{"id":2455513,"date":"2020-03-08T22:56:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-09T04:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/skico-celebrates-womens-day-hosts-panel-on-gender-equality-in-ski-industry\/"},"modified":"2020-03-09T08:45:32","modified_gmt":"2020-03-09T14:45:32","slug":"skico-celebrates-womens-day-hosts-panel-on-gender-equality-in-ski-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/skico-celebrates-womens-day-hosts-panel-on-gender-equality-in-ski-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Skico celebrates women\u2019s day, hosts panel on gender equality in ski industry"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.5309734513274\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-322302-549\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/women-atd-030920-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/women-atd-030920-1-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Aspen Skiing Company\u2019s Susan Cross poses for a photo for International Women\u2019s Day at the base of Aspen Mountain on Sunday, March 8, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10.539534883721\">\n<p><strong>Aspen Skiing Company\u2019s Susan Cross poses for a photo for International Women\u2019s Day at the base of Aspen Mountain on Sunday, March 8, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/skico-celebrates-womens-day-hosts-panel-on-gender-equality-in-ski-industry\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/women-atd-030920-1-1-1024x682.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/women-atd-030920-1-1.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/women-atd-030920-1-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Aspen Skiing Company\u2019s Susan Cross poses for a photo for International Women\u2019s Day at the base of Aspen Mountain on Sunday, March 8, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/women-atd-030920-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/women-atd-030920-1-2-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | People gather for a group photo after the International Women\u2019s Day downhill parade at Aspen Mountain on Sunday, March 8, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10.509900990099\">\n<p><strong>People gather for a group photo after the International Women\u2019s Day downhill parade at Aspen Mountain on Sunday, March 8, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/skico-celebrates-womens-day-hosts-panel-on-gender-equality-in-ski-industry\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/women-atd-030920-1-2-1024x682.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/women-atd-030920-1-2.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/women-atd-030920-1-2-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"People gather for a group photo after the International Women\u2019s Day downhill parade at Aspen Mountain on Sunday, March 8, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/women-atd-030920-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/women-atd-030920-1-1024x664.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Women ski down Aspen Mountain in the International Women\u2019s Day downhill ski parade hosted by Aspen Snowmass on Sunday, March 8, 2020. The all-day celebration included the parade, a panel discussion with some of the top women in the ski industry, and an Apres fundraiser. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"1.4608695652174\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"13.634782608696\">\n<p><strong>Women ski down Aspen Mountain in the International Women\u2019s Day downhill ski parade hosted by Aspen Snowmass on Sunday, March 8, 2020. The all-day celebration included the parade, a panel discussion with some of the top women in the ski industry, and an Apres fundraiser. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/skico-celebrates-womens-day-hosts-panel-on-gender-equality-in-ski-industry\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/women-atd-030920-1-1024x664.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/women-atd-030920-1.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/women-atd-030920-1-1024x664.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Women ski down Aspen Mountain in the International Women\u2019s Day downhill ski parade hosted by Aspen Snowmass on Sunday, March 8, 2020. The all-day celebration included the parade, a panel discussion with some of the top women in the ski industry, and an Apres fundraiser. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/skico-celebrates-womens-day-hosts-panel-on-gender-equality-in-ski-industry\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/skico-celebrates-womens-day-hosts-panel-on-gender-equality-in-ski-industry\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">At the top of Aspen Mountain Sunday afternoon, more than two-dozen women grouped together outside of the Sundeck, chatting and adjusting their boots before heading down the mountain as one unit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cYeah, go women!\u201d a woman shouted as more ladies of all ages skied or snowboarded up to the gathering.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Soon, that enthusiasm sounded down the Silver Bells, Spar Gulch and Little Nell runs as the women and a few men whistled and cheered with each turn, accompanied by a black Aspen-Snowmass flag held by Snowmass mountain manager Susan Cross and a few skiers in costumes who added a festive flair to the start of Aspen Skiing Co.\u2019s second annual International Women\u2019s Day celebration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI think events like this bring more people into the movement and get other people in the valley excited about supporting other women,\u201d said Ava Thornely, 16.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Thornely, along with Elleana Bone, Pearl Soderberg and Macy Hopkinson all participated in Skico\u2019s women\u2019s day parade, skiing down with a banner that read \u201cPower to Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That\u2019s the name of the Aspen High School club Hopkinson founded and all four teens are a part of that helps provide access to education for youth in Pakistan in hopes of eliminating generational poverty, building gender equity and creating better futures, according to the club website.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The teens said they feel it is important to help all women access education and equality, and said events like the Sunday parade are inspiring.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cOur club is a women\u2019s club. We all are passionate about supporting other women, which is what we did today, too,\u201d Thornely said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cEveryone here seems to have equal opportunity, but that shouldn\u2019t be a privilege, that should be normal,\u201d Bone added. \u201cAll of us should have the same opportunities, but we\u2019re not quite there yet in the U.S. or internationally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">First through the women\u2019s parade on the mountain, then the panel discussion, silent auction featuring the work of Skico\u2019s women photographers, and apr\u00e8s party at Chair 9 bar in The Little Nell, the skiing company aimed to facilitate an event part of the larger International Women\u2019s Day celebration and conversations surrounding gender equity and equality, while also looking specifically at women\u2019s roles in the ski industry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s important to be a part of that conversation and to push toward gender parity,\u201d said Tucker Vest Burton, senior public relations manager with Skico.\u201cIt\u2019s not just a women\u2019s issue, it\u2019s a humanity issue. We\u2019re all in this together, it\u2019s about everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">After locals settled into Chair 9, buying drinks, \u201cSki Like a Girl\u201d shirts and bidding on the four female Skico photographers\u2019 work \u00ad\u2014 all purchases that went toward supporting Response, a local nonprofit that educates people on domestic violence and sexual abuse and supports survivors from Aspen to El Jebel \u2014 the panel discussion with four major women players on the local, state and national levels of the ski industry began.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">With Mike Kaplan, Skico CEO, as moderator, Katie Ertl, Skico\u2019s senior vice president of mountain operations; Melanie Mills, president and CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA; Meegan Moszynski, the first-ever female executive director of National Ski Patrol; and Kelly Pawlak, CEO of the National Ski Area Association all discussed the gender-related trends and data they\u2019ve seen in their ski industry organizations and fields.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Citing specifics like the fact that 39% of skiers in the Rockies region are women, 25% of ski patrollers across the nation are women and 50 women are running ski resorts in the U.S., all four of the barrier-breaking panelists said that while the industry has come a long way over the past decade or more, it still has a long way to go to bring more women on the mountain as skiers and snowboarders and into top-level positions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">For example, when Skico was hiring for both Aspen and Snowmass mountain managers two years ago, the company received 52 applications. Only three were submitted by women, Ertl said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">When asked why more women don\u2019t apply for top-level positions or male-dominated roles like snowmakers or groomers, the panelists said they aren\u2019t 100% sure, but feel a lot has to do with lack of confidence or not feeling fully qualified.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The panelists also said they feel that building skills and confidence among girls at a younger age, along with a larger shift of societal norms, could help bring more women into skiing, snowboarding and underrepresented areas of the ski industry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI appreciate having this conversation a lot, about women in the industry and how we still are the minority and how is that growing, but I also like to say to people I hope that we can soon get to the point where we\u2019re not having this conversation,\u201d Moszynski said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI hope we can encourage future generations of women, whether it\u2019s young women or women who want to make a career change, that they feel just as welcome because it\u2019s not such a big deal unto itself based on gender.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">One program Moszynski highlighted that\u2019s helped start this cultural shift is the partnership between SheJumps, a national nonprofit aimed at increasing participation of women and girls in outdoor activities; and National Ski Patrol, the nonprofit membership association that serves as the leading authority of on-mountain safety, to put on full-day junior ski patrol experiences for young girls and teenagers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">These \u201cWild Skills Junior Ski Patrol\u201d events give girls a glimpse at what it\u2019s like to work as a patroller and teaching them the on-mountain safety and first aid skills they need (See related story on page A9).<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The panelists also mentioned existing mentorship programming for women in the ski industry to help them gain confidence in climbing the ladder, along with educational resources through organizations like the National Ski Area Association and Colorado Ski Country USA.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe are very aware of the need to invite women in and that means when we\u2019re hiring for a position, my team knows I want to see at least one woman in the group of finalists,\u201d Mills said of Colorado Ski Country USA specifically.\u201cI think it takes all of us consciously continuing to work to bring more women up behind us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Overall, the panelists said they feel there needs to be more research into things like why there are fewer girls and women skiing and snowboarding than men, and why women are less likely to apply for jobs they aren\u2019t fully qualified for than men, along with more mentorship opportunities and conversations around gender parity for women in the ski industry, including at Skico.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cMoving forward, we need to let women know you can apply for these jobs,\u201d Ertl said. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to get all of the jobs we apply for, that\u2019s never going to happen, but let\u2019s start putting our name in the hat and going after our interests and not just what we think we\u2019re supposed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:mvincent@aspentimes.com\">mvincent@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/skico-celebrates-womens-day-hosts-panel-on-gender-equality-in-ski-industry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aspen Skiing Company\u2019s Susan Cross poses for a photo for International Women\u2019s Day at the base of Aspen Mountain on Sunday, March 8, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times Buy Photo People gather for a group photo after the International Women\u2019s Day downhill parade at Aspen Mountain on Sunday, March 8, 2020. (Kelsey [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2455513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 11:36:46","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2455513"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455513\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2455523,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455513\/revisions\/2455523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2455513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2455513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2455513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}