Ladies Club meeting up in Park City
DAY 2 — Want to join the Ladies Club?
Park City Mountain Resort has become a leader in the ski industry with programs that limit the number of children in ski classes (three for the five and under set, five for those six to 14).
They initiated SnowMamas from a website dedicated to snow loving and trip planning moms to help make their forays to the snow less stressful and more fun, drawing on women from around the country. (Full disclosure, I’ve helped edit the SnowMamas’ blogs)
Now the resort wants to make sure all moms—all women—make the most of their time here. To that end, they’re establishing Ladies Club—a two-hour session that starts at 10 a.m.—to give moms enough time to get their kids to ski school or older kids out the door. Though just an hour shorter than a regular group lesson, it’s half the price ($55-60, depending on season) and is designed to be as much about community as improvement.
“This is giving women a couple of hours for themselves,” explains Mary Flinn Ware, the director of the Park City Mountain Resort children’s ski school who piloted this program last spring. Taught by women coaches, the program is designed to show women, whatever their ability, places on the mountain they didn’t know and where they can feel comfortable. They can also get the 411 from the coaches on restaurants to take the kids or where to order the best take out, shopping and where to get a massage.
There will never be more than five in the group but there may be just one or two, Flinn Ware says.
It’s no secret that women drop out of snow resorts much more than men do before becoming accomplished skiers and riders. Women quit because they don’t want to chase after hard-skiing spouses or kids. They quit because they don’t have the energy after getting everyone else in their family situated. They quit because they’d rather vacation somewhere that requires less work on their part.
Here, with the Ladies Club, women can meet up with locals and other vacationers, explore the mountain with coaches, enjoy the outdoors and not even worry about finding their way.
Many snow resorts—most major ones—now offer women’s clinics—typically a weekend or more session designed to help women passionate about snow sports improve their skills. I’ve done several and they’re fun but are expensive and require a significant time commitment.
But this is different. All you need to invest is a couple of hours and less than you’d spend on dinner or a spa treatment. “You just show up and commit to two hours,” says Flinn Ware. “We want more women to be on the mountain having a good time whatever their level. We want to take care of them after they’ve taken care of everyone else.”
Sounds good to me.