TRUCKEE, Calif. – This weekend, Sugar Bowl Resort will host the first Empowder Festival, a groundbreaking two-day event designed to empower, connect, and elevate women+ and non-binary freeride skiers and snowboarders.

Co-founded by Daphne James and Brigid White, Empowder is part freeride competition, part coaching clinic, and part social gathering—all with the goal of making the sport more inclusive and accessible. With expert-led workshops, community-driven events, and high-energy competitions, the festival aims to create a space where athletes of all levels can push their boundaries, find mentorship, and thrive in freeride skiing.

When White first entered the freeride competition scene, she was struck by the lack of female and non-binary participants.

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“I left that event being like, where are all the women?” White recalled after her first freeride competition at Sugar Bowl, where men outnumbered women more than four to one. “I’ve skied with such amazing women, and I was like, why are they hesitant to try to compete?”

That moment sparked an idea. White envisioned a supportive, structured space where women and non-binary athletes could build confidence, develop skills, and feel like they belonged. She shared her vision with James, a fellow Sugar Bowl skier with a background in competitive racing, and together they began shaping what would become Empowder.

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James, a retired Division I ski racer, has spent the last three years redefining her relationship with the sport, shifting from race courses to big-mountain terrain and backcountry skiing. However, she quickly noticed the heavily male-dominated culture in freeride, where progression was often informal and unstructured.

“This journey has predominantly been dominated and led by men,” James said. “But I knew there were ripping women out there—I just wasn’t seeing them in these spaces.”

Determined to change that, James and White assembled the Empowder Core Team, bringing together a group of passionate, high-level freeride skiers and snowboarders to help make the festival a reality. The Empowder Core Team consists of Maia Bickert, Mariah Grover, Adi Sadeh, Amanda David, Danielle Green, and Mariko Kelly.

Over the past four months, the team has worked tirelessly to recruit top-tier local freeride judges, professional coaches, and accomplished athletes to lead skill-building clinics, facilitate workshops, and mentor participants.

From early planning stages in Oct. 2024 to full-fledged execution by March 2025, Empowder has gained enormous traction. The event is fully booked, with a 40-person waitlist, proving the deep demand for an event designed specifically for women+ and non-binary freeride athletes.

Freeride skiing has long been a sport where learning happens informally—you push yourself by following more experienced riders, most of whom are men.

“You just have to go out there and do it,” White explained. “And there aren’t always those avenues to learn how to progress with other women.”

That’s where Empowder is different.

The festival provides structured coaching sessions tailored to female and non-binary athletes, creating an environment where participants can hone their technique, gain confidence, and see real representation in the sport.

“A lot of times, watching a guy do something, you’re like, ‘Oh, I could do that, but he did that,'” James said. “But then watching another girl do it, you’re like, ‘I want to do that because she did that.'”

Beyond technical skills, Empowder also emphasizes mental resilience, community building, and mentorship.

“This is a place in which you can crash, or fall, or be afraid to do something, and that is supported,” White said. “A success for us is people leaving with the feeling that they belonged here.”

The overwhelming enthusiasm for Empowder has already fueled ambitions beyond a single event.

White and James envision a multi-resort model, expanding to freeride destinations like Jackson Hole, Montana, and beyond.

But their vision doesn’t stop at skiing. They see similar gaps in other action sports, from mountain biking to kiteboarding, where learning pathways remain overwhelmingly informal and male-dominated.

“Some of these sports—actually, all of these sports—were invented by guys,” White said. “We’ve adapted to be part of them, but we can also redesign them to be more welcoming.”

Their long-term goal is to create a movement, establishing structured and intentional spaces for women+ and non-binary athletes across multiple action sports.

“We hope this event is just a catalyst for a lot more Empowder-themed events and meetups,” James said. “We want to continue making it accessible and inclusive, and just build from here.”

With a sold-out kick-off event, enthusiastic industry support, and a rapidly growing community, Empowder aims to redefine freeride skiing—and action sports as a whole—for generations to come.

Learn More & Get Involved:

Empowder Website
Empowder Instagram
Powder Magazine Feature