I Said “Why Not?!” and Accidentally Launched a Five-City Winter Tour
FIVE TOWNS, five vibes, one hell of a ski season kickoff.
This summer, I got a wild hair up my a** and declared that I wanted to throw ski-season kickoff parties this fall ahead of the season. Because truly, why not?! I feel like we don’t do enough things “just because” anymore, and I always say yes to a good reason to celebrate. In this case, I was throwing the parties.
Little did I know what these would turn into.
Five cities later, hundreds of women attended, we partnered with 50+ women-owned businesses, each stop had a gangbusters raffle, we the best co-hosts in every city and created something I don’t think any of us fully expected: a full-on winter community movement before the snow even fell. I’m still completely blown away by the support, partnerships, energy, and overall women-showing-up-for-women vibes that made the Snowdowns what they were.
And I have a confession:
I almost didn’t do them.
They felt like a lot of work (because they were), and I told myself a dozen reasons to skip it. But something in me said, “Do it anyway.” And thank god I listened, because these events will now be an annual thing — and I already know next year is going to be even bigger (we already have plans in the works!)
Here are some highlights from the first-ever Snowdown Tour…
Boise, idaho - September 26th
Our host was Payette Brewery which, if you haven’t been, has an awesome space and delicious beer. Our friend and previous ski retreat guest, Liz, a local Boisian, was our co-host for this event. The weather in the 80’s for this stop of the Snowdown (hence the tank tops!) so it was slightly harder to imagine skiing, but the vibes were still there. We had ski and board waxing and a couple of local businesses with booths to bring the community vibes. We followed the Snowdown with a booth at the Teton Gravity Research (TGR) film stop in downtown Boise. That crowd got rowdy! Overall, so excited we got to meet more of the ladies in the Boise community, especially since it’s just a couple of hours from Sun Valley, one of our retreat stops!
Beaver Creek, colorado - October 3
Just one week later we were in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Another amazing night with locals the community including Ski Retreat partner, Neve, and new friend, Abstract Adventures who ran a community paint for everyone. Our friend, local to Vail, and previous ski retreat guest, Katelyn, local was our co-host and she brought all the energy for this kick off. We hosted at Coyote Cafe in Beaver Creek and followed this event with the Teton Gravity Research film stop in Beaver Creek/Vail - another fun audience!
Burlington, Vermont - october 10th
And then just one week later again we headed to Burlington, Vermont, our first-ever East Coast event. Yes, that is a sign for more to come especially after the energy that this town brought! Our co-host was a previous attendee and ski enthusiast, Elaine, and gracious hosts, Alpine Shop, are event connoisseurs and the space is on-point for a ski party! This Snowdown had the most ski resorts in attendance - Bolton Valley, Smuggs AND Sugarbush all joined in on the party plus so many other amazing women-owned brands. We also had some local love to share the event through Chicks on Sticks VT and the University of Vermont Ski and Snowboard Club. DJ Cheetatah brought the dance vibes, waffles and drink specials were flowing, and an exclusive in-store discount gave the guests a full night of connecting, shopping and getting excited for the season ahead! Burlington will absolutely be a stop on next year’s Snowdown tour! Plus, keep your eyes peeled for a Vermont ski retreat in 2027!
jackson hole, wyoming - October 17th
Another week later we headed out for Jackson Hole - one of our 25/26 ski retreat destinations! We were blown away by the community of women in Jackson. It was truly magical to be a part of how this community shows up for one another. The number of women owned brands there is sooo impressive! We had a blast hosting at Midnight Lunch, whose space just pops with color and energy! They offered an event special to make custom hats, we brought in pizza and beverages, women struck a pose at the photo booth and women-led businesses like Day Hike and Wild Rye joined in person to represent and bring some fun. DJ Moody Saison was there playing the best 80s mixes to go with all of the retro outfits that the ladies wore to the event. Jackson is a special place, but this brought it to a deep community level that we’re grateful to now know.
lake tahoe - november 13th
Lake Tahoe was our snowdown finale and holy shite did Tahoe show up for the Snowdown! Of course it started downpouring rain that day, so I wasn’t sure what was going to happen but 200 women attended (!!), and we had 11 women-led businesses with “booths” and fun activities like fortune telling, a glitter station, a vintage ski gear station, and many brought their products and clothes to show off which was SO fun. We had many more women owned businesses donated to the raffle too. I’m proud of my community for showing up so strongly! We hosted at Sierra Surf Club in Tahoe City ahead of the Girl Winter film stop in Tahoe, so there was added excitement for a little pre-party before the movie. DJ Girl George rocked the house and literally couldn’t have brought a better vibe to the whole event and THE OUTFITS! Nearly everyone dressed the part . The five city tour could not have ended on a better note. Thank you, Tahoe, my home for being amazing and understanding the assignment.
