3 Reasons Why You Should Book a Women’s Camp This Winter

Picture this; you’re with your usual ski crew and you’ve psyched yourself up to drop into that run that’s been a mental block for far too long. But there it is again, your stomach flips; is it nerves, anxiety or that dreaded imposter syndrome making you doubt your skills? Is it too risky? Why are you up here at all? Is today not the day?

This deliberation happens to all skiers and riders, but from personal experience of teaching and coaching for over 15 years I’ve seen and heard this more from women than men.

I’ve taught all ages and abilities including Steeps Clinics with Extremely Canadian and coached instructors on taking their groups into challenging terrain safely. There is so much more to instructing than simply developing a guest’s technical skills; a great instructor also manages the complexities of how to create that fun, supportive environment that encourages people to push their own boundaries.

Over the last decade, we’ve witnessed the rise of women-specific lessons, groups and activities. But why? What is it about these clinics that means more and more women are signing up to participate? How are they different from any other mixed-gender sessions? Why should you book a women-specific camp this winter?

1. Do It for the Indescribable Camaraderie

I have been an instructor, coach, trainer and participant in women’s specific sessions and I am a convert, but it never started like this. In fact, I never really ‘got’ why there even were such things, particularly in skiing – I just skied with my friends, who happened to be mostly guys, and I tried to keep up.

It didn’t bother me, and I didn’t even notice that I was the only girl in the group trying to do some of the same things. That was until I went on an instructor training session where the coach was, for my first (memorable) time, a woman… and WOW she was so petite, yet so strong and indescribably inspiring. I was not expecting that from the day; something clicked and I started to ‘get’ why women have female role models.

Soon after, I had another female coach and we also happened to be a group of girls that day. That was over a decade ago and still to this date, it’s one of my most memorable days of skiing. I couldn’t even tell you 90% of the runs we did, or what we were working on in our skiing, I can only remember the camaraderie, the energy, the support and the ‘vibe’ from an all-girl crew. It was electric and addictive. The girls from that single day not only shaped my ski crew that year, but also strongly influenced the psychological side of my skiing ability.

Trying to articulate ‘why’ and ‘how’ this happens amongst a group of similar-level women is hard. Perhaps it’s that we give time and create a safe space for one another to share our concerns and worries over a feature or entrance. Do women calculate risk differently from men? Does this stem from as far back as our responsibilities as cavemen and women, with women being more risk-averse and protective?

Jump forward a few more years and I was teaching a high-level group of mostly teen girls in a weekend program. Those girls and I skied together every Saturday for about four years. Seeing them encourage, guide and push each other was such an amazing thing to witness and being able to facilitate that dynamic was such a pleasure. As women, I think we typically have an increased emotional intelligence to connect with one another, so the ‘peer pressure’ becomes supportive rather than a testosterone-fueled, nerve-inducing feeling.

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes we need this too, but even then, we’re more likely to see success with the risks we take when we have a certain rapport and level of trust with the person pushing us. The friendships those teenagers made, from up and down the Sea to Sky corridor, have cemented so strongly, they’ve now done road trips and vacations, and still ski together now as young adults.

2. Do It to Inspire Others

Whether we want to be pushed, reassured or inspired, role models play an important part in fuelling passion and improvement. Although we can have role models of the opposite gender, for someone to inspire realistic and achievable goals, we must have something in common. The experiences of those female coaches were that spark for me, physically I related more than a male counterpart and they were certainly inspiring. It took me a while to realize (imposter syndrome) that while I’m looking for role models, I might actually be inspiring someone else too.

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I can almost guarantee that, unless you have never put skis on, and in the same way you probably have to someone else, at some point, someone has looked at you and said “I want to ski like her”. That realization was the inspiration to set up the Instagram account @SkiLikeHer. It became my mission not only to find more awesome women having fun shredding in all conditions but to help other women find accessible role models for themselves too. Not just Olympians and professional athletes polished with medals and titles (who are awesomely incredible in their own right), but real women having fun shredding ice, crud, slush, pow, bumps… you name it.

3. Do It to Make Last-Season-You Proud

As a staff trainer in the snow school, we spend sessions together sharing experiences and discussing the tactical and technical differences between genders, personality types and skier levels. Our job is more than just telling you to “bend your knees”. Yes, of course, we hope you leave with something you can continue to work on in your skiing, but we are actually also a sort of, “behavioural psychologist”.

Our fulfillment comes from working out how, and when to push each of you based on your goals, skills, energy and psyche. As a result, beyond having a crew of awesome coaches who will improve your form, there’s something else about these programs that also improves confidence and self-esteem.

It speaks for itself – not only do we have an increasing number of women-specific groups and workshops being offered but they’re selling out too. Women’s Night in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park in the summer sells out within hours of going on sale so I’m clearly not the only one that’s gaining hugely from these sessions.

So my advice would be to commit. Whatever level of skiing you’re at, book one (or more!) of these programs early in the season. Not only will you have some tactics and techniques to work on early on, but it’s such an incredible way to meet women of a similar level and hopefully make a (multi) season-long ski crew.

Here are some women-specific snowsports camps being held locally this season:

Women’s Ski & Snowboard Camps in Whistler 2025

Whistler Blackcomb

Offer: 1-Day to Multi-Day Camps

Level: First Timer to Expert

• December 7th – 8th, 2024
• January 11th – 12th, 2025
• January 25th – 26th, 2025
• February 8th – 9th, 2025
• February 22nd – 23rd, 2025
• March 8th – 9th, 2025
• March 29th – 30th, 2025

Extremely Canadian

Offer: “We Rise” Women’s Ski/Ride Day

Level: Advanced Intermediate to Expert

• February 1st, 2025 (inbounds steeps clinic)
• February 2nd, 2025 (backcountry ski touring)

Momentum Camps

Offer: Women’s Winter Ski Clinics

Level: High Intermediate to Advanced

• January 18th, 2025
• March 15th, 2025

Rippin’ Chix

Offer: Freeskiing Camps

Level: Intermediate to Advanced

• January 17th – 19th, 2025 (backcountry cat skiing camp)
• March 30th – April 1st, 2025 (backcountry ski touring camp)

Les Chevres de Montange

Offer: Women’s Winter Ski Clinics

Level: Intermediate to Expert

Dates:

• January 18th, 2025 (backcountry clinic)
• February 21st – March 2nd, 2025 (backcountry camp)
• March 9th, 2025 (freeride steeps clinic)

So, I encourage you, if you have had a positive experience in a women-specific session, to comment on the @GoWhistler social channels to share your story as a way of support and inspiration to encourage other women to take that step and sign up.

I’ve heard these camps make great gift ideas for the holidays too…