Concern, Fellowship & Contemporary Tracks: Ladies Main Change on the Inaugural World Ladies’s Snowsports Summit
Towards the awe-inspiring alpine backdrop of Kaprun, Austria, 54 trailblazing ladies from 12 international locations gathered between April twenty first and twenty sixth for a groundbreaking occasion that’s already reshaping the way forward for snowboarding and snowboarding. The primary-ever World Ladies’s Snowsports Group (WWSO) Summit was greater than only a convention—it was a name to motion, a celebration of girls’s management in snowsports, and a deep dive into the challenges that also want conquering.
Among the many standout voices have been Kimberley Kay, creator and illustrator of Ski A to Z – Illustrated Instruction to Snowboarding, and Dr Carol Porter, Degree 4 Snowsport England Coach and educational researcher. Collectively, they unveiled compelling findings from their ‘Concern Mission’—a analysis initiative exploring how concern impacts ladies’s participation and longevity in snowsports.
“Our undertaking uncovered the extent to which concern is an element within the snowsport gender imbalance,” mentioned Kay. “It impacts development, confidence, and retention—and infrequently leads ladies to go away the game sooner than males.”
Offered throughout per week of indoor periods, glacier-based clinics, and invaluable networking, the analysis struck a chord with delegates from throughout the snowsports spectrum—elite coaches, resort managers, ski patrol professionals, and nationwide teacher organisations alike. The info sparked instant, considerate debate on a topic that’s usually ignored: concern as each a barrier and a compass for {industry} change.
“Our findings aren’t remoted—they’re constant throughout the sector,” mentioned Dr Porter. “It was an honour to share them with a neighborhood able to hear, act, and evolve.”
The summit, hosted excessive on the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier, was a dynamic mixture of knowledge-sharing and skill-building. On-snow periods allowed ladies to swap suggestions, commerce methods, and hone their craft below the mentorship of elite professionals. Off the slopes, the dialog turned to tradition change, inclusion, and the way to nurture the subsequent era of girls leaders in snowsports.
Heidi Ettlinger, a founding member of WWSO, mirrored on the summit’s impression:
“This was a gathering of change-makers. We’ve laid a collective basis that may form how we develop and help ladies throughout each side of the snowsports {industry}.”
Kimberley Kay agreed:
“The summit was a gathering of minds in a mountain setting. I discovered neighborhood, dialog and camaraderie which can help my work decreasing obstacles to entry for girls in snowsports.”
It wasn’t simply Kay and Porter championing feminine participation. Gemma White, Participation Lead for Snowsport England, additionally offered insights into grassroots teaching programmes together with She Leads, and launched the quickly rising Ladies’s Snowsport Collective (WSC).
“The WSC is greater than a community—it’s a lifeline,” White mentioned. “Our WhatsApp group is continually buzzing with recommendation, shared experiences, and occasion information. It’s a vibrant, supportive house for feminine coaches at each degree.”
With backing from The Hill – Residence of Ski Rossendale, Snowsport England, and Ski Press, the Concern Mission is already informing teaching methods, security insurance policies, and industry-wide conversations about retention and fairness.
Wanting forward, each Kay and Porter are dedicated to turning analysis into outcomes.
“I got here residence exhausted however energised,” mentioned Dr Porter. “This was essentially the most highly effective, uplifting occasion I’ve ever attended. I urge any lady concerned in snowsports—whether or not you coach or just like to ski—to return subsequent 12 months.”
Be A part of the Motion
The World Ladies’s Snowsports Group Summit returns in 2026. For extra data and to register your curiosity, go to wwso.professional. The total findings of the Concern Mission can be found to discover on-line—as a result of the way forward for snowsports is fearless, feminine, and solely simply getting began.
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