Sunday, December 31, 2017

Genderless skis

Gender Labels on Skis Are Meaningless

For a lot of gear, having male or female body parts matter. But not when it comes to skis.

PHOTO: Steve Lloyd
A former racer who grew up in Government Camp, Oregon, Keree Smith, 25, likes to ski fast. She wants to rail turns and feel the energy explode out of her ski. She is an aggressive skier and, at 5-foot-7, she's looking for a ski between 179 and 182 centimeters long.
The skis Smith is looking for exist. In fact, she skis on them. But they aren't women's skis, or at least they are not skis expressly marketed to women. By industry standards, Smith skis on men's skis.
"I'm not an extreme case--there are a lot of women charging out there--but no, I can't find that in a women's ski," she says. "Just because someone is a woman or a man doesn't mean they ski a certain way."
"The message is there are skis and then there are women's skis. We often focus on the effect this type of marketing has on women, but it's a lot easier for women to go out and buy men's skis and feel good about it, whereas most men would have a hard time going and buying a women's ski, even if a lighter, shorter ski is a better fit for them." --Dr. Heather McLaughlin
Walk into any ski shop and you'll find plenty of products designed differently for men and women, like packs made to fit around a woman's chest instead of over and men's long underwear with that extra special pocket. For a lot of gear, having male or female body parts matter. But not when it comes to skis, which are constructed to work with height, weight, and ability.
The basic physics of skiing tells us lightweight skis are better for intermediate skiers because they require less energy and strength to control. This is true for both men and women. Yet it's typically skis marketed to women that are lighter and shorter, compared to the heavier, longer models made for men. The corresponding message is that women, by default, are intermediate, shorter skiers. Sure, some women will appreciate and benefit from light, short skis, but so will some men--and that's OK, too.
The American man averages a height of 5-foot-7, about 6 inches taller than the average woman and 30 pounds heavier. But these are generalizations that don't apply to all people all the time, nor do they take into account the terrain a certain skier rides or their level of experience.
"Just as much as you're telling women that you should buy these skis, you're perpetuating the idea to men that 'I'm a man and I should have these super durable, long, metal skis,'" says Dr. Heather McLaughlin, a professor of sociology who researches gender in sport. "The message is there are skis and then there are women's skis. We often focus on the effect this type of marketing has on women, but it's a lot easier for women to go out and buy men's skis and feel good about it, whereas most men would have a hard time going and buying a women's ski, even if a lighter, shorter ski is a better fit for them."
Surfboards have never been sorted by gender (their shapes span different lengths, widths, and weights to suit varying waves and styles) and bike manufacturers like Specialized are no longer offering gender-specific geometries. Rather, they use the same frame for men and women and focus on adjusting the fit based on a rider's height and weight.
When the first skis designed for and marketed specifically to women arrived on the market in the mid-1980s, manufacturers quickly learned they would sell. They still do. Women make up 41 percent of skiers, according to a Snowsports Industries America 2016 participant study. Ski manufacturers should continue to talk to women. However, instead of labeling which skis they think fit women, companies can talk to them through marketing that showcases female athletes skiing on their product.
Reno-based Moment Skis' top-selling women's ski is called the Sierra, and it sells at 45 percent the rate of their top men's ski, the Deathwish. Both are made with the same materials, but the women's version is shorter, which means the core has to be thinner, says Luke Jacobson, CEO and head ski designer. It is also narrower underfoot to match its length.
"A lot of our women's skis are versions of our men's skis," says Jacobson. "On some shorter skis, you don't need as much material, or when the person is not as heavy, we'll go to a lighter weave. Making shorter skis is a lot harder than making a longer ski because you have to figure out the sidecut and the flex in a much shorter distance."
Essentially, Jacobson is describing the variations in designing and building skis of different lengths--not for different genders. He feels the need to label them as such because of the buyer's expectation.
"If we just make skis, women will be like, 'Where are your women's skis?'" he says. "When we categorize it, we're buying into social norms. Right or wrong, we definitely are."
The label says nothing about the product; it's about the message.
Salomon's alpine commercial manager Chris McKearin agrees--retailers want a women's graphic to sell to women and a men's graphic to sell to men. "The moment we get rid of the women's ski, we risk the perception that we're not paying attention to women and encouraging them to get out there," he says. "I've sold a men's or unisex ski to a woman. But doing the opposite is quite challenging. That's probably for the same reason men overestimate their ability, while women underestimate theirs."
He's right that women are less confident in their skiing ability. According to data collected by SIA, just 13 percent of skiers who rated themselves "experts" were women. "Women, most likely, are not disproportionally less adept at skiing than men, but this sandbagging on self-reported ability levels calls for a different marketing message," the study says.
And that's exactly what the industry is doing when they put a women's label on a ski--creating a marketing message. What they aren't doing is creating a ski that performs specifically for men or women. The label says nothing about the product; it's about the message.
Jen Gurecki, who founded the all-women ski brand Coalition Snow in 2013, says she has never looked at the female anatomy when designing skis. Bucking the notion that women have a lower center of gravity, Coalition considers length, waist width, and core materials in their development process and construction, just like any other ski. What sets Coalition's skis apart are is that they a company made of and for women.
“We are a women's brand because we, as women, are designing for the things we want and we actively only engage other women in the design process,” says Gurecki. “We're not including men in our design process, in our marketing, or in our brand. It's not part of what we do.”
Men and women are different--that's true on and off the mountain. We think differently, we act differently, we communicate differently. But when a storm settles in the mountains, the skis on our feet are planks of wood that don't care what gender we are.
The brand also has a strong feminine aesthetic. "Pretty not passive," says Gurecki. "We don't have grim reapers, but I don't need another fucking butterfly ski. Women's equipment has always been a watered-down version of men's. We wanted more and better choices."
For Gurecki, a Coalition ski is given a women's label not because of the way it is constructed but by how her company decides to present it to the market. So often, if a ski isn't labeled expressly for women, it's assumed to be for men. Take off the top sheet (or don't) and the ski is a tool that works for anyone, regardless of gender.
Men and women are different--that's true on and off the mountain. We think differently, we act differently, we communicate differently. But when a storm settles in the mountains, the skis on our feet are planks of wood that don't care what gender we are. Whether a 5-foot-2 man is looking for a green carbon ski or a 6-foot-2 woman prefers a red metal ski, or somewhere in between, we should buy skis because they suit our height, weight, experience, and style of skiing. A gender label will not tell you anything about how the ski will perform. Let's just call them skis, offer extended sizes in a variety of top sheets, and cut the gender label all together.

This story originally published in the December issue of POWDER (46.4).
https://www.powder.com/stories/opinion/gender-labels-skis-meaningless/?sm_id=organic_tw_social_PWDR_171222_sf177226610#sf177226610

Friday, December 29, 2017

How to get the most from your ski lessons this winter

Preparing for your lesson
Before you turn up for the lessons you’ve booked, it’s worth having a think about a few things which can help prepare you and your instructor.
You may even like to drop the ski school a quick email or add some relevant information to the booking details, to save some time at the start of the first lesson:
  • A little about your previous experience and ski schools you’ve used (if any).
  • Where you like to ski and on what type of runs or terrain.
  • What you would like from your lesson/s.
  • Any previous injuries or medical conditions.
This information will help your instructor to start build a picture and work out which are the best slopes for your initial lesson. A good instructor will know their way around the mountain really well and be able to quickly select suitable terrain for you.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or an accomplished skier or snowboarder, it’s useful to know what other sports you like (if any) but we may be able discuss these things on the first chairlift ride.

What you would like from your lesson/s?  READ ON...

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Ride the Bus!

Ride the Dang Bus, Already

Public transportation is a part of the solution to traffic, climate change, and wellbeing in the mountains


For a pastime that was built around the notion of escape and freedom in the mountains, getting to the ski hill now feels like we're lurching in the opposite direction from those ideals: stop-and-go traffic, idling cars spewing exhaust, drivers angry at one another as they jockey for position.

Though this is nothing new for Colorado skiers trying to navigate I-70, bad traffic has coughed its exhaust-laden tentacles into even the most isolated Western ski towns. The parking lot at Bridger Bowl, Montana, overflows on powder days; the ski area even shut it down once because there was simply no more room. Ever tried driving into Aspen or Jackson or Breckenridge or Squaw Valley on a powder day? Not exactly the quiet life in the mountains we all envisioned. And then there's Little Cottonwood Canyon. Traffic is so bad there it has a name, the Red Snake, a line of brake lights that extends 11 miles from Alta and Snowbird to the valley floor.

Read On..

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Ski Holiday exercises

Mikaela Shiffrin stretches it out.

5 ski exercises that you can do at home

© Dustin Snipes/Red Bull Content Pool
Make sure you make the most of your ski holiday this year by getting in shape before you head off.
A regular ski holiday is just a week long and there is nothing worse than spending that precious time with aching limbs, feeling hideously unfit.
A certain level of cardiovascular fitness and strength will be required if you want to make the most out of every day on the slopes and still have the energy for the all important après ski at the end of the day.
It’s a really good idea to do some light exercise before you head off – the odd run, walk, or even opting to take the stairs over the lift will make all the difference to your overall stamina once you arrive in resort.
There are also a couple of really easy exercises that you can do to strengthen up your body too. Your main focus should be on your quads, glutes and calves, but a strong core is also really important.
You’ll be surprised what a difference these exercises will make – while your friend’s legs are burning and screaming for rest, you will be rearing to go.

1. Squats

Your thighs (quads) are probably the hardest working muscles when you are skiing. Squats are one of the best, not to mention easiest ways of building strength in your legs.
  • Stand with your legs shoulder width apart.
  • Push your hips back.
  • Bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
  • If your knees are in front of your toes, you are doing it wrong – push those hips back a little more to remedy this.
  • Stand back up and repeat.
  • Try to do three to four sets of 20, giving yourself a 60-second rest between sets.
Top tip: If you want to make this a little harder, do the exact same motion but with a weight in each hand.

2. Squat Jump

Take the squat to the next level with a squat jump. Not only will this exercise continue to strengthen your legs, it will also help to develop explosiveness in the quads and glutes. This will come in handy when it comes to turning on the slopes.
  • Start with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  • Squat down so your thighs are parallel to the floor, then jump high in the air.
  • Try to do four sets of four with a short break to catch your breath between each set.
Top tip: Try to land as softly as you can on your feet.

3. Wall squats

Sticking on the squat theme, wall squats are absolutely brilliant for building endurance which will help to prevent the burning feeling in your legs on long, tough runs.
  • Find a nice clear wall,
  • Stand with your back resting against the wall.
  • Move down into your squat position.
  • Hold the position for as long as you can handle it!
  • Try to repeat two to four times with a short break in between each go.
Top tip: Really push your back and bum against the wall for best results.

4. Lunges

Lunges are great not only for strength but for balance too.
  • Start with your feet together.
  • Step one leg forward and bend down so the front leg forms a right angle. Your back leg should be almost touching the floor.
  • Try to do 20 repetitions four times with a short rest in between each set.
Top tip: Keep your upper body straight, with your shoulders back and relaxed and chin up. Try to keep your core engaged at all times.

5. The Plank

A strong core is the foundation of a fit, strong body. You use your core muscles around your lower back and abs a lot more than you would think when skiing, especially when you are turning or taking on more technical terrain.
  • Lie flat on the floor.
  • Rest your elbows in the floor, push up your hips and rest only on your elbows and toes.
  • Hold the position for 60 seconds.
  • Repeat the exercise on either side. Lift yourself onto one elbow and the side of your foot to work your oblique muscles.
Top tip: Do not let your hips dip. Your body should form a relatively straight line when in the air.

Thursday, December 21, 2017

How to organise a group ski chalet holiday

Mountain Spaces have 10 years in the ski holiday business and a choice of five catered chalets sleeping up to fourteen people, so they know a thing or two about organising group ski holidays.
So if you’ve agreed to organise your group’s ski trip, we hope you’ll find these 5 top tips useful.

1. Know your group

We always ask our customers lots of questions prior to their stay, it’s the only way we can provide the perfect holiday where everything is thought of. Ask your group to share all their needs upfront. This makes your, and our, job a lot easier. It will also guarantee a holiday which matches, hopefully exceeds, your group’s expectations. First and foremost what’s your budget? Catered or self-catered chalet? On the slopes or in town? Any specific dietary requirements? Ages of children, any non skiers? At Mountain Spaces we’ll happily accommodate pretty much any special request but it’s a lot easier for us to achieve this is if we have advance warning!

2. Book your ski accommodation first.... Read on

White Christmas?

Snow reports: European ski resorts set to celebrate the whitest Christmas in years with more snow in the forecast




The leading European ski resorts are more than ready for Christmas this year thanks to substantial natural snow cover. The Alps benefitted from excellent early winter snowfall and skiing now at all elevations is on dry groomed cover. The Pyrenees also are in good shape with all runs open whilst Eastern Europe is preparing to offer almost all uplift for the week ahead. Across Scandinavia resorts are preparing for the arrival of heavy snowfall through Christmas week. The North American winter has so far not delivered the very large volumes of snow they experienced last season but skiing conditions are still decent in all the major resorts with the freshest and deepest snow through this weekend to be found in British Columbia and also across New England.
For a specific resort, check our full snow reports and weather alerts sponsored by Crystal Ski Holidays.

France

It is an especially good year to be in the French Alps for Christmas as snow conditions are exceptionally good and overhead conditions mostly sunny through until Boxing Day, when significant fresh snowfall arrives. Argentiere (1,240m), neighbouring Chamonix, is now reporting 170cm of consolidated snow depth on upper slopes and skiing down from top station at 3,275m is on dry soft snow. Today 39 of 45 lifts are on offer but more will open from this weekend. Average base elevation temperature highs will remain cool, not much above 0ºC, so expect good snow conditions to be maintained until the fresh snow arrives.
 

Austria

All the Austrian ski areas are in great shape as we head into Christmas week with skiing typically on firm packed or packed powder snow depending on slope aspect. Through until Christmas Day the forecast indicates cool, bright and often sunny weather with only occasional snow showers in the north but then fresh snow arrives and temperatures fall. Mayrhofen (630m) at low elevation sometimes lacks natural snow cover on lower slopes at this stage of the season but this year all 25 lifts and all pistes are open with 130cm of snow base at the top station elevation of 2,250m.


Switzerland

The Swiss Alps caught some of the heaviest snowfalls of December and average recorded snow depths for the leading resorts are the most impressive in Europe right now, with Engelberg reporting over four metres of snow cover on its highest pistes. Less extreme snow depths but still excellent ski conditions are on offer in Zermatt today where skiers are enjoying sunshine and groomed powder snow with base depths of over 100cm at mid-mountain level. The resort will be opening the majority of uplift and all pistes from this weekend in anticipation of what should be an excellent Christmas period. The Swiss Alps will be cool and mostly bright through until December 26 when fresh snowfall and lower temperatures arrive.

Italy

It has been a fine start to the ski season across the Italian Alps and the Dolomites with substantial early-season snowfall meaning far less reliance on snow cannon to provide lower elevation snow cover than in recent winters. Overhead conditions are currently bright and dry but temperatures remain low enough for groomed dry snow on piste at all elevations. Cortina d'Ampezzo (1,220m) in the Dolomites is offering excellent piste skiing right now with firm packed snow and base depths of 90cm under the top station elevation of 3,240m. The forecast for Cortina and the region is dry and cool through until Boxing Day when fresh snowfall and colder air is expected.


Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ski/Ski-snow-forecast-and-reports/

Monday, December 18, 2017

Revealed: Morzine is one of Europe's cheapest ski resorts!



Big news for budget-conscious travellers – according to a new report this week, the Slovenian resort of Kranjska Gora has the lowest prices in Europe, knocking Bansko in Bulgaria off the top spot for the first time in seven years.

Produced in partnership with Crystal Ski Holidays, the 11th annual ski costs survey from the Post Office compared prices in 22 European resorts – five French, five Italian, five Austrian, three Swiss, and one each in Andorra, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Finland.

Acclaimed as Europe's best-value family resort in December last year, Kranjska Gora has now been confirmed as the cheapest resort overall, followed by Bardonecchia, in Italy. Of the 10 cheapest destinations on this year’s Post Office report, four are Italian, providing an alternative to the Eastern European resorts which are usually seen as a good bet for a lower-priced winter sports break.

The biggest decrease is Morzine in France, with a price index that’s 13 per cent lower than October 2016. Prices have also dropped significantly in other French resorts, including Les Deux Alpes (down 11 per cent), Serre Chevalier (9.3 per cent) and Val d’Isère (7.6 per cent).

Friday, December 15, 2017

A 13-step guide to being a respectable backcountry skier


Backcountry Etiquette 101

A 13-step guide to being a respectable backcountry skier

1. First thing’s first, bring your brain. Making good decisions is more important than any piece of gear.
2. Avalanche beacon goes on at the car, off at the bar. Make sure you pack your shovel and probe. Airbags are useful, too, but they are not an excuse to take risks you wouldn't otherwise take.
3. Know the forecast. Every avalanche center in the country has a website and each offers automatic daily email updates. These centers have also started to spread their message via social media. The Utah Avalanche Center and Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center are particularly effective in highlighting daily messages with photos and video on social media.
4. At the trailhead, don't park like a jackass. Keep it tight so others can play, too. Pro tip: Stash beers in the snow for when you return with your ski partners.
5.

Monday, December 11, 2017

Do you know the Skiway code?

The International Ski Federation (FIS) produces a set of guidelines to help keep you and other skiers/snowboarders safe on the slopes.
It’s important to understand that these ‘common sense guidelines’ are regularly used for insurance and legal purposes, where an accident has occurred on the slopes, so we highly recommend reading and adopting them.
Most of the guidelines are common sense and things you probably already adopt in your skiing. There are however a few rules of the slope which we regularly see people ignore, so we’ve highlighted those in RED below.

Rules for the Conduct of Skiers and Snowboarders
1. RESPECT for others  READ ON

Friday, December 8, 2017

The comprehensive guide to your avalanche beacon

The Experts at Ortovox Shed Light on Avalanche Beacon Functionality and Stress the Importance of Three-Antennae



Like most of your avalanche rescue tools, the transceiver, otherwise known as a beacon, is a device that you hope to never use in the field—except in a training scenario. Having a solid understanding of how your avy equipment works is paramount, and there’s hardly a tool more difficult to truly understand than this minuscule device. Read up on the intricacies of the avalanche beacon, below, and above all else, remember that nothing is a legitimate substitute for practice, practice, practice.


What is an Avalanche Beacon?  READ ON..

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Flying with Skis: Cost Guide for the 2017/18 Season

So, you’re no stranger to hitting the slopes come winter. This time, you’ve taken the step to buying your own skis and you can’t wait to get out on the snow. But wait, it’s not that simple. You’ve got to get your equipment to the resort! What’s the cost of flying with skis? This varies from airline to airline – and if you don’t plan ahead, you’ll get stung. Here’s our ski equipment flight carriage cost guide for the 2017/18 season.

Note: Some airlines will accept ski equipment instead of baggage with no extra charge. This sounds like a great deal but let’s face it, we all take baggage with us on a ski holiday. In these instances, we’ve listed the additional charge of travelling with both baggage and ski equipment.

All prices mentioned below are for flights to and from your destination.  READ ON...
Airport Baggage Area - Flying wish Skis Cost Guide

Friday, December 1, 2017

Your First Trip to Morzine – The Mountains


Your First Trip to Morzine – The Mountains


In More Mountain's first blog in this series they gave you a little bit of information about the Village of Morzine. This is to give you a head start for your arrival. In this blog they give you a quick summary of the Mountains. This information should help reduce “first day faff” and get you to the best slopes for your group as easily as possible .

It is really easy to get to the ski lifts from all of their properties in Morzine. They are within easy walking distance to the lifts or bus stops. Our chalet hosts will even drive you to the lifts from your chalet and bring you back at the end of the day.

The five main lifts you need to know about are Nyon, Pleney, Super Morzine, Prodains and Ardent. These lifts are the telecabines and bubbles that get you off the valley floor and in to the various ski areas.  READ ON..

Partying Hard In Morzine and Avoriaz

  Partying Hard In Morzine and Avoriaz ...