Why Women’s Summit Is a Must-Attend Event

Women’s Summit 2025: Connecting with Power and Grace takes place Sunday, Feb. 23, through Wednesday, Feb. 26, at Solitude, Utah, providing attendees with an opportunity to learn from the top educators and PSIA-AASI National and Alumni Team members from around the country as they explore their potential for higher achievement through communication, connection, and gear-related coaching.

There are just a few spots left to ski or ride with National Team members, including Zoe Mavis, Ann Schorling, Katie White, Elle Matalavage, Dominique Vetromile, Melodie Buell, and Lyndsey Stevens, and Alumni Team members, including Heidi Ettlinger, Mermer Blakeslee, and Carol Levine.

Here, Women’s Summit Event Coordinator Maggie Loring explains why the summit has become a must-attend for snow pros every year.

Q: Why does this event matter to you?

A: Because I’m motivated to make a difference in this perennial challenge we have with keeping women in the pipeline on a global level. In the ski world, it’s very pronounced. Women come into teaching a little bit less than men, but then as you move up the ranks in expertise, they fall off the wagon. When you look at instructors earning their Level IIIs or women on the National Team, it’s kind of a shock when you look at it and go, “Wow! There’s not equity and why is that? What’s going on? And are there common themes that would also make it better for everyone?”

If it’s more diverse and equitable for women, then that means men have a better shot at it, too. I feel like it’s really important to dig in and try to provide ways to keep women going and to try to change the playing field.

Q: Why has this become a must-attend event?

A: We’re trying to keep it focused on education and help women get better at what they do in ski and snowboard instruction. But also networking, belonging to a community, and finding ways to make the experience something they’ll want to repeat, just like you would in a regular ski lesson. There’s also opportunity for those who want to up their game, who are literally going toward the National Team or building their programs at their resorts and want some expertise from other women who have done that and can share what they know.

This year, we’re calling it, “Connecting with Power and Grace,” which is about the gear connection to the snow – like trying to provide opportunities for women to learn about gear, how to take care of themselves, and how to demo skis appropriately, get good boot fitting, and those kinds of things.

Q: Why is that such an important theme right now?

A: Gear is an issue. It can be an ongoing problem for a lot of women who find they’re not successful. When they get up to “Level II-ish” there are gear roadblocks. Their boots don’t fit correctly, and it can be very expensive. If you don’t understand why or how it works, and your trainers aren’t addressing it, then you’re likely to spin your wheels.

We wanted to provide an opportunity for attendees to learn about that and to help them so that whoever is at this event and becomes educated, they can share that and say, “No, it’s not you. It’s actually the boot.”

There’s that thing that people say, “It’s a poor carpenter who blames his tools,” but that’s not necessarily true. The gear is the connection to the snow, and if it’s not working correctly, there’s no amount of coaching I can give you that’s going to change that for you.

Q: How does this event benefit snow pros who may be coming from lesser-known mountains and schools?

A: Attendees are coming from all the different regions, and the hope is that they experience this, get really jazzed, and go back and share it in their own regions. So it becomes like National Academy. If we can stay focused on what their needs are, communicate it well, provide lots of opportunity for them to network and find their leadership abilities, and be influencers, that’s a big part of it as well.

Q: What would you tell a snow pro who’s still considering attending their first Women’s Summit?

A: If you’re wondering whether you belong in the industry and what your role could be, and how and where you fit, come and enjoy these three days. You’ll meet women in all kinds of areas of the sport. You’ll connect and leave saying, “This is what I’m good at. This is where I need to be.”

PC: M. Oliver