I have been organising women’s freeride camps for 10 years now, so I was pretty excited to run this year’s Women’s Progression Days as a freeride and ski touring camp for the very first time, from 12 to 15 April in Lech am Arlberg.
Looking back, it was one of my favourite camps of all time! Being on the mountain early and following the sun’s rays to harvest beautiful corn snow is simply magical. Being able to do this with 21 motivated and passionate women is even better. Due to the warm weather, we caught the first lift at 8:30 am and skied without a break until mid afternoon, after which all three groups were able to meet up again on the mountain to share a well-deserved lunch. Participants were able to test the TX and FX models from Kästle, improve both their skinning as well as ski technique, hone their skills in avalanche rescue, learn from their guides to read terrain better and make more informed decisions on line choice, and of course ski a bunch of beautiful runs. And this is probably the most powerful thing of all: getting the chance to ski with so many other ripping women who are equally passionate about skiing is truly special and something you just can’t experience in mixed groups. Anja Schmidt, a participant from Vienna, captures the essence of what I mean in an email she wrote me a few days after the camp:
“It’s incredibly motivating to ski in a group of strong women – strong both in regards to their skiing as well as their personalities; when girls are shredding on your left and on your right and you just feel so much joy watching them and gratitude for being part of it. I’m still so stoked, inspired, motivated and empowered…THANK YOU so much, you have no idea how POWERFUL you are, especially with your initiative to bring women together to ski and learn.”
In the evenings we practiced yoga and enjoyed dinner at various locations in Lech together, with plenty of opportunities to make new friends.
I especially want to thank my guides Melissa Presslaber and Gerlinde Stickler who did an incredible job at keeping the participants safe and happy. Thank you also to Kästle Skis for providing the ski test and to Strolz for looking after all our needs regarding equipment and gear storage. And finally thank you to all the participants for joining and being part of such an amazing event – the feelings of being motivated, inspired and stoked are definitely mutual! See you next winter!
If you have a friend/girlfriend/wife you think would enjoy participating at the Women’s Progression Days by Lorraine Huber, then go ahead and share this article with them!
