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| Elevate ladies buckling up for first day at camp - photo Louise Hudson |
Despite the fact that around two-thirds of skiers and boarders
are male, there are an increasing number of ski school programs devoted to
promoting advanced skiing for women. Just as females generally respond better
to group instruction at gyms, they also prefer a women-only group format for
winter sports. Resorts have recognized that many women are intimidated by mixed gender
groups, are more likely to sign up for same sex instruction and also more
likely to stay in skiing if they have females among their ski friends.
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| First night's Elevate Reception at K-Bar, Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa - photo by Emily Beardsley |
Jackson Hole has been running Elevate Women’s Ski Camp since 2000. The concept
is to raise the bar on women’s ski progression by day, and to facilitate
socialization and relaxation in the luxury of Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa by night. A stone’s
throw from the resort’s gondola and aerial tram, this four-star hotel is the
après ski hub of the camp, offering 25 percent discount on lodging to campers.
Evening events are held in conference rooms, in the Spur Bar & Restaurant – a
very lively après ski spot - and in the K-Bar, a more intimate
lounge bar in the hotel lobby. Although the women separate off into small
groups for ski tuition, they mix and mingle at organized lunches and receptions,
impromptu dinners and at the final banquet.
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| Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa |
Designed
for intermediate and advanced skiers, the camp runs in January and March and
has seen so many repeat attendees that it inaugurated a 10-timer award in 2015
to help encourage and reward repeaters. "After 15 years of involvement with the
Women's Camp, I am still amazed at the improvement, camaraderie, and the stark enthusiasm
of the campers," says Lexey Wauters, camp coach and coordinator.
"Campers come from all over the country with widely varied ski
backgrounds; they all slide away better, happier, more confident skiers."
Participants
- mostly from the USA but also from as far away as Great Britain and Australia
- numbered in the 50s at the January camp by the 2013/14 season and in the 60s
by 2014/15.
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| Crystal Wright |
As
well as providing a vast array of female instructors, one of the camp’s cachets
is having three professional freeskiers to help coach. These are Kim Havell, Jess McMillan and Crystal Wright, all cast members of the groundbreaking
all-female extreme ski movie, Pretty Faces. As well as trouble-shooting each four or five
person ski group with tips and techniques for tackling tough slopes, they
contribute motivational presentations during après ski sessions.
"Having three of the top
female freeskiers in the industry here in Jackson Hole is a testament to the fact that this
is an ideal mountain for women of any ability to cultivate their interests in
skiing, thrive with support and keep taking it to the next level," says
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Communications Manager, Anna Cole.
"Increasing popularity of the camp year after year only underscores
the importance of embracing this strong female demographic and giving
them what they need to elevate."
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| Crystal Wright |
During camps ski fitness advice is offered by Crystal Wright, a professional
big-mountain skier, Jackson Hole gym owner and fitness trainer. “Ski preparation, maintenance and strength is
so, so important. The stronger the skiers are, the less likely they are to
become injured,” says Wright. “They also will enjoy themselves so much more
because they will be able to ski until the end of the day without feeling like
they might hurt themselves. Also, recovery after a hard day will be quicker.”
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| Me during Elevate Jan 2015 - by Emily Beardsley |
As well as providing
the blueprint for fitness and stretching at an evening exercise class, Wright
rotates around the ski groups adding her tactics for skiing tricky terrain. It’s all about instilling confidence in the women and
in their skiing ability, she maintains: “We all look at ski runs and
lines differently so I try to relate to them how I push myself through
something that is intimidating. The women are better skiers than they think
they are, so I try to give them some helpful cues they can think of when skiing
a run that they are uncomfortable with.” The key to progress is pushing comfort
zones in the company of other like-minded women, Wright concludes. Video analysis enables
instructors and skiers to dissect skiing stance as a very visual means of
instilling new techniques. And highlights from the videos are put together with
matching music to create a lively show at the end of camp banquet.
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| Tenessa Singleton (left) with Louise Hudson |
Attending the January 2015 Elevate Camp,
Tenessa Singleton transformed ski apathy into renewed ski fervor. “Until I did this camp, I
was so frustrated with skiing that I was going to take up snowboarding,” she
says. “I really enjoyed being with women from all over who have a
passion for skiing,” she adds. “I have spent the last several winters in Jackson Hole but our amazing instructor
introduced us to parts of the mountain I have never seen - secret little powder
stashes and tree skiing galore. Besides confidence building and technical
skiing, I made some great friends. And the highlight of the camp had to be
skiing with three of the best pro skiers in the world.”
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| Elevate Instructor Christina Cartier (left) with Jess McMillan (right) - photo by Louise Hudson |
During her January 2015 Elevate presentation,
Jess McMillan explained how the female pro skiers at Jackson Hole have pushed the boundaries
not only on female skiing instruction but also on how female athletes are
perceived by the ski industry. “Kim, Crystal, Lindsey Dyer, me and a few others
got together four years ago and changed the profile of women in skiing,” said
McMillan to the rapt audience. “Before then there was just one token woman in
ski movies and in advertising, which meant all the female freeskiers were
fighting for the one spot all the time. But we got together and we said enough,
we’re going to work together from now on.”
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| Lynsey Dyer in the Aerial Tram Jackson Hole - photo by Louise Hudson |
One of the results of this collaboration was the movie, Pretty
Faces. This has been a springboard for many female freeskiing careers,
including McMillan’s. She was next asked to star in Warren Miller’s 65th
feature film, No
Turning Back, with carte blanche to choose a
co-star. She picked a personal idol, Ingrid
Backstrom. “All it took was us to start supporting each other and it changed the
entire ski industry,” McMillan added. With women buying 60 percent of the ski
gear sold, manufacturers are gradually realizing that they need female skiers
to advertise their products, said McMillan, who helps design ski suits for
Spyder.
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| Louise Hudson skiing Jackson Hole during Elevate Jan 2015 - photo by Emily Beardsley |
Another
revolutionary aspect of No
Turning Back was that, for the first time in 20 years, the advertising
poster featured a woman. The first three skiers depicted in the movie are also
female, with McMillan the first woman on skis. As well as two female heli-ski
guides, Kim Grant and Chris Anthony, the film also casts women throughout the
various scenes, including Heather
Paul, Sierra Quitiquit, Kaylin Richardson, Julia Mancuso, and Mikaela Shiffrin.
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| Crystal Wright |
