Best Women's Ski Clinics?

[snoWYmonkey]

@IKam m Having coached women's clinics and attended alpine, nordic, snowmobile and MTB clinics of both varieties, I think it depends. It depends on the participant, the sport, and each group.

I love women specific mountain bike and alpine clinics as I feel more supported to ask clarifying questions. For nordic and snowmobiling, I actually preferred mixed.

Often times in the alpine skiing multi daily camps that cater to advanced skiers it seems that we develop trust and then introduce hard challenges for women specific camps while some of the mixed camps we almost have to show to the participants by providing hard challenges right away that they can benefit from coaching.

Trying to not come off as biased but women seem more receptive to the humbling learning process surrounded by other women while men often need to show their bravado.

 

[marzNC]

Out of curiosity, is there much difference between taking a camp or clinic strictly for women vs. men and women? I took the regular Taos week and then had a 3 hour lesson in Alta. I think the lesson in Alta really clicked with me. I haven't tried a women's clinic only though.

Good question. As with lessons for any sport, it depends a lot on the personality of the instructor and the student(s). Most of the instructors I've worked with at destination resorts have been men. That works fine for me as a life-long tomboy. I also got a lot out of an advanced Taos Women's Week with all women as students, mostly over 50, and a very experienced female instructor.

Also depends a bit on the ability level. At Taos, the regular Ski Weeks at the intermediate level can end up a smaller group of 3-4 women. For the times I've had friends in that situation, they didn't seem to care that the instructor was a man.

 

[Chuyi]

@IKam @Scribble loves the women's clinic at Alta. She has reached the next level with that class. My beef is that the women's class is on Thursdays and the masters class is on Sunday. Most womens classes are during the week which signals women are still considered housewives/second rate citizens.

 

[ski diva]

Out of curiosity, is there much difference between taking a camp or clinic strictly for women vs. men and women? I took the regular Taos week and then had a 3 hour lesson in Alta. I think the lesson in Alta really clicked with me. I haven't tried a women's clinic only though.

This blog post might help.

 

[MissySki]

Most womens classes are during the week which signals women are still considered housewives/second rate citizens.

Very frustrating thing I have noticed as well. Like on what planet in 2024 are the people who plan these things literally thinking of course more women will have free time on weekdays for ski camps????? Not coed groups ever though, just the women.. If they offered options midweek along with on weekends, okay.. but that isn't usually the case in the ones I've seen like this.

 

[BlizzardBabe]

Very frustrating thing I have noticed as well. Like on what planet in 2024 are the people who plan these things literally like well of course more women will have free time on weekdays for ski camps????? Not coed groups ever though, just the women..

Smacks of the "barefoot and pregnant" days, eh?

 

[MissySki]

Smacks of the "barefoot and pregnant" days, eh?

Makes you wonder what sort of alternate reality some people live in.

 

[MrsPlow]

Very frustrating thing I have noticed as well. Like on what planet in 2024 are the people who plan these things literally thinking of course more women will have free time on weekdays for ski camps????? Not coed groups ever though, just the women.. If they offered options midweek along with on weekends, okay.. but that isn't usually the case in the ones I've seen like this.

That's annoying. All the multi-week adult ski group lessons at Revelstoke were on weekdays, not just the women's groups. Think there were specialist camps on weekends too. Our group was a mix - couple of retirees, but generally seasonal or remote workers who could make time during the day midweek. I appreciate that being able to carve a few hours out of what would be work hours is easier in a ski town where everyone follows the powder day rules though.

 

[snoWYmonkey]

I can't speak to the resorts being referenced in this thread aside from the one that I know best.

The reason that season long weekly programs are offered on weekdays has nothing to do with gender where I work. Local adult season long programs are pretty much only offered on weekdays to provide work for the instructors beyond the weekends when we have more visitors and school age programming.

There are many more men signed up in weekday programs than women if that helps alleviate some of the assumptions. Again, no idea how it works elsewhere.

They tried a mother specific program for the moms dropping off pre school age kids during the weekday programs but those did not do so well if I recall correctly.

Now there is definitely an age and wealth bias in my area. Mostly retirees ans work from home interest only skiers participate in the weekday season long programs. They are lucrative for the instructors but the discounted rates make them a little less so for the resort I suspect, but it guarantees some revenue as participants pay up front in the summer, so even when the snow is awful, income trickles in.

 

[MissySki]

I can't speak to the resorts being referenced in this thread aside from the one that I know best.

The reason that season long weekly programs are offered on weekdays has nothing to do with gender where I work. Local adult season long programs are pretty much only offered on weekdays to provide work for the instructors beyond the weekends when we have more visitors and school age programming.

There are many more men signed up in weekday programs than women if that helps alleviate some of the assumptions. Again, no idea how it works elsewhere.

They tried a mother specific program for the moms dropping off pre school age kids during the weekday programs but those did not do so well if I recall correctly.

Now there is definitely an age and wealth bias in my area. Mostly retirees ans work from home interest only skiers participate in the weekday season long programs. They are lucrative for the instructors but the discounted rates make them a little less so for the resort I suspect, but it guarantees some revenue as participants pay up front in the summer, so even when the snow is awful, income trickles in.

The resorts I am specifically referencing in New England would have women's specific clinics during the day on weekdays with co-ed options on weekends or even on weeknights at one place where there is night skiing. But as far as I saw in those places the women's only options were only midweek during the typical hours people are working. Wachusett is one that has this for example.. some women here have participated in it I believe, but I looked into it in the past and there was only one women's specific option on a weekday morning while the co-ed clinics are held with multiple options including one night per week or Saturdays or Sundays.

Certainly not every mountain around here does that.. in fact my seasonal program is on weekends and while I partake in the co-ed groups usually there is also a women's only option. But I definitely found a bunch when I was searching for weekly clinics in the area that left me scratching my head.

 

[MrsPlow]

I can't speak to the resorts being referenced in this thread aside from the one that I know best.

The reason that season long weekly programs are offered on weekdays has nothing to do with gender where I work. Local adult season long programs are pretty much only offered on weekdays to provide work for the instructors beyond the weekends when we have more visitors and school age programming.

There are many more men signed up in weekday programs than women if that helps alleviate some of the assumptions. Again, no idea how it works elsewhere.

They tried a mother specific program for the moms dropping off pre school age kids during the weekday programs but those did not do so well if I recall correctly.

Now there is definitely an age and wealth bias in my area. Mostly retirees ans work from home interest only skiers participate in the weekday season long programs. They are lucrative for the instructors but the discounted rates make them a little less so for the resort I suspect, but it guarantees some revenue as participants pay up front in the summer, so even when the snow is awful, income trickles

The cost/benefit balance for the resort definitely ties up with my experience. We had good instructors but our group would be lower priority if the senior instructors had a private lesson booked. Bit frustrating for continuity.

 

[TonyaReneeBray]

Wa

Out of curiosity, is there much difference between taking a camp or clinic strictly for women vs. men and women? I took the regular Taos week and then had a 3 hour lesson in Alta. I think the lesson in Alta really clicked with me. I haven't tried a women's clinic only though.

Was your lesson a private lesson? As a ski instructor I can say that private lessons are the best bet for improving your skiing. Clinics for women v. all, generally speaking when you are with a group of women there is a little bit of magic that happens. You tend to try more things and the group is far more supportive. It's about the experience as well as what you learn and how much you can improve. I love skiing with strong women, it inspires me and pushes me.

 

[snoWYmonkey]

@MissySki now that is very exist. Ick. @MrsPlow our programs are Mayne different in that a group of people selects the coach for the entire season amd subs only come in if chosen by the head coach for that group. The downside is the resort does not facilitate group creation in any way. Up to skiers to create their own group and locate the instructor they want.

 

[TheGreenOne]

I wish there were more options for almost-intermediates.

Whenever I go back to skiing in next season or thereafter, I have to start over. Thought I made notable progress this season but blew my previously reconstructed ACL/MCL grafts again so whenever I do go back, I'm starting over from baby-deer.

Any suggestions for the East Coast?

Swain has back-to-back days of clinic it seems, but they cancelled one of the women only events. Thinking they might not be getting enough attendance to keep all the women-only sessions going.

Also think smaller east coasts resort instructors can be (more likely) hit or miss. It'd be really important to have a good instructor that's well trained and up to date on current teaching techniques with multi-day/week clinics. Smaller mountains seem to have less resources/bodies to do instructor clinics? This is just my experience comparing lessons I had at out west/big mountain vs smaller east-coast mtns.

Skiing and Boarding Clinics – Swain Resort

swain.com

 

[IKam]

This blog post might help.

Very interesting blog, thanks.

 

[marzNC]

Was your lesson a private lesson? As a ski instructor I can say that private lessons are the best bet for improving your skiing.

I realize you were asking @IKam, but I'll answer because I arranged the private lesson for her and my good friend, JF, who has had a few private lessons with the same instructor at Alta in recent years. Arthur has spent his winters teaching at Alta for about 20 years, after becoming PSIA Level 3 in the southeast. I started doing lessons with him in 2014, after knee rehab led me to take lessons regularly as a senior (over 55) adventurous intermediate. Arthur was recommended by my boot fitter in central NC because that's where he lives. The last lesson I had with him was with JF in April 2023, even though we are at different ability levels. She is an intermediate and I've become a solid advanced skier (any black terrain at Alta, Taos, Big Sky, etc.). Per usual for a mixed ability semi-private lesson, I learned more than enough during that lesson to make it worth the time and money.

 

[IKam]

Wa

Was your lesson a private lesson? As a ski instructor I can say that private lessons are the best bet for improving your skiing. Clinics for women v. all, generally speaking when you are with a group of women there is a little bit of magic that happens. You tend to try more things and the group is far more supportive. It's about the experience as well as what you learn and how much you can improve. I love skiing with strong women, it inspires me and pushes me.

My lesson in Alta was with a male instructor and my female roommate was also in the lesson. My lesson in Taos was with a French female instructor and there were other women and a man (by the end, it was just me and the other man).

 

[marzNC]

As I've sampled destination resorts in the west in the last decade, I've been surprised to find that there are resorts that offer group lessons at all abilities levels. For instance, Winter Park has lessons for people who want to improve their skiing on Black or Double Black terrain. I know one of the L3 instructors who often teaches those groups, assuming anyone shows up. Note that he's just as happy teaching beginners or intermediates. Fair to say that the Black/Double Black lessons are usually solo or with no more than 2-3 students (who don't know each other).

It looks like Winter Park had a 1-day clinic called Women's Breakthrough for 2023-24.

I think Telluride has had group lessons for all levels, including advanced intermediate skiers. I know there were flags for Blue and Double Blue when I was there in 2018. The Telluride trail ratings include Double Green and Double Blue, as well as Double Black and Extreme.

Partial trail map for Telluride in Colorado

 

[BlizzardBabe]

I have had a couple of good experiences at Steamboat. I signed up for a full day group lesson (which, anywhere, is much more affordable than a private) and in the level they slotted me (advanced), I was only with one other woman who was roughly my age (60+) and ability. This happened twice and it amounted to getting a semi-private for a substantial discount. The bonus was that it was a weekend and we were able to skirt the lift lines.

This isn't to knock private lessons - I love them when I can make them work and I only do privates at my home hill. The point is that sometimes you get lucky if you aren't in the intermediate levels which tend to be more heavily subscribed.

 

[MissySki]

As I've sampled destination resorts in the west in the last decade, I've been surprised to find that there are resorts that offer group lessons at all abilities levels. For instance, Winter Park has lessons for people who want to improve their skiing on Black or Double Black terrain. I know one of the L3 instructors who often teaches those groups, assuming anyone shows up. Note that he's just as happy teaching beginners or intermediates. Fair to say that the Black/Double Black lessons are usually solo or with no more than 2-3 students (who don't know each other).

It looks like Winter Park had a 1-day clinic called Women's Breakthrough for 2023-24.

I think Telluride has had group lessons for all levels, including advanced intermediate skiers. I know there were flags for Blue and Double Blue when I was there in 2018. The Telluride trail ratings include Double Green and Double Blue, as well as Double Black and Extreme.

Partial trail map for Telluride in Colorado
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That’s awesome! Years ago I tried doing an “advanced” group lesson at Sunday River.. and well we’ll just say that the couple of men who put themselves in that level with me were not wanting to ski the advanced terrain I had in mind, namely off piste! That was the last regular group lesson I took before jumping into the seasonal program I do where people actually do want to ski off piste.

Having an actual advanced black/double black regular group lesson available at Winter Park is great in my book! More places should have that opportunity, and very cool that one might end up with a very small group or private lesson that way.