I grew up a skier in the era of the caricature Snow Bunny. Out on the hill, at the base lodge and even out for Apres, you were either a snow bunny or a chick who ripped. No in between; no optional character.
But here’s the thing: We were unified. While we may have chosen to dress differently and take on the sport differently, we were all one in this single, simple unifying reality: We flipping loved the mountain resort life. We were born to it, and in that way, we were a perfect match.
I was a non-bunny back then. I skied in a pack of guys and gals who all loved to go hard, jump big and simply suck the most greatness we could out of every ski day. And you know, while I’ve experienced my share of discrimination and disrespect as a female, I can honestly say that of the eleventy-billion times I’ve skied with a pack of guys, never once have I felt “lesser.” Ski guys – or at least the ones I have been lucky enough to know (the true mountain devotees) see us ski gals as just part of the gang. The world could learn from that culture.
So why, then, is it important enough to put aside an entire week to celebrate women in skiing?
I feel like it’s kind of like celebrating the women who helped settle the west. I love reading about that time and am currently reading a book I found in Durango, Colorado last week called “Ladies of the Canyons: A League of Extraordinary Women and Their Adventures in the American Southwest.”
Back then, women with a calling toward adventure – some from poverty (like many of the famed Harvey Girls), others from great wealth, like the heroine of that book I’m reading now. Out in the wild, wearing riding pants, toting guns and truly roughing it, they put all social expectations aside to deep dive into the life they craved.
It’s not like choosing a ski life is as gutsy as that (it’s not. We have apres. And fondue.) But it does take some guts.
I have women ski friends who have been world champions, served as general manager at a ski resort in times when female GMs were rare (that time is now, still), who have imagined, created and now mass market amazing ski apparel and equipment (I’m looking at you, Diane Boyer), who have led marketing teams that built ski brand names that will live on forever.
I have women ski friends who have built this industry in ways many may never realize. Better ski school programs. Day care initiatives. Hard core terrain park building (it’s not just mom stuff, after all).
I also have women ski friends who are teachers, musicians, stay-at-home moms, elected officials, waitresses, all who have made my ski life better one way or another.
We all grew up on skis, out on those trails where the guys saw us as same. Sure, we felt the need to prove ourselves (we are human), but in my ski world, we also felt just so empowered .
A lot of us have always felt like there’s nothing we cannot do. We’re a society that tries darn hard. We don’t shy away.
That kind of life experience is worth not just celebrating, but embracing.
How great is a sport that not just gets you out in the fresh air, keeps you busy all winter and makes the winter a happier time, but also serves as a confidence training ground to women as a whole?
That’s why I like celebrating women in skiing.
I did so this year by meeting up with a group of about a dozen fellow long-time ski industry working gals for a day of skiing and memories at Gunstock Resort.
We tried to come up with a name for who we are. Divas? Ski Grande Dames? Nothing hit quite right.
But I think I’ve got what to call us: The Luckiest.