First “Women Who Ski” Trip To Breckenridge a Success!

4/30/23
The first week in February this year, 21 women got together for the inaugural Women Who Ski (WWS) organized group trip. One skier even flew in from Hong Kong! Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado was chosen as the location because its relative easy to travel to and its availability of discounted hotel packages. Shanon Jensen, a member of Women Who Ski, and travel consultant with Ski.com, says she was excited to put the vacation package together specifically for the WWS members. “I had no idea what to expect not knowing any of the ladies previously. It turned out be an incredible experience. Everyone who came on the trip was open and welcoming and so encouraging and supportive of one another.”

The women who attended the first “Women Who Ski” trip to Breckenridge pose for the first of many group photos on the trip.

Some of the women took a shuttle to nearby Vail to ski there for a day. Sunny skies most of the trip!

Dawn Wahlburg, a WWS member from North Oaks, Minn., flew in solo to attend the trip and says, “I was very impressed with the WWS Breckenridge trip. I felt the cost was reasonable, transportation to / from airport was easy, and the accommodations / location were great!”

The package included ground transportation to and from Denver airport and accommodations at the Residence Inn in Breckenridge. The free skier shuttle transported the women the short ride to the mountain. Shanon organized a welcome party with complimentary beverages and hors d’oeuvres the first night in the hotel lounge so participants could get meet each other before heading out to ski the next day. “I was pleasantly surprised about the happy hour with drink tickets and snacks. It was great to meet the other women prior to getting on the hill,” says Dawn.

Here, the women get to know each other at the first night’s meet-and-greet with complimentary drinks and snacks.

Everyone became fast friends at the meet-and-greet held in the lounge of the host hotel, the Residence Inn in Breckendridge.

Shanon organized specific meet-up times and locations so women in the local area could meet and ski with the group as well. Kristy Lathrop, a WWS member who lives in Castle Rock, Colorado, south of Denver, drove up for the day to ski with the ladies. “Right around the pre-arranged time, I spied a group of friendly ladies gathering in the lift line,” explains Kristy. “I shyly skied up to them and asked, ‘Are you the group from Women Who Ski?’ They excitedly replied that they were and helped me to find a place in line with them. We chatted on the first lift about life, work, and skiing. We immediately hit it off, primarily because we all had the same passion for skiing.”

Kristy went on to say she appreciated meeting like-minded women on the slopes. “It was refreshing to ski with a group of women who wanted to go just as hard as me! We exchanged contact information, and I can't wait to connect with them again someday.”

Many people are curious how skiers of all different levels end up spending the day together on group trips. It was agreed the women would stay together on the easier runs to start. As skiers got a sense of each other’s ski level, the ladies broke off into smaller groups. “After a few runs, we sorted ourselves into skill and interests,” Kristy went on to explain. “A handful of the ladies, including Shanon and Kami were eager to find some bigger adventures in the double-black terrain above the treeline with me. I loved that they were just as interested as me in trying new things and pushing our limits. We delightedly made our turns through light powder and ducking into the trees. To be fair, we also took plenty of moments to catch our breath and enjoy the scenery too!

Conditions were incredible for the January 31 to February 5, 2023 dates. Lots of snow and sunshine.

Getting to know each other on the chairlift.

Trip organizer, Shanon Jensen, in pink.

Dawn adds, “I met some great women! It didn’t matter where we were from, how long we’ve been skiing or how good you were, there was always someone willing to go down a run with you and someone willing to encourage you when you had doubts about your abilities.”

Due to the overwhelming success and interest of this trip, three more “Women Who Ski” vacation packages are in the works for the 2023/2024 season including a trip to Jackson Hole. Sign up for our mailing list here to be the first to know about upcoming trips.

Posing by the infamous sign for the highest lift in North America in Breckenridge, wow!

The lovely ladies who attended the inaugural Women Who Ski trip. Lifelong ski buddies were made with many exchanging contact info