as an introductory course on skinning or splitboarding.
This winter, LBB is offering three backcountry ski and hut trips. The group will lead cross-country skiing and/or snowshoeing women into backcountry terrain for a two-night hut trip stay. All three trips depart from the historic and scenic ghost town of Ashcroft, located just outside of Aspen, and they promise exceptional views and a warm and cozy hut to relax in at the end of each day. The cost per trip includes a professional backcountry guide, local transportation to the trailhead, a beacon, probe, shovel, hut fees, food, a welcome party and all required permits and liability insurance.
“The LBB initiative is to create a comfortable learning environment and to encourage women to get outside,” says Deb Gravelle, the program’s coordinator. “There’s some great camaraderie created on these trips and it’s an opportunity to really get out and appreciate the outdoors in a safe setting.”
The Leave the Boys Behind 2016 Winter Schedule: January 11–13, 2016 at Markley Hut near Aspen, Colo.; February 23–25, 2016 at Lindley Hut near Aspen, Colo.; March 16–18, 2016, at Lindley Hut. Learn more about Leave The Boys Behind’s winter and summer adventures at leavetheboysbehind.com.
—Tyra Sutak
