This article was posted by Gale Dahalager…one bad %#$ lady for sure.

It was the second annual Sisters in the Steeps in Silverton, Co. Touted as “a chance for us to collaboratively discuss ways to better the industry we love and to spend a weekend encouraging and learning from the brightest female minds in snow sports.” I knew I had to make the trip this year. I have also heard and read all the epic reviews about the skiing in Silverton. This weekend provided an inexpensive way to finally taste the goods myself. With only one lift that drops you off at 12,300 ft., and the option to hike to the top of the peak at 13,487 ft., for most of the season Silverton Mountain Resort offers guided skiing only on their 1819 acres of skiing. You can ski down both sides of the peak and main ridge, finishing your run at the road where a shuttle bus picks you up and takes you back to the resort base. During early season and late season, however, they do allow unguided skiing with most days having less than 80 skiers on all of the terrain.

I arrived Friday night and stayed at the Triangle Motel in downtown Silverton. Saturday arrived with clear skies but cool temperatures. I met up with ski mountaineer and guide Kim Havell from Telluride first thing in the morning to get our tickets and information about the weekend. At 9:30am we were certainly the first women to arrive. There was a light cold wind which was keeping the previously melted snow firm, so most people rightfully waited until later in the morning to venture out. Being the ski addicts we are we headed up anyway and got a few runs on frozen deep sun cups and ski ruts. We laughed a lot at the challenge of it all and frequently reminded ourselves that the conditions were making us better skiers. We stopped for a lunch break at the base tent where we met a couple of the other women in town for the event, as well as some of the Silverton Mountain female employees. There were always plenty of patrollers around to give advice on routes and snow conditions. The snow did soften as the day went on, and our final run, an all female group guided by event organizer Jen Brill, took us down the very steep and technical Vodka chutes, an area which is generally closed to the public. It left no doubt that Silverton Mountain is the perfect playground for the world’s best skiers and boarders!

Saturday night was the roundtable for us women to discuss the state of women in the ski industry at the local bar in town. Although there were only a handful of women who made the trip for this event, it did not put a damper on our fun. With free pizza and plenty of locals wanting to buy us beer, we had a fun time connecting with each other and talking about skiing/boarding. Many of us stated the short notice we received on the dates of the event as being the biggest stumbling block to having other women in the industry attend.

Sunday arrived with more clear skies and even warmer temperatures. It was also Silverton Mountain’s closing day, with the annual Beer Fest celebration starting at 2:30. We had a great day of skiing corn and slush, getting to see more of the mountain’s incredible terrain. There was a huge turnout for the last day and beer fest, but never a wait for the chairlift. It was a great ending to the weekend with 5 different local breweries having booths (all free to SIS participants), a wig and mustache contest, and a steak cook-off. We all drank and mingled until the shadow of the mountain overtook us and robbed us of the warmth of the sun.

The Sisters In the Steeps weekend was well worth the trip. The discounted rate of skiing and lodging alone was a huge bonus. The turnout this year was much smaller than last year, but I am hopeful that with more notice and better advertising next year’s event will be even better. The concept behind the event is good and the need is great for us women to connect in the snow sports industry. I can’t think of a better venue and will be sure to mark the event on my calendar for next year!

For more information on this program please contact info@silvertonmountain.com