I had heard extraordinary things about the Women of Winter Clinics at Squaw Valley. Always looking to improve my skiing, I thought it would be fun to experience a program of this nature. The clinics are for women looking to hone and sharpen their ski techniques and explore aspects of the mountain they may not have explored before. The program is for women with intermediate to expert skiing abilities
I ventured out to Squaw Valley on a recent Wednesday morning for the WOW clinic. It was a perfect, brilliant, sunny day. I met up with friend Gina Larkin, an Executive Leadership Coach, to spend the morning on the mountain and develop our ski skills. At 9:15 a.m., 13 women gathered by the Funitel for the clinic.
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“I looked down at the huge bumps and realized I was out of my comfort zone. I slid down the first mogul as Matises talked me through each turn until I made my way down the hill.”
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A buzz of excitement was in the air as we prepared to venture out. Julie Matises, supervisor of the Squaw Ski School, Lynn Douglass, program coordinator for Women of Winter, and CJ Johnson, a ski instructor with the Women of Winter clinic, greeted the enthusiastic group with equal enthusiasm.
Introductions and pleasantries exchanged, we were each asked about our level of skiing. We would break into smaller groups with an intermediate group that would ski some groomed runs and a bit of off piste and a more advanced group that would ski black diamond runs and some of the more challenging off-piste terrain. Larkin and I wanted to challenge ourselves and with Matises’ and Douglass’s encouragement, we joined the advanced group.
We took a warm up run on Shirley Lake, so the instructors could evaluate our skill level. Our group headed to Granite Chief. The first exercise we were taught was how to slip slide down the run. This was followed by an off-piste mogul run in which we employed the technique we were just taught. I looked down at the huge bumps and realized I was out of my comfort zone. I slid down the first mogul as Matises talked me through each turn until I made my way down the hill.
The next run was a steep, off-piste run and the conditions were amazing. Both Douglass and Matises were excellent instructors, offering each of the women techniques to improve her form.
As Douglass and I skied a run, she spoke passionately about skiing.
“We teach tactics for people to get down the hill and we teach them how to be safe and yet still try stuff that is difficult. As instructors, we don’t stop learning and teaching ourselves,” she said.
After the clinic, I sat down with Matises, Douglass and Larkin to talk about their experiences teaching women.
“Women are open, they share with other women and allow themselves to vulnerable. It’s a very empowering experience. We’ve seen friendships formed from these clinics,” Matises said.
“It’s great when the light bulb goes on for someone, when they do something and they haven’t done before or were afraid to do. We’ve all been there. And when you learn to get into the terrain and the terrain will teach you,” Johnson added.
“We move the women into off-piste terrain that might be harder. We are cheerleaders,” said Douglass.
“We want to inspire you and pass on the excitement and accessibility of the mountain. In the end, it’s about the group having a dynamic experience and having fun,” explained Matises.
After the clinic, Larkin reflected on the day, “We were empowered to try more difficult black diamond terrain, empowered by the instructors who worked with us on the skills we needed to be successful, empowered and supported by a group of like-minded women all looking for breakthroughs in their skiing.”
In addition to the Women of Winter Clinic at Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows offers a Sunday program. I joined a clinic there on a recent storm day. Ski instructor Margaret Spencer helped our group work on skills and techniques for skiing powder.
Squaw and Alpine continue a tradition of teaching women as the first women’s ski program in the nation started at Squaw when Elissa Slanger created a program for women in the 1970s.
The Women of Winter clinic was a great experience. Not only did I have fun and stretch my boundaries, I learned techniques to ski terrain I may not of have skied myself with the encouragement of some fabulous women instructors. I plan to return.
For more information about the Women of Winter clinics, visit squawalpine.com or call (530) 452-4349.
