Colorado Adventure Guides is proud to partner with AIARE to provide our Women’s Mentorship Program. We understand the barriers in the industry and are here to support aspiring female avalanche professionals and ski guides by laying down a solid track to working in our industry.
Women make up a drastically smaller number of avalanche educators and ski guides than men. We’ve found that many women find it difficult to grow and sustain their careers in this field. Many of these barriers are even further amplified for women who are racialized, disabled, trans, mothers, poor/working class, and women who hold other historically marginalized identities.
To help combat this, we are thrilled to have partnered with AIARE to provide our Women’s Mentorship Program for the 2023/2024 season. This program is linked to, but separate from, our in-house mentorship program.
Mentees will be selected each fall for the upcoming winter season, with the number of accepted mentees varying each year. Our mentorship program takes a multi-faceted approach, and is built around helping aspiring female professionals reach their goal of working in our industry.
Mentees will also have the opportunity to shadow their mentor in an avalanche course or guided day.
Our mentees will spend at least 1 day per month throughout the winter season (Dec-Mar) in the field with a mentor to help hone snowpack assessment skills, instructing/guiding techniques, group management, and more.
Mentees will have monthly virtual sessions with a mentor to discuss varying topics, which may include general catch ups, tracking the season's conditions, different teaching styles, risk management, and more.
All mentees will have an open line of communication to their mentor who will be a resource to answer any questions throughout the season.
We are one of the first outfitters to offer women’s specific avalanche education courses, and are the biggest provider of avalanche education in Summit County. Check out and join one of our women’s-specific courses, and get out with a likeminded group! We offer women’s-specific AIARE 1, AIARE Rescue, Ski/Split Mountaineering, and Intro to Backcountry Ski/Splitboard courses.
Do you want to just get out for a customized day of learning or riding? The day can be tailored to the skills you want to spend the most time on, from trip planning to route selection, field observations to snowpack analysis. Or it could simply be about getting out and finding the best conditions. We have top-notch female instructors and guides on staff that will show you and your group an amazing time!