Every Day is International Women's Ski Day
I've skied a lot of places around North America and met a lot of incredible female skiers, but Whitewater has a ratio that's unmatched. In Nelson, it's a safe bet that if she's a local, she skis (and makes it look like she's been at it since she was a toddler). I've never seen so many women who rip in one place.
The thing I love is yeah, these girls handle skis like they handle walking, but most of them are humble. They know their level, but they are encouraging to others.
On a larger scale, I've noticed this is true of every hardcore skier I've met. Instead of talking big to anyone who will listen (usually what skiers do when they're compensating), they let their skiing talk for itself. Then they turn right around and help others feel good for just getting out there.
No snobbishness. No bragging. Sure, there's reveling in the day's accomplishments, but they're equally ready to throw a high-five to a friend who's still getting their bearings.
This feeling of "we all belong" is part of the premise behind "International Women's Ski Day". Started four years ago by K2 Skis, it's an annual celebration of women who love the winter slopes and getting down them on skis. I've seen it celebrated bomb-squad style with twenty women in pink tutus, and with groups of women working together to up their avy skills.
But at Whitewater, International Women's Ski Day is every day. Here, it's celebrated with the balance of women and men who work as patrollers and ski instructors, with backcountry crews that might easily be all women or comprised of guys who are no strangers to scoping lines with a double X chromosome in their midst.
And it's celebrated in the way women respect each other's skills and don't feel the need to claim "All my friends are guys" to validate their abilities (weirdly common in many areas I've been).
Here at Whitewater, it's all equal—women rip as hard as the guys and everyone recognizes skill, humbleness, and dignity—no matter what gender you are.
That being said, there's still something unique about getting out with your girls for a session.
It's been a while since I've been able to do that (being somewhat new to Nelson), but while prepping for International Women's Ski Day, I grabbed my girl Laurence Bachand and a couple of her fellow ski patrol sisters, Laura Waterer and Melissa Ingrid.
Though they were up for every line I threw at them for our photo shoot, they were just as humble and encouraging with each other (and with me) as I've found most Whitewater women are.
And while I love going out and skiing with my boyfriend, there is a cool vibe when you're skiing with other girls. Aside from these Whitewater girls nonchalantly showing how they handle the mountain, they also got silly, throwing each other into the snow, giving cheesy, posed high-fives for the camera and keeping egos at bay.
No comparing DIN settings. No eyeing up each other's ski lengths. Just eyeing up the mountain for the next stash of snow.