It took just one chairlift ride. By the time I skated away from the double toward the treeless saddle and a colorful group of fellow shredders, I was smitten. Silverton Mountain鈥攖ucked into Colorado鈥檚 rugged and 颅romantic San Juans鈥攈as this effect on people. Despite growing up six hours away, I鈥檇 never skied the area, which has a single lift that deposits riders beside a sweeping bowl ringed by toothy peaks. It鈥檚 backcountry with a boost: everyone carries a shovel, beacon, and probe, and unless you booked a heli, you鈥檙e boot-packing to the best runs. And I鈥檓 a sucker for a good boot-pack.聽
The trip was made even more enchanting by the fact that nearly every skier on the mountain was a woman. Experts from across the U.S. had come for the Sisters鈥 Meeting in the Mountains, a steep-skiing party begun ten years ago by Silverton cofounder Jen Brill. The Sisters鈥 gathering now draws more than 80 skiers, and it illustrates an often overlooked dynamic: female participation is on the rise. The number of women skiers has grown 12 percent since 2013, according to the Outdoor Industry Association. 聽聽
All the best skiers I know are 颅women, and the Silvy fest was more (unneeded) evidence that there鈥檚 a strong community of lady shredders in mountain towns. Which is why I鈥檓 baffled that so many gear companies seem to have missed the memo. Our female ski testers unanimously complained about women-specific models that had been lightened and softened to聽the point of riding like overcooked noodles. For the women鈥檚 backcountry kit, we chose a unisex ski over the female ver颅sion. 国产吃瓜黑料, of course, is guilty of mar颅ginalizing the stuff, too. This is our first Buyer鈥檚 Guide that hasn鈥檛 cordoned off the women鈥檚 gear in the back, for instance. No longer. In the months ahead, we鈥檒l also be launching an online gear column for women, aimed at being useful and candid, and you can expect to see more women鈥檚 pages in future print issues. In the end, the gear matters a lot less than the community, but it also makes a powerful turn on a rugged slope in southwestern Colorado that much funner. So please, gear manufacturers: design equipment that can keep up.