Robyn
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My psuedo-grandma lives in Petoskey!
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Do ski shops treat women differently?
- Thread starter cyn
- Start date
Robyn
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I missed this way back when. It cracks me up. I have a co-worker who has told me his ski level is "intermediate to advanced to expert". Uh, that's quite a range there dude. And if you don't know that then I'm betting you're close to intermediate.
Ski Bunny in Training
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
That's hilarious. My mom always tries to give people pointers on how to do things. Of course she is never any good at the things she is trying to give pointers on but that doesn't keep her from trying.
sibhusky
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It probably means that if there is freshly groomed snow he can go down the blacks where he normally skis, but if it's icy he can only go down blues, and if he's in the West or some much larger resort and conditions are bad, he can go down the greens.
Robyn
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Oh, gosh, me too. I have days where I feel like a rockstar and I can ski anything and other days I'm falling apart. But, I think one can put a general categorization on your average ski ability. For example, while I can ski some things like an expert I still don't consider myself expert ability in general and would classify myself as advanced. I considered myself advanced intermediate until just the last couple of years when bump skiing started to come together for me.That sounds like a typical day for me.
segacs
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
This reminds me of another discussion thread where the meaning of "intermediate" was debated. The fact is, every person and every ski centre has an arbitrary definition of terms like "intermediate", "advanced" or "expert". I think it's more useful for me, when I go shopping for gear, to chat a bit about where I ski, how I ski it, and what my comfort zone is. For instance, if I tell people that I'm a fast and aggressive skier on the icy east coast hardpack, ski the blacks and most double-blacks with confidence as long as they're groomed, but turn into a useless idiot in the powder or in the bumps, then they know a bit better what they're dealing with, right?
Of course, nine times out of ten they're still going to say "well, this is our most popular women's ski, and hey, it's 30% off!" But that's where you ladies come in, with all your excellent advice.
For you, I think the ski/feel pretty thread is relevant. I know I've told you this before, but I think you sell yourself short when describing your skiing ability! It may feel like you're working hard/falling apart, but the times I've seen you, you look really good.
Really!
litterbug
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I've decided that "intermediate" simply excludes "beginner" and "advanced." Looking at Roxy's website today I revisited the "what level are you" descriptions, and decided that when I go shopping again I'll come prepared with descriptions of how I am on ice, in powder, on steeps, on comfy groomers, etc. instead of the advancing-intermediate I usually use. I did that when I bought a bike and got the perfect thing for me, so why wouldn't it work for ski gear?
litterbug
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Yes, we've certainly hashed it to death. I meant to just add a note about how non-specific the term 'intermediate' is when talking to salespeople. Talking about how you actually handle different conditions usually seems to change their frame of mind if they don't seem to get it at first (i.e. just show you the pretty skis).
PowDiva85
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My problem is the reverse. Getting guys to take me seriously when I am trying to sell THEM stuff. I often go over to the ski wall and try to get a conversation going but instead get the "no just looking", like I couldn't possibly know the answer to their question. Then male sales associate walks over and they immediately start gabbing gear. So irritating!
litterbug
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Most professions are like that. I have to put on a real attitude to get respect, and I'm a lawyer. The only job where that didn't happen was when I was a ranger, and I think that was largely because I wore a gun and full duty belt. No one likes to argue with a women carrying a gun on her hip.
Ski Bunny in Training
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It's not bad. Could be worse. I'm really looking forward to hitting the slopes a lot this winter since I have been out of it so long.
SnowHot
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Makes perfect sense to me:
Expert on Molly Hogan
Advanced on Ramrod
Intermediate on Pali
Sheesh, do I have to explain everything to you.
Christy
Angel Diva
I think I might have told this story here before, but anyway...a friend of mine interviewed for a job where Spanish language skills were a plus. She grew up as the child of missionaries in Central America but her language skills were rusty and that she was no longer fluent, so she said she so. She got the job and found they expected her to speak Spanish. She said, hey I told you guys I wasn't fluent anymore! They were surprised and said, well, men always oversell their language skills and women always underestimate theirs, so we thought you probably WERE fluent but didn't want to brag. Oops.
litterbug
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Now that's overthinking things!
Bumblebee
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
From my experience, ski stores treat women different in Canada/US than they do in Europe.
Last winter I bought new boots here in NL, I trusted the fitter as he did know what he was talking about because he explained it beautifully to my novice snow-sporting snow-boarding partner...
Then, away in Austria I decided my usual planks weren't suiting my fitness/conditions/confidence so wanted to rent something a little "easier" for a day or two to get my confidence back. The guy in the shop told my boyfriend that I was trying to ski on "big skis for a woman" and again relayed all the technical specifications to him - stood there in board boots.
I told the guy what I wished to rent and then the length - again, a quick chat about "a lot of ski for a woman".
Do you laugh or do you cry?
Last winter I bought new boots here in NL, I trusted the fitter as he did know what he was talking about because he explained it beautifully to my novice snow-sporting snow-boarding partner...
Then, away in Austria I decided my usual planks weren't suiting my fitness/conditions/confidence so wanted to rent something a little "easier" for a day or two to get my confidence back. The guy in the shop told my boyfriend that I was trying to ski on "big skis for a woman" and again relayed all the technical specifications to him - stood there in board boots.
I told the guy what I wished to rent and then the length - again, a quick chat about "a lot of ski for a woman".
Do you laugh or do you cry?
