I want to preface this post by saying I am not a feminist. I actually find feminists infuriating and counterproductive. As a woman in science I have to deal with the reality of the gender disparity on a daily basis, and as a skier the same is true. While there are many women who enjoy skiing, the female to male ratio is definitely weighted toward the Y chromosome. This is true for most action sports; while it does not hinder my participation in these activities, it's a reality that has become subject to much discussion and debate in the last decade or so. Honestly, I prefer hanging out with the dudes, bro-ing out in the mountains. So what, you may ask, is the point of me talking about this topic? Glad you asked (just pretend you did; don't make it awkward).
There are many women out there who may want to get involved in these sorts of activities but feel that it's a 'boy's club' and don't want to be a part of that culture. This creates a feedback that limits the number of women involved, which is seriously unfortunate. I can understand where they're coming from; for athletic things guys have the upper hand at first due to more natural strength (i.e. they can power through something we many not be able to) and a less developed sense of self-preservation. Some women may be embarrassed to fail, so they don't even try. I cannot enumerate the number of times I've failed (often pretty spectacularly, I might add; go big or go home), and it saddens me that this is a roadblock for many. If you can't laugh at yourself, then your life must be incredibly boring. Sorry, but it had to be said.
There was an article I read earlier this year about how there are no women involved in the ski design/engineering side of things. The argument for this is that there is less demand for female-specific gear, so it's not fiscally beneficially to do so. But why can men design women's skis while the reciprocal is not true? Answer me that.
Luckily there are organizations such as SheJumps.org and Girls Do Ski out there to try to get the ladies out and active together. I particularly like SheJumps because of their mission (Jump In, Jump Up, Jump Out) that focus on any skill level, not just those who are advanced. They also have both youth and all age initiatives to help appeal to women of any age. I feel like they really focus on the fact that you're never too young or too old to get involved in a new activity and make new friends to share them with. Awareness of these types of groups is still limited, and it seems that many perceive women-centric, woman-empowerment groups as either feminist or new-agey, so there is sometimes difficulty gaining traction. It's up to us as the women (and men) in these sports to reach out and bring others into the fold, so they can see the beauty, the pure joy of these things we love; maybe then they can love it too.
I think everyone, not just women, should get involved in skiing if they can. Friends of mine could wax poetic about rock climbing for hours without getting bored. I used to ride with some amazingly graceful horsepeople who loved riding and horses more than people. It's all about passion; I think passionate people are happier in their lives because they have at least that one outlet that makes them incandescently happy. When it comes to outdoor activities, men seem to have 'all' the fun. So ladies, go out and join 'em. Guys, invite your girlfriends or girl-friends out to join you. I've noticed gender kind of goes out the window when you're actually enjoying a great outdoor activity; it's the best way to have fun with people because all that other crap can kind of just fall away. You're just people, working toward a common goal of building stoked and having a wicked awesome time. It's passion, man, and it's something you'd be stupid not to try and selfish not to share.
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