On-Snow Summit Empowers Women in the Snowsports Industry

The on-snow Women’s Summit 2023 took place at Mission Ridge in Washington March 6 – 8, providing attendees with the opportunity to ski and ride together, enjoy keynote speeches and equipment workshops, make new friends, and have fun.

PSIA-AASI Chief Executive Officer Peggy Hiller said the annual event is a unique opportunity for women to meet with inspiring leaders, hear new ideas, and set goals for the industry and themselves.

“The Women’s Summit is valuable because it empowers us as women in the snowsports industry to find meaningful connections and growth in a supportive environment,” said Peggy.

Along with connecting with over 50 PSIA-AASI members both on and off snow, Peggy said an event highlight was hearing insights from keynote speaker and Palisades Tahoe President and COO Dee Byrne.

She said some key takeaways from the keynote included how to: Honor the greatness in others, find a mentor and be a mentor, and view failure as information and a chance to learn and improve. “Dee emphasized that while lots of people have great ideas, few actually get things done,” said Peggy.

Mt. Hood Meadows instructor and member of the Women’s Advisory Group Ying Liu said she made a point to attend the Women’s Summit this year because, “I’ve heard about how incredible this event is for learning, creating a sense of community, and encouraging continued participation in PSIA-AASI for women.”

Ying said she that when she saw the event featured guests including Dee, Peggy, and Eliza Kuntz, the Chair of the PSIA-AASI National Board, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to hear their stories and visions for our association.

Along with boot-fitting clinics, equipment demos, and off-slope workshops, Ying said the most important takeaway from the summit was the way it helped attendees, “Hear about the different paths women take in this industry. This event really showcased the variety of ways women can stay involved and progress in our career.”

“The natural energy of the group was palpable, the enthusiasm was contagious and inspiring,” said Northwest region CEO Kirsten Huotte. “The participants reconnected with many, and connect with new people, all in the process of growing our snowsports family.”

Want to learn more? Recorded women’s gear guide education webinars from the Women’s Virtual Summit are available for free to all members.

To watch them, add each item you want to view to your cart and checkout – even though this is a FREE product, you will need to check out to access the webinar. Listening will not include earning any CEUs.

In these equipment-education sessions from the Women’s Virtual Summit 2023, our experts discuss women-specific gear set-ups for alpine skiing, snowboarding, and cross country skiing.