Em-Pow-Her is a new club in Sun Peaks focused on bringing together a community of like-minded women who love to shred.
At 25 years old, co-founder Brittany Gault came up with the idea of Em-Pow-Her, a place where women of different levels can ride together and build their confidence on the slopes with friendship and support.
Looping in her best friend and co-founder 24-year-old Brynn Weigelt, they put together an Instagram page helped largely by Weigelt’s background in social media marketing.
“Our Instagram account has grown pretty quick,” Weigelt said. “We have lots of reach on it.”
As their main point of contact, this page is where interested riders can RSVP for events, rating their ability and specifying the kind of runs they prefer.
The club is open to any female, female-identifying and non-binary folks who want to get out on the snow whether on skis, a snowboard or even snow blades.
About the founders
Brittany Gault is a full time hairstylist in Kamloops and a volunteer with Adaptive Snowsports Sun Peaks.
With the latter position, she’s been spending more time on the mountain and describes it as her happy place.
“I’ve been snowboarding for about five, six years now,” she said. “So I’m really excited to be able to share this love with other people as well.”
Brynn Weigelt is a student at Thompson Rivers University where she began her schooling in the adventure studies program and is now finishing up her last semester for a tourism degree.
“In my free time I’m snowboarding or doing little silly tiktoks and that sort of thing,” she said. “And I’m just really passionate about getting women into the outdoors.”
Both are level one snowboard instructors, able to confidently guide women through much of Sun Peaks’ terrain.
Weigelt also has a background in ski and snowboard patrol at Manning Park Resort.
Starting Em-Pow-Her
A push for Gault in creating this group was her observation that the Sun Peaks and Kamloops area is lacking in female- oriented sport and outdoor adventure activities.
“Being on the hill is something that I’m super, super passionate about,” she said. “And I feel like there’s not a lot of things out there that are geared towards women, that can make people feel confident about getting out and starting new things or growing in that sport or the adventure.”
Having recently hosted their first group ride on Feb. 12, a Galentine’s Day Shred with a turnout of six people aside from themselves, the two founders are positive about the direction of the club.
“It was really nice get a group of women that would never typically ride together in any other aspect,” Gault said following this event. “So yeah, just starting to form that community of growing friends and people that we can ride with now more regularly.”
Creating a community is most important to the girls, wanting to cater their ride days to the levels of any interested parties.
Though the first group of riders was mainly advanced, Weigelt said they may do beginner specific days or split the group up to ride different terrain then meeting at the bottom if more beginners show interest.
“It’s community-focused first, and riding second,” she explained.
Looking ahead
The group will be gearing up for a lot more ride days this season, Gault said, while also brainstorming different event ideas likely for the start of the next season.
These may include events that aren’t completely snow-based, including a wax and wine night, community shop events, gear information sessions and a women’s ski and snowboard movie night.
“Even if there are more variations in levels, people can feel confident coming and meeting us, hanging out with us, without the pressure being on the snow,” she explained.
Currently running the club on their mutual love and passion for it, Gault and Weigelt have also reached out to different small businesses around Kamloops who they think share the same values as the group.
Some places have shown interest in getting involved in events and helping them out with a soon-to-be-announced giveaway.
Next up on their agenda, a girls ride day in partnership with Out Here TRU is coming up Feb. 22, for which Weigelt said they currently have four people confirmed and six interested.
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