FemiGnarly

I’ve been on a boot bender recently. I hate it. It’s the opposite of looking at the ski market. Product lines are logical. Customer feedback and customer sales data reinforce each other. It’s obvious where brands are positioning themselves in direct competition. Things just make sense. Women’s boots (exclusively women’s) on the other hand, are … Continue reading Bonus Chaos on the Women’s Boot Wall

As I’ve researched women’s ski buying tendencies, one of the things I’ve noticed is that women buy less skis than men. Our quivers tend to be smaller. We don’t upgrade as often. On one hand, I love this. I love a girl who’s good with money and making efficient use of resources. But on the … Continue reading Are your skis holding you back? Powder edition

Found another newbie friendly ski touring spot, and it’s perfect timing, because we’ve got to talk about more problematic Ski Bro behaviors courtesy of a guy on the internet named Ben. Ben follows my friend, Kaelee, who posted a video comparing her skiing when she feels really confident vs. when she doesn’t, with a dash … Continue reading Newbie Friendly Ski Tours – Get Bent Ben

There are very few gear items I’ve stumbled across I recommend wholeheartedly to everyone. Don’t get me wrong, most products are good. But they’re good for certain types of outdoor athletes. The Dakine Callahan fleece (or for men, the Snorkel) is one of a few items I’ve found that most people can make use of … Continue reading Gear Review: Dakine Callahan Fleece

I’ve spent this past winter writing about how retail stores and ski media do a pretty shit job helping women feel confident about their ski purchases. So instead, I’ve noticed a lot of women reach out in their social circles, both online and IRL, and trust the recommendations from women they know who ski like … Continue reading Women’s Ski Gear Preview – 2022

This one could get me in hot water, but I think it needs to be said. Women’s ski review coverage is a joke. Over the past few weeks, I’ve written about how ski manufacturers are largely meeting women’s needs when it comes to their product lines, but how the sales aren’t what they could be … Continue reading Women’s Ski Reviews are a Joke.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but I brought in the new year arguing with a dude on the internet. He was seeing some young people and people with imperfect form out in the backcountry. He just wanted to warn an online community that all these folks were at best, going to waste SAR … Continue reading Newbie Friendly Ski Tours – Stay Mad Brad

When I was interviewing last fall, I had a conversation with an exec from a ski retailer about getting skiers to shop physical retail. Strong ecommerce channels expand their reach, but in-store shopping increased the amount spent by every customer – dramatically. And while the company was thinking about rock walls and restaurants, I was … Continue reading Women Giving Up on Ski Retail

A little over a year ago, I wrote this piece in response to Patagonia’s blog on why they don’t carry plus sizes. They took their piece down a few months after mine was published, but it’s still available thanks to web archiving, here. In short, a lot of their logic didn’t check out with how … Continue reading Addressing Fatphobic Comments

Get a gift card over the holidays? Not surprising. Gift cards are roughly a $160 billion dollar business in the US, (which, for context is about 20% of holiday sales). With the pandemic limiting travel and constraining the postal service, that percentage is likely even higher for 2020. Retailers love gift cards. About 20% of … Continue reading Put Your Gift Cards To Use