Burton Women’s Retreat 2009 | Not “just” a Pillow Fight

Burton dropped in on Stevens Pass for the 2nd year in a row rallying ladies who plain and simple, just want to shred!  From beginners to pros and industry veterans, call it a Variety Pack of ladies both in age range and ability.

Not to be mistaken for merely a day or two of pampering (though there were massages available), each attendee was there to progress and to draw on this incredible crew of instructors and mentors to take their riding to the next level.  As the day moved along it was obvious that there was more than just learning to be had from this group of girls… yup, all that bonding was enough to make you teary eyed! I love it.

Originally i was planning to cruise on up as an attendee but ended up shooting some photo and video which worked out really well.  No broken camera parts to report…yeah i know, surprising to me too.

Ill be honest, i was a bit nervous.  I’d never really been in to these girly things and frankly, most of the people i ride with are guys.  It’s not like i do it on purpose, it’s just my M.O.  So yeah, not wanting to show up solo and stuck with a whole bunch of random girls, i sent a couple emails out and convinced Rachel and Jennae from the office to join me for the first day…..by Day 2 i felt like i had a crew of 30-40 (ish) friends that i had really connected with and i felt really comfortable around these people i’d known for barely 24 hours.  It was really cool.  I drew off their energy….it was contagious! It reminded me of the first couple years that i was snowboarding when i was learning something new every day and that feeling of accomplishment that you get after every run!

I definitely don’t think that men and women need to be segregated out there on the hill but providing non-intimidating learning environments are key for drawing new participants to this sport, especially women.  Coupled with promoting awareness and making programs like this accessible will only create demand for more programs, competitions, products and attraction down the road. I guess the main point would be to get out there as much as possible, keep bugging your local shop about programs and product and love what you do!