Women2Women Ski Clinic
Women2Women Ski Clinic
MSG and Blizzard Tecnica team up for “Powder to Prosecco” at HoliMont
Winter has finally graced us with its presence here in Ellicottville, and the town is alive unlike any season I have seen before. There is so much to be grateful for as we slide, hike, and crawl around these beautiful hills. One of the new events this year is geared towards women. Women2Women (or W2W) is brought to you by Blizzard Tecnica, an industry powerhouse.
“W2W is a global program dedicated to creating a diverse and engaged community of female skiers and outdoor enthusiasts.” (https://www.blizzard-tecnica.com/us/en/women-project) They strive to be a trustworthy source for education and inspiration in addition to their quality products. Once I heard about the event and was assigned this article, of course I found out Mud, Sweat n’ Gears was in the driver’s seat! Kim Reading, owner/operator and infamous artist on skis, took time to shed light on this event.
“Last fall, the territory rep for Blizzard asked if Mud, Sweat n’ Gears would be interested in hosting a Women 2 Women (“Powder to Prosecco”) event in Ellicottville. After talking with him and Leslie Baker-Brown, I thought it was a perfect fit. What’s more fun than a wine and cheese party, a little bit of tech talk and trying out new ski gear and skiing with your girlfriends!” Reading isn’t wrong, skiing culture is what really keeps people engaged for generations.
Leslie Baker-Brown, who will be hosting the event, grew up ski racing; her father was passionate about the sport. Commuting every weekend from the north of Boston to Mt. Sunapee in New Hampshire, Baker-Brown found herself on the US Development team racing in 2 U.S. based World Cups. “I went on to compete for Middlebury College and earned myself a 3x All American and was the GS NCAA Champ in 1982,” Baker-Brown told me. After graduating from Middlebury, she competed on the Women’s World Pro Ski Tour for 5 years, then got married, moved to Vermont, and started working at Tecnica in 1989. “I’ve been here a long time! Had my first son in 1991, the second came along in 1994. Both boys ski raced and I coached in our local race program, Ford Sayre, for 15 years.”
What did I say about this sport being a generational thing?
CAITLIN CROFT: Why is it that women’s skiing is so different?
LESLIE BAKER-BROWN: Women’s strengths, anatomy, size, etc. are very different from men, therefore having different needs … (at least for the majority of us - there are definitely some women that are strong enough and have the ability to ski a unisex ski …) is different than what a man needs out of his equipment. And having men test women’s specific skis in my mind doesn’t give the true picture of the ski’s performance for us just given the weight and strength of a guy and how he can bend the ski vs. a woman. It’s important to get actual women’s feedback on how a ski performs. That being said, we do have collections, like our Zero G touring skis that are unisex. Honestly, there isn’t much we would do to those skis to make them “women’s specific” as they are already super light and fairly easy to turn. We do take the typical smaller women’s sizes in those skis and tailor them towards a women’s needs vs. the larger sizes that are tailored to a man.
CROFT: What do you hope to bring to this event?
BAKER-BROWN: Knowledge and fun! The more women know about equipment the more involved they can be in the decision-making on what is best for them. Having that knowledge gives them the confidence to walk into a shop knowing what they want and not be intimidated. And it’s always fun to ski with a group of women!
CROFT: What would you say to a woman who was just bitten by "the ski bug”?
BAKER-BROWN: Go for it! Learn all you can. Take lessons. Challenge yourself. Ski with people who are supportive. Ski with people who are better than you. Get out there as much as you can and practice, practice, practice! And if you can only purchase one piece of equipment to start, buy boots. You date your skis, you marry your boots.
CROFT: My mind has been blown … you date your skis, you marry your boots is probably the best skiing analogy I have ever heard when it comes to equipment. What is your favorite drill?
BAKER-BROWN: My favorite drills WERE hop turns and javelin turns. But my body (hip replacement, age, etc.) doesn’t make them very easy to do anymore! There are some other good ones here: https://www.blizzard-tecnica.com/us/en/story/carve-camp
CROFT: Ahh hop turns, I cannot wait to tell my athletes your thoughts on them … they usually groan with a simultaneous eye roll but they are definitely one of the best. Tell me one thing you wish you knew about skiing when you were younger?
BAKER-BROWN: I wish I had more opportunities to ski powder and I wish I had started backcountry skiing sooner - or that it was a thing when I was younger.
CROFT: Amen. How about après snack? What do you reach for after a day on the hill?
BAKER-BROWN: Beer, oh did you say snack? Still beer.
CROFT: Ha! For me my friendships in the industry have shaped my life. How have they influenced your life?
BAKER-BROWN: Skiing creates these amazing shared experiences. Time spent with friends in the mountains allows a deeper special bond that is hard to recreate or describe. I have a group of alpine skiing friends, backcountry skiing friends, hiking friends that we just love getting together and challenging ourselves in the mountains.
CROFT: How would someone get more information on the event?
KIM READING: The details about the event are on our website (www.mudsweatgears.com) and our Facebook page.
CROFT: As the inaugural event, what makes being part of this so special?
READING: Hosting Leslie Baker-Brown is a big part of the event, and we’re looking forward to having her in Ellicottville. Leslie has been working for Blizzard and Tecnica for 30 years and has made it her mission to get more women on snow and grow the worldwide women’s ski market. In 2016, Leslie launched the Women 2 Women program, what Sporting Goods Business has called, “arguably the most progressive women’s program in outdoor sports.” At wine-and-cheese “Powder to Prosecco” shop nights, Leslie will talk some tech where women will learn about choosing skis and boots. The next day is at HoliMont for an on-snow demo with Leslie and a variety of Blizzard women’s skis. The W2W program is now worldwide and the results of Leslie’s work have proved positive. Through product development, the Blizzard’s Black Pearl 88 skis have been the best-selling women’s skis on the market for the past three years and one of only three or four skis to sell over 10,000 units!
If you are ready to meet more like-minded ladies and expand your knowledge of the sport, be sure to check out this event to be held January 27-28th at HoliMont. Leslie Baker-Brown is looking forward to heading our way and sharing her passion for skiing! Get more event details here.