This past summer, Leslie Ross '91 received a letter she had written to herself more than eleven years ago-and found that “everything was pretty right on.”
She had written the letter as a psychology assignment from Prof. Suzanne Benack, who asked her students to write about how their lives would look in the future. Ross had pictured herself living in the mountains, involved in many aspects of skiing. Has it turned out that way? Well, she lives in the mountains of Colorado. And she has become an influential member of the Telemark community through successful competition results, product testing, teaching, and founding Babes in the Backcountry, an organization designed to educate women in outdoor skills.
Ross, a native of Ossining, N.Y., always loved the mountains and the outdoors. She grew up Alpine skiing, and, after running out of challenges, took up Telemark skiing, or “free heel skiing,” at the age of twenty. This method of skiing, in the midst of a rebirth since its use by the Tenth Mountain Division in World War II, is described by Ross as an “athletic dance down the hill.” While at Union, she was a ski instructor on the weekends at Mt. Snow, Vt.
After receiving her degree in visual arts and psychology, Leslie headed for Colorado to continue exploring the outdoor lifestyle. Through her involvement with Summit Huts Association, a nonprofit organization maintaining several backcountry cabins, she realized that she was a minority in her sport. “I thought, 'Where are the rest of the women?' Backcountry skiing/hut trips are such wonderful experiences, I wanted to find ways introduce these to other women,” says Ross.
This curiosity and her love of the backcountry were the catalysts for Babes in the Backcountry. “I learn differently from most men. To grasp many of the technical aspects of snow study, I needed more kinesthetic/hands-on learning, and I figured I wasn't alone. I wanted to create a fun, comfortable, ego-free learning environment where women could not only increase their knowledge but realize their own strengths, beauty, and potential.”
Babes in the Backcountry began in 1996. “It's designed for athletic women wanting to learn new skills or fine-tune others,” says Ross. The program has workshops that teach women the art of Telemark skiing, mountaineering, and backcountry and avalanche safety, just to name a few. In the summer, she offers wellness-type workshops, with classes in mountain biking, rock climbing, and kayaking, as well as in general health, fitness, and creative expression.
“Babes in the Backcountry is simply a pro-woman expression; it's a way for women to find their voice and feel comfortable,” says Ross.
The workshops aim not only to teach skills but to revitalize the female spirit.
Last winter, Leslie won the overall title for the National Telemark Free Skiing Series, and she plans to expand Babes in the Backcountry to other locations throughout the world. All in all, that classroom letter looks remarkably prescient.
By Alina Samuels '03