Special Treatment as a Girl Skier

Mingg

Mingg

Active member
Staff member
Does anyone else get treated differently because they're a girl skier? I never really noticed it but today it was pretty clear. There was a rail jam at my home hill and a lot of really good skiers were riding! It was awesome. Such a good vibe all around and I had so much fun shredding and catching up with all my ski friends that I don't see over summer.

Anyways, it starts winding down and the shop owner who sponsored it starts giving out awards.(Apparently this was a comp lmao) They gave out 1st and 2nd for skiers, and I got 2nd. Now obviously I'm pretty stoked on that but it honestly makes no sense. And this is in no way me being modest or anything, I totally rode better than I ever have today, but there were CLEARLY guys better than me. There was no doubt about it. I even asked them, did I get this because I'm a girl?

I don't know. I guess it isn't a big deal, but I feel like this is part of the reason some guys look down on girl skiers. 2nd pretty much got handed to me because I have boobs and am most likely held to a lower standard. Or maybe I am overthinking this and being insecure but I don't know. It rubs me the wrong way though.
 
They must admire your skiing if you got second, which is rad! And don't think it was handed to you!! Living in one of the mecca's of park skiing I must say if anything, skier boys are dicks to girl park skiers haha. I've paid to do a few competitions back in the day were there has been a women's category and they didn't even recognize us at awards or even give us anything (which is fine cause its not about material possessions, rather respect) I think skier guys assumed we get special treatment since hardly any girls ski park and everything is handed to us but in reality I feel we have to work our asses off to prove ourselves. End of the day we're just trying to progress and have fun but there will always be the haters.
 
I hate to be a dick , but it may not have been judged on best tricks or better tricks or better skiers . They could have looking for many different aspects . EX : progression , style , or even determination . They could be looking for smiles too . Because its a local comp , Im sure they did that . On that note, Congrats for winning the day . Happy monday !
 
13550232:Queen_Selassie said:
They must admire your skiing if you got second, which is rad! And don't think it was handed to you!! Living in one of the mecca's of park skiing I must say if anything, skier boys are dicks to girl park skiers haha. I've paid to do a few competitions back in the day were there has been a women's category and they didn't even recognize us at awards or even give us anything (which is fine cause its not about material possessions, rather respect) I think skier guys assumed we get special treatment since hardly any girls ski park and everything is handed to us but in reality I feel we have to work our asses off to prove ourselves. End of the day we're just trying to progress and have fun but there will always be the haters.
Click to expand...

I definitely agree on the earning respect thing. Some people are really cool with it and stoked to see girls out there. But then there's some people(typically comp jocks) who are like assholes about it. And it's as if every single girl skier is supposed to be pushing the sport and progressing as if they're gonna be the next Sarah Burke. Which for some is cool but like I'm just trying to slide some boxes and rails and basic things hahaha. It's just a weird vibe sometimes.

13550354:klingisking said:
I hate to be a dick , but it may not have been judged on best tricks or better tricks or better skiers . They could have looking for many different aspects . EX : progression , style , or even determination . They could be looking for smiles too . Because its a local comp , Im sure they did that . On that note, Congrats for winning the day . Happy monday !
Click to expand...

Yeah that is all totally possible. I mean guys were doing 2 on 2 off combos, swap to 270 off combos, and stuff like that. So I definitely wasn't doing better skill wise haha. I did hold my own though which felt pretty damn good but I wasn't throwing big tricks like that haha. Thanks!!! I am definitely overthinking this stuff at this point. Time to drink a beer and say fuck it hahah.
 
t's as if every single girl skier is supposed to be pushing the sport and progressing as if they're gonna be the next Sarah Burke
Click to expand...

It's exactly this. If some guy is terrible at park skiing everyone just shrugs it off like oh he's new, no big deal he'll get better. If a girl goes into the park and isn't very good the attitude is more, well of course she's bad she's a girl. It makes it really intimidating to get into park skiing. It doesn't really seem to get any better as you progress either. People don't ever expect you to be any good, if a girl wanders into the park she must be lost, and can't possibly be committed to getting better.
 
13550423:Cyanicenine said:
It's exactly this. If some guy is terrible at park skiing everyone just shrugs it off like oh he's new, no big deal he'll get better. If a girl goes into the park and isn't very good the attitude is more, well of course she's bad she's a girl. It makes it really intimidating to get into park skiing. It doesn't really seem to get any better as you progress either. People don't ever expect you to be any good, if a girl wanders into the park she must be lost, and can't possibly be committed to getting better.
Click to expand...

yep.

that is all. The feels every time
 
13550423:Cyanicenine said:
It's exactly this. If some guy is terrible at park skiing everyone just shrugs it off like oh he's new, no big deal he'll get better. If a girl goes into the park and isn't very good the attitude is more, well of course she's bad she's a girl. It makes it really intimidating to get into park skiing. It doesn't really seem to get any better as you progress either. People don't ever expect you to be any good, if a girl wanders into the park she must be lost, and can't possibly be committed to getting better.
Click to expand...

IM SO CONFLICTED.

This is so true. When my friend and I switch mountains last year we got so much shit. People would snake us, run into us on purpose, and scream obscenities off the lift to us. So it was like a "fuck off you shouldn't be here" vibe.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME I DONT WANT TO BE HELD HIGHER BECAUSE I DO STUFF AS A GIRL. I DONT WANT SHIT HANDED TO ME.

I need to find that happy medium.
 
13552769:Mingg said:
IM SO CONFLICTED.

This is so true. When my friend and I switch mountains last year we got so much shit. People would snake us, run into us on purpose, and scream obscenities off the lift to us. So it was like a "fuck off you shouldn't be here" vibe.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME I DONT WANT TO BE HELD HIGHER BECAUSE I DO STUFF AS A GIRL. I DONT WANT SHIT HANDED TO ME.

I need to find that happy medium.
Click to expand...

Prove to them you dont need shit handed to ya , just accept it until they are proven wrong . I dont get shit handed to me back at my home mtn , cause im considered a bro . not a chick there . If i pussy out of something , im considered a wussy .. its the :You Wont: method . someone says you wont , you better be off to do it . Least in my eyes , just ignore it and step up and show em who the boss is . Send er !
 
My best friend (Ellen) once said "I don't "womens ski" I just ski"

My guy friends tell me not to be a pussy and that's how it should be
 
13554484:erica said:
My best friend (Ellen) once said "I don't "womens ski" I just ski"

My guy friends tell me not to be a pussy and that's how it should be
Click to expand...

Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy woMEN to that
 
If I had a dollar for every time a guy told me " oh, I didn't think you would be good at skiing" or any combo of words like that, I'd have enough money to buy myself a nice dinner...without said guys. That's all I gotta say about that.

As for you Mingg, be stoked! There's definite potential they were being biased and they gave it to you based on that but don't let it bother you if you think it's the case. Just keep working hard and fuck the haterz, if some dude is pissed because you got it over him, prove it to him the next time too that you deserved that spot.
 
13558094:LynxNation said:
If I had a dollar for every time a guy told me " oh, I didn't think you would be good at skiing" or any combo of words like that, I'd have enough money to buy myself a nice dinner...without said guys. That's all I gotta say about that.

As for you Mingg, be stoked! There's definite potential they were being biased and they gave it to you based on that but don't let it bother you if you think it's the case. Just keep working hard and fuck the haterz, if some dude is pissed because you got it over him, prove it to him the next time too that you deserved that spot.
Click to expand...

True shit. I'm stoked that I got to ski with all the homies and It was sick. I just don't know how it works sometimes. Oh well. At the end of the day, it's just skiing.
 
Sometimes it is a good thing to be a girl skiing in compositions because you could be the only female skier at the comp which they tend to have to change the award method because normal female skiers get different judging in a ski comp for females. So it could be good. I won a pair of atomic park skis for doing a comp. there was only two girls one snowboarder and me.
 
You're on the east coast right?

I've never really experienced anything like that out here. In tahoe you're just another one of the boys as long as you can keep up. I've never been treated different or been looked down upon because I'm a girl. A lot of times the girls are the ones sending it and pushing the guys to go bigger. Now i've never experienced a rail jam either so that could be way different.
 
I can't say that I've been treated differently but I have no girls to ski with!! And the guys who I know including my boyfriend are really good so I have no body to build off of, I wish there was a girl squad where I ski 😖
 
13561657:the.wench said:
You're on the east coast right?

I've never really experienced anything like that out here. In tahoe you're just another one of the boys as long as you can keep up. I've never been treated different or been looked down upon because I'm a girl. A lot of times the girls are the ones sending it and pushing the guys to go bigger. Now i've never experienced a rail jam either so that could be way different.
Click to expand...

It really depends on the mountain.
 
yea its awesome. you do a front 2 and dudes are like... sick,and then you do a blind 2 and they are like ...i have a boner haha. everyone is so much nicer in my experience, to the point i chose my friends i ski with because they harass me like one of the boys, makes you step up your game when you hold yourself to the standard of all skiers, not just girls skiing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top