We’re stoked to bring on the rad women’s owned ski collective.
It’s no secret in the ski industry. There’s a lot of dudes running the show. But the ski community is becoming increasingly full of shredding women and friends beyond the binary. At the same time, we don’t see as many women leading companies or the design process. Most of these big ski brands aren’t focusing their marketing or stories on women either.
Enter: Coalition Snow. Started by two ladies who just love to shred, Jen and Lauren wanted to build a space in the industry that focused on serving women. Not only with building gear that performed the way they wanted it to, but also providing a community for women riders beyond just selling skis and snowboards.
So, what are Coalition Snow skis all about?
You can dive into the full line of Coaltion Snow’s skis and boards here. We’re carrying a few models that we thought made the most sense for our lady ski customers out here in Colorado. Here’s a little description of the skis we brought on below. The bottom line? These skis are some of the most powerful we’ve ridden in awhile.
SOS
The SOS is Coalition Snow’s best-seller, and for good reason. There’s not a lot of skis like this on the market. I rode it on a bluebird day at Loveland with lots of variable snow conditions, and this ski eats bad snow for breakfast. A huge turn radius (you might see, there’s not much sidecut in this ski) wants to open up in big bowls at speed. But deep rocker lets you pivot the ski when you need to whip things around in tight terrain. At 101mm underfoot, it became of my favorite carvers in this waist width size, showing how versatile this ski is. If you like big, fast turns in open terrain, the SOS is for you.
Rafiki
You’ll find the Rafiki skiing everywhere from powder pancakes in the morning to skied out bumps and trees in the afternoon. A less stiff construction than some of the other skis in Coalition’s lineup, the Rafiki feels more playful and more willing to take tighter turns than the SOS. Despite the 111mm waist width, the Rafiki is responsive and playful enough to ski any time of the season, powder or not.
Rebel
One of the more narrow skis in the lineup, the Rebel is their frontside carver that can do much more. The Rebel has a tighter turn radius and more siduecut than their other models, making it quick turn. On snow, she feels lively, responsive, and really fun. I was plesantly surprised with how this ski performed off trail despite the narrower waist width. It felt easier to release out of turns than a lot of skis in this category, making it more forgiving to explore the whole mountain. If you like to get off trail, but still prefer something on the more narrow side to have a quick ride, the Rebel is a super solid choice.
Building a snow community, not just snow equipment
Following through with their mission of creating a place for people to connect and grow in snow sports, Coalition Snow offers a tremendous amount of education opportunities for backcountry skiing. They fund a scholarship for Indigenous communities to advance their education and training in backcountry riding.
Coaltion also partners with Trew to host virtual events discussing different topics surrounding backcountry skiing. With topics ranging from conventional avalanche awareness like terrain management to shifting your mindset in the backcountry, there’s a little something for everyone to brush up on. And if you’re a podcast person while driving to the slopes or on long ski trip drives, check out their podcast Juicy Bits. We love a good laugh or two while stuck in traffic, and Juicy Bits delivers.
All this to say, we love brands thinking outside the box and wanting to break out expectations of what ski companies should look like. Coalition delivers, and we’re stoked their skis can grace our walls.
Learn more about our badass lady athletes, Amy Jane David and Veronica Paulsen.
