Emily Hargraves
Chief Executive Babe
As owner of Backcountry Babes, Emily develops trips and works hard to make them come to life. Emily loves the spirit of outdoor adventure travel and especially loves sharing it with others. She finds our women’s trips have a special power to foster camaraderie, confidence, creativity, freedom, education, and fun. Emily brings a background of leading adventure travel trips for 10+ years. She is grateful to be working on the leadership team at Backcountry Babes, humbled by the beautiful energy of our educators and students, and proud to be building a framework for more women to become leaders in the outdoors. She is an AIARE Avalanche Course Instructor and has completed her AMGA Ski Guide Course.
Favorite Trip Experience
My first experience with Backcountry Babes was an Avalanche course in Alaska. Students and instructors were all such inspiring women and the places we got to explore in Alaska were unforgettable!
Trip Recommendations
Kirstin Nelson
Colorado Programs Manager
Kirstin has been working as a ski patroller at Breckenridge Ski Resort since 2008 and received her Paramedic certification in 2012. Kirstin has been teaching outdoor education since she was 16 and is especially empowered by working with women aspiring to become more skilled in the outdoors. She has been with Backcountry Babes for 11 years now; starting as an intern in college and diligently working up to the fully certified Avalanche professional and educator she is today.
As an AIARE (American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education) qualified instructor with Backcountry Babes, she is passionate about educating women in safe travel and skiing in the backcountry. Kirstin loves everything about a good adventure from ski mountaineering to trail running, mountain biking, surfing, climbing, canoeing and sailing, and never passes up an opportunity for exploring new places. She also has a bit of a traveling bug that she caught in college and is always looking for new and interesting opportunities to add another stamp to her passport.
She finds strength in fresh air, beautiful scenery and laughter, and you will find her wearing pink overall snow pants, a smile, and an i-pod with everything from classic rock to female folk singers, reggae and hip-hop, as she travels the winter backcountry. Kirstin is very excited to be Backcountry Babe’s Colorado Programs Manager as she brings a lot of contagious and fun energy to an organization that she believes provides abundant personal growth to women all around the country.
Favorite Trip Experience
The Canada hut trip is my favorite. The entire experience of flying in a helicopter over the Canadian Rockies then landing at a sweet little hut in the middle of the mountains with blankets of white enticing terrain everywhere is awesome. This trip has something for everyone; endless powder, low angle fun turns, steep trees, wide open bowls, and fun glades.
Of course, the snow pillows were my favorite. It was like being a kid in a candy shop skiing those soft snow pillows. I love the whole day spent skiing sweet lines, and then following it up with a hot sauna, amazing food, and hanging out with incredible women. It’s the perfect way to spend a week of your winter!
Trip Recommendations
Colorado Guides
Anne St. Clair
Originally a Pennsylvania native, Anne migrated west on a cross-country road cycling adventure. She eventually landed in Breckenridge, CO and…Read More
Casey Graham
Casey grew up skiing in the north east and has always been motivated and inspired by mountains both snowy and…Read More
Emily Heikkinen
Emily grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where cross-country skiing and snowmobiling were the only reliable ways of…Read More
Eryka Thorley
Eryka loves Winter. In fact her daughter’s name is Wynter. Growing up along the frigid, arctic-like shores of Lake Superior…Read More
Janine Prout
Janine grew up on a farm in southeast Washington State, learning to ski on the Palouse hills. Janine’s love for…Read More
Jess Lewis
Jess was raised by mountain guides and has been working and playing in mountain ranges across the world her whole…Read More
Jessie Longe
You’ll be guaranteed to laugh if you tour with Jessie. She loves meeting new folks on the skin track and…Read More
Karin Pocock
Karin enjoys sharing her love of the backcountry with others, learning, growing, and being humbled in the mountain environment. Karin…Read More
Kenzie Carson
Kenzie grew up skiing at a tiny one lift ski area in northern New Mexico and fell in love with…Read More
Leanne Wren
Leanne has been snowboarding over 20 years and started splitboarding 6 years ago. On her 10th season at Underground Snowboards…Read More
Leslie Ross
Leslie loves the free heel feel. Introduced to Telemark skiing on a NOLS winter camping trip in 1990, Leslie was…Read More
Susie Nothnagel
Susie Nothnagel has lived in Breckenridge for over 25 years and has been an EMT with the Breckenridge Ski Patrol…Read More
California Guides
Angelique Carl
Angelique is a PSIA trained ski instructor who creates an encouraging group culture and teaches others to be more confident…Read More
Crystal Winn
Crystal Winn is a Lake Tahoe native who has tried living in other environments and finds she is never quite…Read More
John Littleton
John Littleton grew up in Chicago, Illinois and started skiing the rugged mountains of the Midwest at the age of…Read More
Rosie Hackett
Rosie grew up in Vermont and has strong New England roots…Go Red Sox! Right after college, she migrated west for…Read More
Ryan Huetter
Ryan Huetter grew up near the coastal tidewaters of the Puget Sound in Washington State, but has since traded moss…Read More
Utah Guides
Shannon Finch
Shannon is a consummate adventurer. She spends her winter months as a professional ski patroller, ski guide, snow safety training…Read More
Shaun Raskin
Shaun believes that life is what you make of it. If you have the courage and fortitude to follow your…Read More
New Hampshire Guides
Al Mandell
Al caught the skiing bug at 3 years old and has never looked back! He’s turned his Middlebury Ski racer…Read More
Kate Moynihan
Kate is adjunct staff at Northern Vermont University in the Outdoor Education department and has been an outdoor educator for…Read More
International Guides
Angela Cárdenas Ortega
Angela grew up in the Patagonia region of Chile, and now lives in the Cajon del Maipo near Santiago. After…Read More
Chika Hayashi
Chika’s warm smile, cheerful attitude and unrelenting enthusiasm for skiing make her a perfect fit as a member of the…Read More
Emily Grady
Emily lives, works and plays in the mountains near Nelson and Revelstoke, BC. Her ski career has taken her all…Read More
Kristina Metzlaff
Kristina is our go-to guide for our Canada trips. Her wealth of local knowledge is incredible. Kristina has been ski…Read More
Alaska Guides
Kaitlin Powers-Engdahl
Kaitlin grew up in Spokane, Washington, and graduated with a degree in Outdoor Recreation and Recreation Management from Eastern Washington…Read More
Nancy Elrod
Nancy works for Babes as an AIARE avalanche instructor and a steeps ski instructor. She is a competitive Big Mountain…Read More
Sarah Carter
Sarah grew up nordic skiing in Anchorage, and now lives in Valdez with her husband and two boys. Sarah is…Read More
