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Backcountry Babes Scholarship Program

Backcountry Babes Scholarship Applications are OPEN for the 2022/2023 Season

Backcountry Babes funds many partial scholarships throughout the season for our AIARE Level 1, AIARE Level 2, AIARE Avalanche Rescue Courses and Beginner Backcountry Tours.  Applications are received and partial scholarships are offered on a rolling basis. You can also apply to other scholarships to supplement if you need additional funding.

Below are links to more scholarship opportunities offered through AIARE, the Sierra Avalanche Center, Weston Backcountry, AMGA and Voile.

View Backcountry Babes Scholarhip

AIARE Scholarships

There are several scholarship opportunities for AIARE Instructor Training courses and AIARE PRO courses, as well as AIARE 1 classes.

Sierra Avalanche Center

SAC is offering scholarships for avalanche education this season. Scholarships can be used for American Avalanche Association approved Level 1, Level 2, Rescue, Pro-1 & Pro-2 courses.  Applications are due 10/31/21. Awards will be announced the first week of December.

Voile BIPOC Scholarship

Entries for the 2021 BIPOC Backcountry Scholarship are limited to BIPOC-identifying individuals in the US and Canada 21 years of age or older.

Weston Backcountry

Weston is contributing up to $15,000 to AIARE for the 20/21 season, through the sales of skis and boards. For those who apply and can demonstrate both need and desire to help the community around them, on the hill or off, Weston will be contributing $150 towards the cost of an AIARE 1 Course.

AMGA Scholarships

Each year, outdoor industry leaders and private foundations generously give to the AMGA to help guides and aspiring guides reduce the costs associated with AMGA training.

AMGA BIPOC Scholarship

The Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Scholarship Fund is dedicated to supporting instructors and guides of color and reducing barriers to training within the AMGA. In May of this year, AMGA opened the fund and awarded 10 scholarships to the first cycle of students. Their advisory committee decided to open this fund twice a year, in May and November, to allow members access to these funds throughout the year.

She Jumps Snowpack Scholarship Level 2

In the fourth year of the Snowpack Program, SheJumps is newly partnering with Weston and The American Institute for Avalanche Education (AIARE) to bring advanced avalanche education opportunities to adult women participating in snow sports in the Pacific Northwest. Scholarships will be awarded for 6 women to attend AIARE Companion Rescue and AIARE Level 2 with 100% of spots earmarked for women of color. This opportunity is meant for women to apply who have completed their AIARE Level 1 courses and gained at least one season of experience traveling in the backcountry. AIARE Companion Rescue is a full day course dedicated to practicing advanced avalanche rescue techniques, while AIARE Level 2 is a three-day course meant to further avalanche education and decision making skills in more complicated terrain with a focus on weather, snowpack evaluation, and understanding of avalanche observations and processes.

Wildsnow 

Browse backcountry scholarships for underrepresented groups.

Women in the Tetons

Check out their all-female AIARE 1 courses in Jackson Hole, their Rad Mom scholarship, and their Go Your Own Way Scholarship.

Blizzard-Technica Women2Women Scholarship

We will be awarding financial support to women for educational opportunities, ranging anywhere from introductory courses to top level certifications, as well as a pair of Blizzard skis and Tecnica ski boots. Applications Nov 19 – Dec 20th, 2021

Application & Blog Post Directions:

To apply for our scholarship, submit a blog 700-1000 words in length that is a gift to other women in the backcountry ski community.  We’re looking for original pieces of writing that inspire others, share the love of backcountry skiing, the feeling of the wilderness, tech tips, travel tips, and more.  Below are some prompts to describe the types of essays we’re looking for and to help get your ideas flowing.  Hints for getting your essay selected: Write about something you know well, write about something you love, and write something that is a useful information and giving to others who are getting started backcountry skiing, splitboarding etc.  If your piece is selected, it may be posted on the Backcountry Babes Blog.

1. Technique Tips:

Invent your own technique tip blog, or use one of our suggested topics here: Top 5 backcountry ski tips. What I learned when trying to purchase my first backcountry set up.  Where to find discounted gear. What are some unusual ski touring tips you have? Five things you should know before your first hut trip.  Tips for transitioning into splitboard set up for the first time.  Winter Backcountry Safety Tips.  What to keep in your car all ski season long. How to layer clothing for the backcountry.  Best Podcasts to Listen to On Your Drive to the Mountains.  Top 10 things I learned in my AIARE Level 1 Course. Things I didn’t know I would learn on my AIARE course.

2. Destination Tips or Local Beta:

Share some of your favorite tips from a ski destination you visited lately.  Give people tools and tips to plan their own trips.  Best local coffee shop to check the avy forecast in.  Best Trailheads for Backcountry Skiing. Most affordable and best places for post-ski meals.  Tips for Parking & Public Transportation at trailheads.

Directions:

1. Choose a prompt based on the above suggestions. Write a blog about 700-1000 words long. Winning essays will read as a gift to others in the community with useful information.  (We are not accepting personal narrative essays at this time.)  Email your finished blog to [email protected]

2. Email us 3 original photos that accompany your blog.  Must be full resolution, .jpg files.  (They must be your own photos or you must have permission to give them to us so we can publish on our website and other outlets. Please name the photo location and photographer credits in the title of the .jpg)

3. Fill and submit our application below.  Feel free to draft in a word editor and then copy and paste back into the form for submission.

We may publish entires on our blog on Backcountry Babes.com; facebook, instagram or other accounts. We may share entries with some of our sponsors, too!

4. We have a limited amount of partial scholarships available in the range of $25 to $125 off the cost of a course.  If your scholarship application is selected, you will receive a partial refund after earning your AIARE Level 1 Certificate of Completion with Backcountry Babes.  Please apply as early as possible for your preferred course dates so that we can have time to process scholarship applications.

5. If you would like to write a blog that is related to your Backcountry Babes course experience, please give a few sample titles and submit your application now, and your blog post and photos later.  If you are chosen as a recipient, scholarships may be awarded as partial refunds towards the course you have paid for.

Scholarship Application
backcountry-babes-aiare-level-1-colorado-search
backcountry-babes-aiare-level-1-vail-colorado
backcountry-babes-womens-backcountry-aiare-level-1-breckenridge-colorado
AIARE class in Tahoe
AIARE rescue course womens backcountry touring south lake tahoe
windloading cornices and breaking cornices during advanced avalanche course
2-AIARE-L1_AK_20111210_010
avalanche rescue
Emily Fairbanks conducts skier test of the Rutschblock

Our scholarships are intended to support women who:

  • Work to make a difference in their communities.  Examples of past scholarship recipients include people who work at Adaptive Ski Centers, take students on field trips, work at English Language Learning Centers, teach ski school, work with underserved groups, volunteer at senior centers, and many more.  We’re looking for applicants who share their love of skiing safely in the mountain with others and will spread the knowledge to groups they lead. Please tell us about what you do for your community, specifically, and list 1 reference.
  • Are career avalanche educators and Backcountry Babes instructors looking for partial financial assistance to take the next step in their training.  We are able to offer a limited number of AIARE Course Shadow opportunities for women who are ALREADY enrolled an an AIARE Instructor Training Course and/or Professional Avalanche 1 Course.

The scholarship will be awarded toward the cost of attendance to one of our avalanche courses. We fundraise and absorb the extra costs not met by our fundraising through our program, therefore we cannot give scholarships to people wanting to attend courses at other organizations. Preference will be given to those women with financial need who describe their meaningful contributions to their communities.

Please early for course that you intend to take, ideally with 2-4 weeks prior. We aim to notify scholarship recipients 2 weeks before their course.

If you are chosen to receive a scholarship, they will be awarded as partial refunds to your course.

Apply Now