As a new skier, I was feeling properly intimidated about my first lesson with the Women’s Ski and Ride Program at Smugglers’ Notch Resort.
“Remember when you were nervous before your first dance lesson?” I asked my daughters the night before. “That’s how I’m feeling about skiing tomorrow!”
They looked at me dubiously, the way children do when adults admit vulnerability – You? Nervous?
I often talk to my kids about riding the waves of emotion. How it’s normal to be scared of trying new things. How everyone is nervous at first. “We do it scared,” I tell them. “Otherwise, we’d never do it.”
By “it” I mean the best parts of life: travel, new friendships, creative risks, career pivots, falling in love with a new hobby at 40. The big, bright, meaningful stuff that requires a bit of courage. (Apparently, that includes sliding down a mountain on two narrow sticks.)
Why I Needed to Learn (Even Though My Ego Was Comfortable Back At Home)
After several winters living in the desert and then the tropics, our family finally settled in Vermont. I am an active mama. I hike. I bike. I chase. I carry groceries like it’s an Olympic event. But skiing? That was never really on my list.
My three kids already zip down mountains like caffeinated snow squirrels. My husband has that relaxed Vermont stance that says, I was born knowing how to do this. Meanwhile, I was Googling, “How to avoid snowplowing on skis.” I didn’t want to be left behind at the base lodge holding cocoa while my family bonded on chairlifts. I wanted in.
Then I heard about the Women’s Ski and Ride Program at Smugglers’ Notch.
What is the Women’s Ski and Ride Program?
At its heart, the Women’s Ski and Ride Program is a weekly coached experience for adult women of all ability levels – skiers and snowboarders alike. It’s not a one-day lesson (although drop-ins are an option as well!) It’s a season-long opportunity for skill-building, confidence, and connection.
Here’s how it works:
- Six-week sessions – choice of either Wednesdays, Saturdays, or Sundays
- 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (with lunch served at 12:30)
- Small, ability-based groups
- Female instructors
- Drop-in opportunities available
Participants are grouped by skill level, from true beginners to advanced skiers hoping to refine their technique. Groups stay small, which means no one is lost in the shuffle. You are seen. You are coached. You are gently encouraged when you’re staring at the caution sign on the trail thinking, this was not a great choice.
Bonus for moms: While you’re out on the slopes, your children can join an all-day ski or snowboard camp at half price. This is what we call strategic parenting!
First Impressions and Pre-Lesson Nerves
The nerves were real. Then, a few days before the first session, I received a group email from my instructor (note: there was a Zoom “Get to Meet the Coaches Meeting” that I had to miss because of a schedule conflict). My instructor was warm, welcoming, and reassuring. She laid out what to expect, where to meet, what to bring, and reminded us that nerves are normal. Just like that, the edge of fear softened.
On the Snow: Learning, Laughing, Leveling Up
My instructor was top-notch: technically sharp, emotionally intuitive, and armed with both drills and chocolate. She led us through skill-building exercises with clarity and humor. We practiced balance, parallel turns, side slipping, skiing backwards, and hockey stops. We skied varied terrain on Morse Mountain and worked on adapting to the daily conditions.
The instructor encouraged us to “challenge by choice.” Translation: no one was pushed beyond her comfort zone but we weren’t camping out there, either. At one point, she encouraged us to go down a trail labeled “Experts Only.” She told us to quiet our internal voices that are sometimes (often) wrong – and away we went.
When we needed a pick-me-up she divvied out chocolate like a benevolent alpine fairy. By lunchtime, I was skiing trails I would have avoided the week before. We got to know the other instructors at lunch, and they are all kind, empathetic humans passionate about skiing and riding.
Terrain That Makes Progress Possible
One of the great advantages of learning at Smugglers’ Notch Resort is its layout. Morse Mountain is a self-contained learning haven. It offers varied terrain perfect for beginner and intermediate skiers without the intimidation factor of advanced crowds bombing past from loftier peaks.
Meanwhile, the resort’s more advanced terrain on Madonna and Sterling Mountains exists – comfortingly separate – like a future goal rather than an immediate threat. The trail layout supports progression. You can expand your comfort zone without feeling overwhelmed.
Beyond the Lesson: Women in Community
While the skiing is excellent, the real gift happens off the hill. My group was diverse – different ages, professions, life stages – and I got to know each of these women over the time spent chatting on chair lifts (quiet confessions about work, kids, healthcare scares, the layered reality of being a woman in 2026). The lift became a floating support group where, unlike social media, there’s no algorithm amplifying outrage. Just humans sharing stories and connection.
After each session, all of the groups gather for aprés ski lunch at the Morse Mountain Lodge where food is served. The menu is varied with soup, salad, sandwiches and yes, a cocktail if one is so inclined. All of this is included in the program.
The Women’s Ski and Ride Program has been running for decades and its enduring popularity says something important. When women are offered opportunities to build community around something adventurous and just a little bit brave, we show up. We show up tired, we show up nervous, we show up rusty – but we show up.
During a fractured moment in our country, a women-centered outdoor program gathering weekly to ski may seem modest. But modest things, done consistently, rebuilds worlds. Choosing joy – especially outdoors, especially together – is not frivolous. It’s restorative. Collective joy is a quiet act of resilience.
This program didn’t just create a skier out of me. It created community. And in 2026, that feels like the most important skill of all.
Bethany Vana is a freelance writer who has lived (and hiked) all over the U.S. with her kids. She shares her world travels and local adventures on Instagram @kiddosandcarryons.