Interski 2023: Increasing Gender Equity in Snowsports
PSIA Alpine Team member Ann Schorling will take center stage at Interski 2023 in Levi, Finland, tonight, presenting her keynote address on Increasing Gender Equity in Snowsports Instruction.
According to the information that Ann will present during her keynote, worldwide women account for less than 40 percent of all skier visits, and that number has changed little in the past 20 years. Also, the percentage of snowsports instructors identifying as women is even lower and decreases with higher levels of certification.
With a desire to increase gender equity in snowsports instruction at a local level, Ann facilitated community research at Big Sky Resort, Montana to improve gender equity among their instructors.
Her keynote will share the findings of her work with Big Sky Resort and its connections to other research on gender, sport, and leadership throughout the world.
Here, Ann, along with PSIA-AASI Chief Executive Officer Peggy Hiller, PSIA-AASI Board Chair Eliza Kuntz, PSIA Cross Country Team Coach Emily Lovett, and Tuesday Tea Talk Host Stacey Gerrish share their thoughts on Interski, teaching, and how they are working to create more opportunities for women in snowsports instruction now, and in the future.
Ann Schorling
PSIA Alpine Team
“My takeaways are going to be different for people in the audience depending on why they are there. For the people who might not be aware that gender bias exists, I want them to understand it is real, and it does have an impact on how snowsports schools assign lessons, and how women build a career in this industry.”
“For the people who consider gender bias a problem, I want them to know we can talk about it, and we can work together to create tools to address it for the benefit of everyone. When you look at the theme of this Interski, ‘The Guest Experience is Everything,’ gender inclusivity is part of the guest experience, and this is a valuable time to be talking about this issue.”
Peggy Hiller
PSIA-AASI Chief Executive Officer
“Coming to this event and seeing how our team interacts with each other and also collaborates with all the other countries makes me so proud to be a part of this association. What’s great about this event is no one is trying to be better than each other. Everyone is here to share snowsports education for the benefit of all the countries involved. I was in a people skills workshop with PSIA Alpine Team members Dusty Dyar and Josh Fogg, and everyone was energized by the information being shared.”
Eliza Kuntz
PSIA-AASI Board Chair
“I think when you combine the theme of this Interski, ‘The Guest Experience is Everything,’ and the topic of inclusion, the message is that no one gets left out. Inclusion means everyone is welcome on the slopes, regardless of gender or what device they choose to slide on. When it comes to teaching lessons, we welcome everyone. The positive impact of diversity is that we all have so much to learn from each other. If we were all the same, we wouldn’t have anything to learn. Welcoming diversity makes us all stronger together.”
Emily Lovett
PSIA Cross Country Team Coach
“My biggest takeaway from Interski is how we work together as ONEteam. The synergy and shared vision of everyone on the team has gotten us to where we are. The excitement for cross country skiing here is also fantastic – and not just among the attending teams and fact that there are 230-plus kilometers of cross country trails, but that this is also something that is celebrated by the community and people who come to vacation here.”
Stacey Gerrish
Tuesday Tea Talks Host
“Interski helps me understand our business from a global perspective. It allows me to feel that I am part of a small, close-knit community in a larger world. And the event also helps us all move our industry forward when we hear best practices and ideas from people who have already made them work at their own snowsports schools and resorts.”
