Learning to ski like a woman

By Lynne Morrall

Standing in a room, eyes closed, imagining myself as light as a helium balloon is not how I expected to start a programme of skiing lessons.

Still smiling after three intensive days

This was no ordinary skiing lesson, though.

The Women's Ski and Ride Discovery (WSRD) clinic at Sugarbush, Vermont is one of a number of women-only lessons created in response to a greater awareness of the different ways men and women approach learning.

I decided to try the "women-only" clinic after a couple of frustrating experiences with mixed classes which seemed too competitive to be constructive.

Ashley Fischer, the Women's Programs Coordinator at Sugarbush, said that ending the myth of skiing as a "boys' club" was one of the reasons for starting the clinic.

"We understand that women need to use their skills because we don't have the physical strength and muscle mass that most men do," she said.

"Best of all, women bring a great deal of support to each other when faced with a new challenge that might involve some anxiety or fear."

Dealing with fear can be a key component of such courses which aim to tackle both the physiological and psychological issues women face on the slopes.

Our job in Women's Ski and Ride Discovery is to make it fun again Ashley Fischer, WSRD

Which leads back to the helium balloon exercise, designed to show that the mind has a greater control than we might realise over our performance on the piste.

On the slope I joined the cautious intermediates group and saw my own worries reflected in my fellow skiers' faces.

Our instructor, Robin, patiently dealt with both our fears and our bad habits, from leaning back too far to constantly looking down at our skis.

"Are you afraid they might have disappeared, Lynne?" she said.

Girl powder

The clinic takes skiers of all levels and one of the benefits of the programme is the chance to swap experiences and advice at the lunch breaks.

Yes, there was some gossiping about shopping and children but the husbands and partners of these women would probably be surprised at how seriously they take their sport.

Ski resorts, though, are starting to take women's skiing seriously. The Ski Like a Woman website, developed by a WSRD participant, lists over 250 resorts worldwide which offer women-only programmes.

But Fischer admitted the problem is spreading the word.

"We not only have to offer more opportunities for women, we need to let them know that they exist for them," she said.

At the end of three days I felt I had not only improved my technique, I had rediscovered the reason I started skiing in the first place - it is fun!

My experience was echoed by many of the other students, who said they would definitely consider women-only clinics again.

The programme ended, not with the traditional competitive slalom race, but with laughter, promises to meet up again next year and a group of tired but happy skiers dancing around the room in their ski boots to Shania Twain.