LOCALadk Magazine
Issue link: https://localadkmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1508038
LOCALadk 30 A few weeks later, we met again under totally dif- ferent conditions. Snow fell furiously as we booted up early in the Whiteface parking lot, trying to keep the cameras dry. March seemed to deliver the snow we had been hoping for all season, and we all had a pow- der day glow. Powder days in the Adirondacks are spe- cial. With one look out the window, we forget about all the days skiing on ice and crust, in the sleet and the rain. We fall in love with the sport all over again. After a few hours of smashing powder stashes and free refills, we gathered at the base. Out of the crowd, women started showing up: alone or in pairs, with snowboards and skis, brightly colored jackets and cheeks rosy from the cold. We had put out a kind of "casting call" through the Women of the ADKs Insta- gram page and women from all over the state showed up. Officially, we organized the meet up for the film, but really it was just a good excuse for a large group of women to ski together. A group of about 20 wom- en assembled, ready to flood the mountain together. Someone pulled out a tube of glitter on the way to the gondola line. At the top, the crowds seemed to part for this force of feminine energy, headed out to storm the mountain together. The next day, I gathered with Caitlin, Maddie, and Kyra in Caitlin's cozy living room, sipping tea and eat- ing chili. We had spent all weekend filming and skiing, trying to capture the fleeting magic of an Adirondack winter. We were tired and satisfied in that special way that only comes from skiing. I think we all felt we had accomplished something special and important. "That's kind of what we're told as women," says Caitlin, "that because we don't see as many women in these films, women aren't doing these things, which isn't true obviously. So in seeing these films and skiing with other women, we see what we're capable of. It just inspires me to want to share that with the world. It's a way that we can keep the cycle of inspiring wom- en going." "It's important for women to see other women ski- ing, biking, in the science field, in anything that men are in," Maddie echoed, "because once you see it, you realize you can also do that thing." As I listened to them speak, I felt a flutter at the cen- ter of my chest, coming alive at the realization that I'm not alone. They feel the same things as me. Kyra chimes in, "When we are all skiing together it feels like so much more than skiing.