From X Games Gold to Gear Design: 5 Women Leading Skiing

Featured Image: Gabe Rovick

When someone says I ski like a girl, I tell them thank you, because I’d say skiing like a girl is pretty badass. Whether it's the gear we ride on or the tricks we do, the ski industry has always struggled with inequality between men and women. Why? Well, unfortunately, the industry has always been run by men. It was only 100 years ago that women began wearing “trousers” instead of skirts, because skiing in pants was considered too inappropriate for women. It was only 12 years ago that women were allowed to compete in Olympic ski jumping, as it was seen as “medically inappropriate.” The misogynistic idea that skiing is too dangerous or strenuous for a woman is being proved wrong every day by not only professional women skiers but also by those women working behind the scenes, whether it be through engineering new ski gear or making ski movies. In honor of International Women's Month (even though women should be celebrated always), here are five women who are carving their path in the ski industry not only for themselves but for all women. 

Cassie Sharpe 

Not many people can say they have won gold at the Winter Olympics, had a baby, and still continue to dominate skiing, but Cassie Sharpe can. This Canadian-raised freestyle skier began her professional career in 2015 after winning a silver medal at the World Championship. She has gone on to medal not only at the 2018 and 2022 Olympics but also at the 2015 Dew Tour and the 2016 X Games in Oslo, among others. After a successful career, Sharpe started a family in 2023 and thought she was ready to retire. But then, as the mountains always do, they called Sharpe back, and she ended up competing in the 2025 X Games and winning it. Sharpe proved that becoming a mom isn’t the end-all, be-all of a professional athlete. Sharpe has continued her career and recently competed at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, making it her third Olympics. 

Justine Dufour-Lapointe

Justine Dufour-Lapointe is another Canadian skier who is dominating freestyle and freeride. Lapointe was originally trained as a mogul skier, for which she medaled at both the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics. She then decided to try freeride, which has been another successful run for Lapointe. In her first year on the Freeride World Tour (FWT), Lapointe won Rookie of the Year and the overall title in 2023. In March 2024, Lapointe lost her mother to cancer. After taking some time off, Lapointe returned for the 2025 FWT and finished on the podium four times, ultimately earning the title and dedicating it to her mother's memory. 

Christie Burrow

While you might not see Christie Burrow on a podium, she is the one working behind the scenes to help women athletes get there. Burrow is the Lead Boot Design Engineer for K2. She graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering and minored in Biomedical Engineering. Burrow recently led a project on a new women’s boot product at K2. This new product has made K2 one of the only brands to offer a women-specific non-race boot in a 125 flex. This boot is also K2’s first attempt at creating dual-BOA boots. The flex isn’t the only special thing about this women’s-specific boot, though; the size goes down to smaller than 24.5 while still keeping the 125 flex. The boot model is named Cortex and goes all the way down to a 21.5 with flex options ranging from 105-125. Burrow is making performance-driven gear inclusive for all sizes and shapes. To put the cherry on top, Burrow’s team was all female. 

Madison Rose-Ostergren 

If you’ve skied at Jackson Hole Ski Resort or even just swiped on social media, then you might've seen the red-headed force of nature, Madison Rose-Ostergren. Ostergren does not shy away from anything and does pretty gnarly stuff like skiing some of the craziest backcountry lines in the Tetons. On the internet, Ostergren goes by the title "daddy" and makes videos showing her life as a pro skier, as well as giving advice on things like the workouts one should do for ski season. Before becoming a professional big mountain skier, Ostergren was a D1 ski racer at Westminster College. She then transitioned from alpine skiing to big-mountain freeride and became sponsored by brands like Volkl and Helly Hansen. She has been in Warren Miller’s films Daymaker and Winter Starts Now. Ostergren proves that you don’t need balls to do some pretty gnarly shit. 

Jen Gurecki 

Just like Burrow, Jen Gurecki is another BADASS female in the ski industry working behind the scenes to give women gear that meets their needs and level without “shrinking and pinking” it. Gurecki founded Coalition Snow, an all-women-run ski and snowboard brand whose mission is to put an end to shrink-it-and-pink-it and toxic bro culture, and to amplify a community that values camaraderie over competition and solidarity over sending. The brand has grown beyond just skis and snowboards and now offers podcasts and multiple events run by the group. One event Coalition hosts is called Shred the Patriarchy, where people can meet up and define what their version of shred is, even if it is not skiing or boarding. The gear is said to be dependable, strong, and fun AF. Gurecki is showing the ski industry that women's gear doesn’t need to be shrunk or made to look cute for women to ride them, but rather needs to be gear that fits every woman's needs, whether they are competitive or not. 

These are just a few of the amazing women out there helping make the ski industry a more equal place. Remember, don’t be afraid to ski like a girl, because if these 5 women aren’t proof enough, it’s pretty badass.