Skiing with the guys can be great fun. But when it comes to learning new slopeside skills—like navigating steeps, moguls, or backcountry terrain with confidence—many women prefer the support and rapport of other gals. That’s why so many top ski mountains all over the world, from Vail to Verbier, host ski programs and camps especially tailored to women. Some of these let participants learn from the best of the best (including current and former U.S. Ski Team members); others combine instruction with spa treatments, parties, and sightseeing amid dazzling mountain scenery. Here are our favorite women’s ski camp picks for the 2016-17 winter season.
Alta, Utah: Alta Lodge Intermediate to Advanced Women’s Camps
Camaraderie, as well as improved skill, is the aim at these three-day programs run by Alf Engen Ski School’s top female instructors. In addition to intensive full-day lessons (on both groomed and off-piste runs), skiers get lift tickets that access two different mountains (Alta and Snowbird); four nights of lodging at the comfy, slopeside Alta Lodge set right at the base of namesake ski area; daily breakfasts and dinners; yoga classes; and the chance to demo high-end, women-specific skis and boots. altalodge.com.
Telluride, Colorado: Women’s Ski & Wellness Weekends
The women-only ski-and-spa programs hosted in Telluride are actually long weekends; each offers three days of clinics and personalized technique analysis by top female instructors; a three-day lift ticket; daily yoga and fitness classes; nutrition counseling; and access to the sumptuous pools, steam rooms, saunas, and spa amenities at Peaks Resort (a great option for lodging; so is the more intimate Lumière Telluride). Those with a little more time can also try the more extensive five-day Women’s Ski & Wellness Week, which runs from February 7–11. tellurideskiresort.com.
Jackson Hole, Wyoming: Elevate Women’s Ski Camp
Jackson Hole’s star female pro skiers—including Jess McMillan and Kim Havell—help even seasoned women skiers enhance their technique with their four-day camps. In addition to daily clinics and one-on-one instruction, lift tickets, equipment rentals, meals, and après cocktails, the program includes exercise classes to boost skiing fitness, discussions on gear and terrain, and backcountry tours. Camp participants get a 20 percent discount on accommodations at the upscale, family-friendly Teton Mountain Lodge; alternatively, there’s the area’s newest, chic boutique property, the Hotel Jackson. jacksonhole.com.
Vermont: Sugarbush’s Women’s Discovery Camps
Moms who want to enhance their skiing skills without worrying what the kids are up to are in luck: For each day they participate in one of these two-and-a-half-day programs, skiers receive either a half-price, full-day kids program enrollment or a half-price all-mountain lift pass for a child (or an adult companion). With the little ones diverted, moms can take advantage of customized instruction, video analysis, daily breakfast and lunch, discounted lift tickets, and optional gear demos. Package lodging deals are available at the plush Clay Brook Hotel & Residences. sugarbush.com.
Sun Valley, Idaho: WOW Women’s Only Weekend
Both skill- and camaraderie-building are on the agenda for this three-day program. For six hours a day, Sun Valley’s top female instructors lead participants in everything from foundational technique to navigating steeps, ice, and bumps with ease. Lift tickets, lunches, après-ski events, and morning coffee are included; discounted equipment rentals and demos are also available. A great place to stay is the just-re-launched Sun Valley Lodge (with spacious suites and a massive new spa); smaller, but equally luxe, is Knob Hill Inn. sunvalley.com.
Nevados De Chillan, Chile: PowderQuest Women’s Ski Camp
For hardcore gals who want to push their boundaries in the gorgeous Chilean Andes, this eight-day camp—led by internationally ranked pro-freeskier Ingrid Backstrom—fits the bill. The camp, which takes place during the northern-hemisphere summer, is open to just eight advanced skiers, and includes daily, personalized ski clinics (including on off-piste terrain, as well as ski touring opportunities), lift tickets, breakfasts, and dinners with wine, yoga classes, and basic but stylish lodging at the Hotel Alto Nevados with its spa and hot spring-fed pool. powderquest.com.
Vail Colorado: Kim Reichhelm’s Women’s Ski Adventures
These four-day, small-group camps run by Kim Reichhelm—former U.S. Ski Team member and U.S. Freeskiing Champion—help intermediate-to-advanced skiers improve their technique, build confidence, and push themselves to the next level. (She also runs similar programs in Japan, Greenland, Chile, and many other locales.) The program includes lift tickets; four days of clinics, lunches, and après parties; and the chance to demo the coolest new equipment and gear from on-site luxury shop Vail Sports. A choice place to stay is the Arrabelle at Vail Square. skiwithkim.com.
Chamonix, France: Smart Mountain Guides Women’s Ski Camp with Crystal Wright
It’s hard to imagine a more breathtaking locale for a ski camp than the heart of the French Alps, nestled in the valley below Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe. But this camp delivers more than views; led by Freeskiing World Tour Champion Crystal Wright, the program offers four days of guided skiing and coaching on mixed terrain (including glaciers), lift tickets, lodgings at the Heliopic Hotel, daily breakfast, welcome and final-night dinners, and a spa day at Pré Saint Didier, just across the border in Italy. smartmountainguides.com.
Verbier, Switzerland: Element Performance and Off-Piste Camps
Getting familiar with off-piste skiing is de rigueur for women who want to attain true expertise. Led in some of the Swiss Alps’ most famous peaks, these two-day or week-long camps bring participants off the beaten track for extensive small-group lessons (just eight participants are accepted), practice in deep powder and mogul fields, and avalanche safety instruction. The W Verbier hotel offers characteristically sleek, modern accommodations—plus a top-notch spa and heated outdoor pool. Additionally, for first time this season, Element is also offering a five-day Women’s Ski Retreat, which includes six nights at Chalet Verbiage, a custom in-house dining experience, two yoga sessions, a massage, and a nutrition session. elementconcept.com.
Whistler, Canada: The North Face Women’s Camps
Ski season lasts a long time in British Columbia—good news for women who want to combine a weekend ski camp with spring weather. These workshops, co-sponsored by Whistler Blackcomb ski area and American outerwear company The North Face, practically guarantee that you’ll leave the camp feeling a new sense of skiing confidence. Included in the program are lift tickets, a full equipment review, snacks, and an après celebration. For top-notch luxury lodgings, it’s hard to beat the Alpine-style Four Seasons Whistler. whistlerblackcomb.com.
