Ski de She - Race Update

This past weekend in Cable, Wisconsin was a huge success! Over 150 women participated in the 3-day camp and race weekend, despite frigid temperatures.The camp started Friday with two skate lessons in the morning, and a handful of workshops and talks throughout the afternoon. Friday was a lovely day, with moderate temperatures and really good skiing on the race loop at the Birkebeiner Trailhead. The outer trails are thin, but I have my fingers crossed that we will be skiing the full Birkie trails in February.

It was COLD on race day. I have been really struggling to keep my feet warm, and so extreme measures were required. I wasn’t taking any chances that my toes would be cold during the race so I wore heated socks, then toe warmers on top of my boots, then boot covers. Even with all of that, the 1ºF chill found its way to my feet by the end of the 30k. Overall, I was able to stay pretty warm during the race, which was a victory in and of itself.

I have been working through a bit of fatigue and didn’t feel as aggressive as I was hoping during the race. I ended up placing 3rd, which was far from defending last year’s win, but I was still happy to have been out there with so many other women, a handful of whom were competing in their first race!

I have done a bit more coaching in the past few years and I found that I really love using the skills and knowledge that I have built up over the years to help other skiers feel more confident in their skills and abilities. Working specifically with women and girls is particularly inspiring because I see myself, both past and future, in a lot of the campers who come to this event eager to learn, build community, and have a blast on their skis.

I saw so many women who started the weekend feeling tentative leave with renewed confidence and an eagerness to keep investing in themselves, not only as skiers and athletes, but as well-balanced, healthy individuals.

The keynote speaker for the weekend Carrie Tollefsen, an olympic runner, spoke about not letting anyone decide your outcome. This message resonated with me, not only from a competitive aspect, but as a way to approach life. I think far too often we feel pressure to conform to what others expect from us, to make ourselves smaller to fit those expectations, or set aside our ambitions or passions. Women especially feel an obligation to give our time and energy to others, and while for many this is a choice happily made to family, careers, etc..., it can leave less time to spend doing things solely for ourselves. The Ski de She is a space where women can take a weekend all for themselves, to challenge themselves, to learn, to improve, and to have fun and relax!

I had a friend and fellow skier say to me “wow, it would be cool to have an event like this for boys.” I think that shows that events like Ski de She are about so much more than ‘making it pink and calling it empowering.’ There is true power in community, and creating spaces where people can relate to and learn from each other without judgement. It's about making sure every person who wants to be part of the ski community feels confident in being involved, to whatever degree, or whatever level.

The start of the Gear West 30k.

I had so much fun this weekend coaching women of all levels, answering insightful questions, and even though my race left a bit to be desired, I am leaving this weekend so full of joy and excitement for the season to come!

I want to say a huge thank you to Krist Maki, Grace Hoins, and the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation for putting on this event and gathering so many inspiring women together! Events like these are so crucial to keeping more women of all ages and ski levels engaged in skiing and confident about their abilities.