2024 Season Recap and Looking Ahead to 2025
4/13/24
The 2023/2024 ski and snowboard season is nearly over and looking back, it appears we enjoyed an incredible winter of new friendships, new knowledge, and lots of fun sharing through the Women Who Ski Facebook group and trips.
When I created the concept and name “Women Who Ski” as a Facebook group in 2015, my goal was to find women to ski with while giving other female ski and snowboard enthusiasts a platform to find a ski buddy of their own, as well as provide valuable advice and encouragement. I believe I have accomplished that and then some. Judging by the many posts over the years, positive and encouraging connections have been made through Women Who Ski (WWS) with many women reporting that if it wasn’t for the group, they would never have met or have had access to the insightful real-world advice served up over the years.
Thúy Wong posted this on February 23. “Grateful for this group with tips, info and connections that led me to meet Jamie Moore Zayach in person. She went out of her way on a stormy blizzard day to ski with me at Deer Valley. She also educated me about the history of Park City, life in general, and taught me lots of technical ski tricks. We laughed a lot and had a great time. She taught me how to be confident that I decided to ski on the blue runs all day on President's day. You're all amazing people who build up this great community.”
Jamie is an active member of WWS. I appreciate her adopting the WWS “way,” that is, putting her needs aside to take another skier under her wing to nurture and encourage. Let’s all strive to be WWS ambassadors like this.
Jamie and Thúy are all smiles sharing a special connection at Deer Valley Ski Resort in Utah after hooking up through our Facebook group this year.
Another successful meet-up on WWS: Barbara Barushka Strnadova (left) shared this post on March 26. “Allegra Wechsler Lowitt and I just met in this group a few days ago and we synced up at Killington for a fun day of skiing!” Way to go, you two!
Stephanie van Zantenn (left) shared on February 16 about her fun meet-up through WWS: “So thankful for this wonderful group and to Genevieve for starting it. This past week I got to ski two afternoons (Aspen Ajax & Aspen Highlands) with a friend I met last year, Julie Siroonian Mumma, thanks to WWS!
WWS member Jenny Frost posted on March 1, 2023 complimenting what I believe is the foundation of Women Who Ski: knowledge and advice. “I want to share how much I appreciate this group and all of your wisdom from gear to destinations.”
And thank you to those who spread the word about WWS out on the slopes. Many women posted that they learned of WWS from someone while skiing. Angela Pugliese posted this on March 27, 2024. “Just got home from a lovely trip to Park City where I learned about this awesome group!
By the way, these posts are unsolicited. I hope you will continue sharing how WWS benefits you.
Moving on…if you want to skip this season’s trips recap and head right to the 2025 plans, scroll down to that subheading.
2023/2024 Trips Recap
After a successful “test run” in Breckenridge, Colorado, in February 2023 for an official Women Who Ski vacation package, thanks to my travel consultant who facilitated it, Shanon Jensen of Ski.com, this season I tasked her with putting together two affordable ski vacations for women in our group. The trips sold out in a flash so we added two more. All were highly successful judging by the smiles, laughter, and friendships formed.
Above: Thirty-five women traveled to Jackson Hole Resort in Wyoming in January (our largest group) for our first WWS trip this season. Everyone became fast friends and organically found their ski buddies. Shanon arranged special happy hours on all our trips, this one at the famous Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. She also arranged an excursion to snowshoe in Glacier National Park. (I’m in first photo, center in maroon jacket, and in center photo in brown cowboy hat. Shanon is in cowboy hat at right.)
Above: Fast friendships were made among the 26 women who traveled to Whitefish Ski Resort in Montana. Second photo is taken before we divided up for a complimentary tour of the mountain on the first day. Shanon arranged mountain tours on the first day on all our trips. Last photo taken at our end-of-trip celebratory happy hour / dinner at the historic Great Northern Bar and Grill in downtown Whitefish.
Above: In March, 16 ladies traveled to Sun Valley Resort in Idaho. The group on the first day gets ready for our mountain tour. Aprés ski is always fun with a group of ladies. And three new friends have fun for the camera. (I’m in first photo left of center, maroon jacket and peace sign. Shanon in bright red jacket right of center.)
Above: Following Sun Valley, in March, 23 women participated in our Whistler Blackcomb ski trip. Kim Davis Smith (center taking photo) posted several pictures on March 21 saying, “Having an incredible time with Women Who Ski Whistler! What an amazing resort. So grateful to have found this group of wonderful women! Shanon takes the last photo on the gondola.
I believe our trips made a special impact because of the environment I have purposely fostered online in the Facebook group and that I encourage in our in-person trips and in your meet-ups on the slopes: nurturing one another, putting one’s own needs aside for the good of another. I stated on the three ski trips I attended this year that no one ever should ski alone or eat alone unless she wants to. There is always a ready-made lady skier or boarder (or two, or three or four!) available to do your runs with, share lunch, have après with, and commune later on with for dinner. The ladies who participated left these trips with “ski buddies for life,” and now have that one, two, or three friends to call when she wants to ski either in her local area or to travel to a destination.
2024/2025 Ski Season Plans
I am considering launching a membership model to continue administrating and facilitating our ski and snowboard trips. The trips as I’m offering them now is unsustainable without the support of a membership to help make the trips possible. I’m taking the ski club model and moving it into the 21st century. We’re online not in local communities so this requires a re-invention of today’s modern ski club. Furthermore, my passion has always been connecting women in sports and activities that have traditionally been male dominated or have that intimidation factor with barriers to entry: time, money, and fear. I was successful in my career bringing women to motorcycling by breaking down barriers. Now, I’m applying those same principles to women and skiing. I will be offering two ski trips for 2024 / 2025 season. Maybe more if there’s demand. Sign up for my mailing list so you don’t miss out on what I have planned.
Plan Your Own Trip!
Several women from the Facebook group the last few seasons organized their own trips through WWS by reaching out to the ladies on the Facebook group. Member Stephanie van Zanten put together a vacation package to Big Sky Resort in Montana in March with 11 ladies. She says in a post, “People I am with will probably get tired of hearing about Women Who Ski. Why? Because I am just so thankful. If it weren't for this group, I would not have met so many amazing women I now call friends and get to ski with!” She adds, “Reach out to WWS when you want to go somewhere. There is so much opportunity to have fun skiing (not alone). Thanks, Genevieve, for starting the group! Looking forward to Big Sky next with my WWS friends!”
Some of the ladies who attended Stephanie’s Big Sky trip in March.
Don’t be Shy, Make a Connection
I highly encourage WWS Facebook group members to continue making connections through posting a meet-up on the Events section of page, and then using Shanon as your travel agent to help book accommodations and ground transportation. I’ll put her contact information at the end. Often, these “organically” organized trips are the best in terms of the fun factor. On our official Women Who Ski trips, Shanon and I left a lot of room for the ladies to go with the flow and not be locked into a tightly organized schedule. They all arrived with an open heart and a smile and left finding at least one new “ski buddy for life.”
In order for positive, encouraging connections to be made, we must be transparent about ourselves by uploading a front-facing photo in our profile and being open about who we are as it relates to the connections we hope to make through the group. If you choose to be the one to front the money for group things, do your due diligence. Using a travel agent helps you avoid collecting the money. Leave it to Shanon to do that.
I’d like to end with this. I’m a spiritual woman. I pray for my group, and I pray for the success of these trips and all your connections. I know God is watching over us and nudging us to do the right thing. Continue loving on one another through your posts and comments on Facebook. Remember, we reap what we sow. Sow seeds of kindness and peace; reap a harvest of goodness and righteousness.
Women Who Ski Preferred Travel Agent:
Shanon Jensen, Shanon@Ski.com, 800.525.2052, ext. 3194.