Women's Clinics

[Elena_Ski]

Hi Ladies! Does anyone know of a ski clinic in the western U.S. or Canada geared specifically to the progression from a lower intermediate to a solid intermediate level? I'm trying to find such program but all I have found so far is either geared towards beginners or strong intermediates. For example, nearby Palisades and Mammoth Lakes clinics are for strong intermediates and up. I've taken a few group lessons at Mt. Rose near Reno and found their beginner levels to be too easy (some people were still focused on snowplowing), so they didn't give me much skill progression. However, in the next "baby intermediate" level that I took, we just hit a steeper blue run without much technique explanation. I feel I need to somehow build this bridge from a lower intermediate to a solid intermediate. Right now I'm skiing parallel and can ski blue runs but with some skidding, z-shaped turns, speed control issues etc. on steeper terrain, so I feel need to work on edging and other skills before I take a program for "strong intermediates". Any suggestions on a clinic to remedy this?

 

[newbieM]

Would love to hear what you learn. I’m in the exact same spot.

 

[diymom]

A Taos ski week! They have them every week of the season, and once a season there is also Women's Week, which is coming up at the end of this month. Diva West will be at Taos at the same time, so you'd have the bonus of meeting Divas. And if by chance you can make it to the Women's Week this year, I just had to cancel my reservation at Alpine Suites due to an injury, so a room is available.

 

[Elena_Ski]

A Taos ski week! They have them every week of the season, and once a season there is also Women's Week, which is coming up at the end of this month. Diva West will be at Taos at the same time, so you'd have the bonus of meeting Divas. And if by chance you can make it to the Women's Week this year, I just had to cancel my reservation at Alpine Suites due to an injury, so a room is available.

Sorry to hear about your injury and wishing you speedy recovery! I saw someone talking about skiing bumps at the Taos clinic. Is skiing bumps and moguls the focus of this clinic? For me, that would be biting more than I can chew LOL. Gaining confidence on groomed, bump-free intermediate slopes is my current goal.

 

[diymom]

The wonderful thing about the Taos ski weeks is that they are for every level of skier. Yes, the higher levels do tend to work on bumps They have so many of those at Taos, so eventually if you want to ski more terrain you will want to work on bumps. But if you aren't ready for them, or just have no interest in bumps, no worries. The focus is just making you a better skier, at what ever level you are at, and whatever terrain you are comfortable on.

 

[Jilly]

Whistler Blackcomb has women's weekend camps. Geared for any level.
Rossignol has something called We Rise. It seems to be through facebook only for where and when.
Everything I see in Canada is for upper intermediate and beyond.

And to me, that sucks...

 

[marzNC]

Sorry to hear about your injury and wishing you speedy recovery! I saw someone talking about skiing bumps at the Taos clinic. Is skiing bumps and moguls the focus of this clinic? For me, that would be biting more than I can chew LOL. Gaining confidence on groomed, bump-free intermediate slopes is my current goal.

The Taos Ski Weeks are unique because it's not just a "clinic" during a certain week for a given ability level. It's a 6-morning lesson program offered all during the season. There can be as many classes as necessary to accommodate whoever is taking a Ski Week starting on Sunday (or Monday if necessary). I've been there when about 75 people were sorted into classes of no more than 7 students, ranging from advanced beginner to expert.

Here are a couple of trip reports for Ski Weeks in January that included intermediates.

Taos ski week 1/14/18 - 1/19/18: Intermediate's Trip Report

I’ve been wanting to do a Taos ski week since last season and decided to go for it this season. I reached out to one of Taos regulars I met on Epic Ski. According to him, condition wise, Taos had a better condition in Jan. than Feb. the past few seasons. I pulled the plug and reserved VRBO...

www.theskidiva.com

TR Taos Ski Week Jan. 20-25, 2019 with intermediate Divas

This season I’m doing two Taos Ski Weeks. This is the first week based on the plans that @alison wong had for her second Ski Week during MLK Week. Going to try to keep up with the trip report with text at least. Photos will have to wait. The Divas doing this Ski Week are intermediates. Here...

www.theskidiva.com

The week of Feb. 5, 2023 there were 6-7 classes. The least experience skier was starting off on Sunday in a group of 1. She looked like an advanced beginner just started to ski easy blues. The next group was four women who were not ready for bumps yet. A friend who was at Taos for the first time was in that group.

Feb. 5 Taos Ski Week ski off in progress, intermediates on the lower left

 

[liquidfeet]

...
I feel I need to somehow build this bridge from a lower intermediate to a solid intermediate. Right now I'm skiing parallel and can ski blue runs but with some skidding, z-shaped turns, speed control issues etc. on steeper terrain, so I feel need to work on edging and other skills before I take a program for "strong intermediates". Any suggestions on a clinic to remedy this?

Do you have a ski area near where you live? If yes, have you considered taking private lessons there? For skill-building, finding an instructor you like who gets to know you over time and taking lessons from that person to target exactly what your skiing needs can be a highly successful approach.

You could take several lessons over the season with time in between to practice what you're being taught. You would be working on the skills needed to replace those z-shaped turns with round ones. Learning to make round turns with a short radius, ones that don't end up with you skidding out, will give you control over your speed on blue terrain. With that control you can explore so much more of any mountain's offerings.

Private lessons don't offer the social advantages of a camp, but if spaced out over a season they can be quite successful in helping you advance.

If you don't live close enough to do day trips to a local ski area, then the next best thing might be that Taos Ski Week option. You will be placed in a group according to your ability. At your level your group would be working on groomer skiing. The Taos Ski Week consists of 6 morning lessons, Sunday - Friday, 9:30-12:00. This schedule gives you the afternoons to practice what you've learned, and you can ski with others in your group in the afternoons if you like. They run all season, and you can sign up the day of.

Taos is on the Ikon pass. Do you have that?

 

[xxs_skier]

Hi Ladies! Does anyone know of a ski clinic in the western U.S. or Canada geared specifically to the progression from a lower intermediate to a solid intermediate level? I'm trying to find such program but all I have found so far is either geared towards beginners or strong intermediates. For example, nearby Palisades and Mammoth Lakes clinics are for strong intermediates and up. I've taken a few group lessons at Mt. Rose near Reno and found their beginner levels to be too easy (some people were still focused on snowplowing), so they didn't give me much skill progression. However, in the next "baby intermediate" level that I took, we just hit a steeper blue run without much technique explanation. I feel I need to somehow build this bridge from a lower intermediate to a solid intermediate. Right now I'm skiing parallel and can ski blue runs but with some skidding, z-shaped turns, speed control issues etc. on steeper terrain, so I feel need to work on edging and other skills before I take a program for "strong intermediates". Any suggestions on a clinic to remedy this?

Are you looking for this year or next? Whistler has another women's camp in April. I'm hoping I can go to one of their camps next season (still a beginner, hopefully I will progress more by the end of the season).

Edited to add: they have a March one too

 

[skinnyfootskis]

Sorry to hear about your injury and wishing you speedy recovery! I saw someone talking about skiing bumps at the Taos clinic. Is skiing bumps and moguls the focus of this clinic? For me, that would be biting more than I can chew LOL. Gaining confidence on groomed, bump-free intermediate slopes is my current goal.

We did a ski week in Jan at TAOS it was amazing. You will fit into a like group. If you are not happy you can switch. There is no pressure other than to help you improve and enjoy.

 

[marzNC]

We did a ski week in Jan at TAOS it was amazing. You will fit into a like group. If you are not happy you can switch. There is no pressure other than to help you improve and enjoy.

What were the blues that you were on with the instructor?

 

[skinnyfootskis]

What were the blues that you were on with the instructor?

all that were open at the time. Porcupine. Lower Strauffenberg (my fav), firlefanz with instructor, Bambi, upper totemoff, shalako but I think the beats were all closed.

 

[marzNC]

all that were open at the time. Porcupine. Lower Strauffenberg (my fav), firlefanz with instructor, Bambi, upper totemoff, shalako but I think the beats were all closed.

For blue groomers, those are the long ones used the most by instructors. Not just for intermediates but also for advanced classes for warm ups and working on certain drills.

That's about the same terrain that was open the beginning of the week in February 2018 when I did Women's Ski Week. That was actually my first Ski Week. I was in the top group that normally would've been skiing black terrain on Day 1 and double-black terrain by mid-week. While we didn't get to work on bunch much until there was a snowstorm mid-week, I learned a lot of useful drills for fundamentals. Some I'd done before and others were new.

 

[SquidWeaselYay]

Okay, they just sent us the video from the Donna Weinbrecht Clinic in Killington. The video is kind of boring; it's our first day runs that they used to do video analysis. But the songs are cracking me up! LOL

Check out Donna's absolutely beautiful skiing in the beginning.

 

[SquidWeaselYay]

Gonna hijack the thread a second: Has anyone done the Big Sky Women's Clinic? I'm tempted, but I am not sure if I'm good enough. It says the minimum ability is to be a strong parallel skier, and I'm way past that, but still....I'm intimidated yet intrigued.

Big Sky Womens Clinic

 

[marzNC]

Gonna hijack the thread a second: Has anyone done the Big Sky Women's Clinic? I'm tempted, but I am not sure if I'm good enough. It says the minimum ability is to be a strong parallel skier, and I'm way past that, but still....I'm intimidated yet intrigued.

Big Sky Womens Clinic

Sounds like the goal for the advanced-intermediate is to get off the blues and onto "non-groomed" black terrain. Assuming they break into groups by ability, I don't see why you wouldn't have a good experience.

This clinic is designed for advanced-intermediate to expert skiers looking to expand their horizons from off-piste through double black diamonds The 3-day clinic follows a progression that will build your confidence to ski more of the Big Sky’s vast terrain options.

• Students will ski both groomed and non-groomed terrain (trees, bumps, steeps, a mix of all).
• Each day builds on the previous to promote greater success in ability to maintain progress and explore more of the mountain.
• The minimum ability required for this clinic is a strong parallel skier (no wedge) on all blue terrain (including bumps and powder).

 

[SquidWeaselYay]

Sounds like the goal for the advanced-intermediate is to get off the blues and onto "non-groomed" black terrain. Assuming they break into groups by ability, I don't see why you wouldn't have a good experience.

This clinic is designed for advanced-intermediate to expert skiers looking to expand their horizons from off-piste through double black diamonds The 3-day clinic follows a progression that will build your confidence to ski more of the Big Sky’s vast terrain options.

• Students will ski both groomed and non-groomed terrain (trees, bumps, steeps, a mix of all).
• Each day builds on the previous to promote greater success in ability to maintain progress and explore more of the mountain.
• The minimum ability required for this clinic is a strong parallel skier (no wedge) on all blue terrain (including bumps and powder).

I’m just always nervous about getting in over my head and being the one that hold everyone else up. I would hate to go and it ends up being all experts and then there is me, still trying to link more than 3 moguls together.

 

[SquidWeaselYay]

The minimum ability required for this clinic is a strong parallel skier (no wedge) on all blue terrain (including bumps and powder).

Also, not sure if they mean actual DEEP powder, not east coast “powder.” If they mean actual powder, I’d be screwed. I can’t ski good snow lol

 

[marzNC]

Also, not sure if they mean actual DEEP powder, not east coast “powder.” If they mean actual powder, I’d be screwed. I can’t ski good snow lol

A blue at Big Sky is going to be a groomed trail or won't have too much pitch. While Big Sky gets plenty of snow, it's not that often that a storm dumps more than 6 inches in a day. I'm sure there are northeast skiers who want to do the clinic because they want help learning how to deal with fresh snow that's not on top of flash-frozen ice.

I’m just always nervous about getting in over my head and being the one that hold everyone else up. I would hate to go and it ends up being all experts and then there is me, still trying to link more than 3 moguls together.

My impression for these types of clinics at destination resorts is that they won't mix people of different ability levels. If there are only a few people in the advanced-intermediate level, then that would be a separate small group from those who fit the "expert" category.

It's probably worth a phone call to chat with someone at the Big Sky ski school about your concerns.

Are you thinking of doing the Big Sky Women's Clinic March 4-6?

 

[SquidWeaselYay]

A blue at Big Sky is going to be a groomed trail or won't have too much pitch. While Big Sky gets plenty of snow, it's not that often that a storm dumps more than 6 inches in a day. I'm sure there are northeast skiers who want to do the clinic because they want help learning how to deal with fresh snow that's not on top of flash-frozen ice.


My impression for these types of clinics at destination resorts is that they won't mix people of different ability levels. If there are only a few people in the advanced-intermediate level, then that would be a separate small group from those who fit the "expert" category.

It's probably worth a phone call to chat with someone at the Big Sky ski school about your concerns.

Are you thinking of doing the Big Sky Women's Clinic March 4-6?

Good points. I’ve skied Big Sky many times, usually stick to blues and blacks. I don’t think I’ve ever done a double black out there. I’ve also never done the team accessed terrain. I think the most difficult terrain out there I’ve done is the challenger lift and one of the bowls. I didn’t die, but it wasn’t my best skiing.

Yes, looking at the early March one. If I can swing it time-wise. I still have to make it back up to Race Stock to get some boot work done before we go.