All of us have memories of our first days skiing. Images of what inspired us to what gave us the most elated turn. For many it is a parent, a professional skier, or a giant powder or tree run, or park line up, that motivated us day to day to get out of bed at the wee hours of the morning and hit the mountain. They were our reasons to ski. The feeling that we get when we ski is insurmountable and virtually unexplainable. It is soft powder blowing up into your face. It is carving deep into a slope. It is dropping off a rocky face. It is greasing that rail. It is being with your friends. It is being on the mountain. These feelings are unique to the individual but appreciated by all. Even with the differences of culture between the ages and styles, skiing is after all, skiing. And for every one there is something in his or her experiences that sets their ski history apart from everyone else’s. However, for women, their simple genetic difference is a large enough part of their story as a worldwide trip can be for a man.

Woman’s skiing has been horrendously marked by the image of the snow bunny. You know her, the woman walking through the village with a headband, pony tail, goggles sitting crooked on their forehead, down coat with a tapered waist, the black spandex pants and remarkably no skis in sight. Over the years there have been some that have pushed the limits; Sarah Burke, Ingrid Backstrom, and our own Sarah Clemensen have proven that women can ride along side the men. Nevertheless, the “girl” syndrome will always be present. The feeling that just because she’s got different anatomy, standards should be lowered and less should be expected, and that praise should be given to her simply because she is out there doing it. Well the reality of this is, is that none of this should even be an issue and less exceptions should be given to women simply because they are women.

First off, praise should be given to anyone, male or female, who is out there skiing just to ski. Secondly, expectations should be made of no one because all skiing that they do is to ski and thus there should be no standards. Yet of even more importance is that special “handicap” treatment should not be given to women because it only holds them in submission.

Now let me be a bit more specific here. Yes, women are physically not as strong as men, but most men are around six inches to a foot taller than women…. Proportionality people! A 5’4” woman is not going to have the same stride as a 6’+ man, thus for about every step that they take, that woman has to take about one and a half steps. They may only be doing “so many” pound leg presses, but proportionately it is probably just as much as a man.

Another “handicap” granted to women is fright. Large tables are supposed to scare them and gnarly urbans should make them cry. Well, this may often be the case, but in defense here is why… Lady skiers are often either limited to teaching themselves on the small line and never granted the chance or patience from the men to gradually progress their skills. Men’s days start nearly straight away on the super jump lines. Women are going to face a strong personal battle if men don’t take them along to progress.

Additionally, women should not be told, “it was good for a girl.” While it may be good for the average woman skier or what is expected, it instills a sense that that is as good as they need to become. Several women skiers have let themselves fall victim to this and thus find little need to push themselves, including myself at times. And although women freeskiers probably will not become as great of skiers as Seth Morrison or Candide Thovex, all of their goals, ambitions, and dreams regarding skiing are just as strong within them as they are within men. So simply praise for a well conducted trick, or a sick line, that would otherwise be “good enough for a girl” should simply be regarded as a good line and that there is always something bigger to hit.

Sure this may sounds like another angry woman’s empowerment article, but if I have to hear, “that was good for a girl” one more time (it’s worse than “that was good for Telemark”) I might just have to get all kung foo on somebody. Woman’s skiing is far behind men and in telemark there just simply aren’t many girls to begin with. Thus, there is a strong chance for women’s telemark skiing to never get a woman’s specific telemark twin-tip (for big mountain or park).

So does woman’s inspiration differ from that of men’s? Perhaps not. Or perhaps it does. For the women frustrated with the “Good Enough for a Girl” syndrome such as myself, perhaps my inspiration does drive itself from more than just watching Eric Pollard throw some big buttery something. Perhaps my inspiration is a little bit in part of wanting to see more women out there riding, pushing themselves to not what society deems acceptable, but for what they deem acceptable for themselves.

People typically ski to ski, to feel the bliss of it all during the cold winter months. Everyone has their own inspirations that get them up on the hill to ski. So it doesn’t matter what gets us up on the hill, what matters is that we’re up there enjoying it.

Note: Erin Young is an accomplished women’s Telemark Freeskier who has several podium finishes to her name in both Alpine and Telemark ski competitions. She represents a younger generation of Freeheel skiers who are creating the rule that ‘there are no rules’. That Telemark skiing can be many things. Keep an eye out for Erin this season in Falling Forward Films ‘Smoke & Mirrors’