CANADIAN REFLECTIONS FROM THE INAUGURAL WWSO SUMMIT
By Lucia Glasse-Davies | CSIA Women in Skiing Committee / National Board representative for British Columbia.
In April 2025, I had the honour of representing the Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance (CSIA) Women in Skiing Committee at the inaugural World Women’s Snowsport Organization (WWSO) Summit, held at the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier in Kaprun, Austria. The event welcomed over 50 professionals from 12 countries, including instructors, coaches, researchers, technologists, and advocates. It was an inspiring week of on-snow collaboration, thought-provoking seminars, and meaningful global dialogue.
“This Summit marks a defining moment in the future of snow sports for women,” said WWSO Founding member Brenna Kelleher. “Our mission is to lead a united, global movement where women in all facets of snowsports can thrive.”
Over 50 women from 12 countries came together for the first WWSO Summit, making history on snow.
Each morning was spent on snow, exchanging teaching approaches and coaching philosophies across cultures. I was proud to share insights from CSIA’s learner-centered Canadian Teaching Approach and to participate in sessions led by women from Austria, the UK, the U.S., Finland, Hungary, and beyond. The spirit of collaboration was powerful and reaffirmed something we often overlook; we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. So many brilliant minds are already developing innovative solutions, we just need better channels to share them.
Leaders, learners, and advocates — every face tells a story of passion and perseverance in snowsports. (Women of Winter Executive Director, Carolyn Stempler).
Afternoon workshops covered wide-ranging topics like Developing Your Coaching Philosophy and Adopting an athlete mindset. Presented by Christine Feehan, adopting an athlete mindset was particularly thought-provoking and challenged us to look at how coaches can support individuals in achieving their goals in all fields beyond just competitive sport.
The key traits of an athlete mindset are being goal oriented, disciplined and consistent, having a focus on growth, being open to feedback, use of visualization and building resilience by failing through experiences. Helping our learners to build resilience and own their own learning can be vital for mentors and coaches to drive more success especially as learners progress through higher levels of certification or into leadership roles.
Among the most impactful talks was Fear(less) on Snow, a presentation by Dr. Carol Porter and Kimberley Kay on the psychological and physical impacts of fear in skiing, particularly for women. Their findings revealed that over 60% of women surveyed felt fear negatively impacted their enjoyment. This sparked important discussions around confidence-based coaching and supportive learning environments.
Women from around the world sharing stories, laughs, and lift rides — building friendships and networks for the future.
A powerful moment came during the live-streamed panel, The Future for Women in Snowsports. While much of the conversation focused on barriers such as retention, recognition, wages, and working conditions, the summit revealed a broader truth: these barriers don’t only affect women; they affect the whole snowsports industry. If anyone missed the panel discussion and is interested in listening to the recording, reach out to csiawis@snowpro.com
Joy on snow: the WWSO Summit was as much about celebration as it was about solutions. Photo: Rebecca.
A personal takeaway I had was the need to shift from simply identifying problems to actively pursuing solutions. We talk often about under representation, fear, and a lack of leadership pathways. Through dialogue at the summit, a clearer picture began to emerge, we can address many of these challenges by improving the system for everyone. That means working with ski areas to recognize the value of trained and certified instructors. It means advocating for higher professionalism, better wages, and clear mentorship models. These are industry improvements that benefit women, and benefit everyone else as well.
As a CSIA representative, I left Kaprun feeling proud of the work we’re doing in Canada, encouraged by the global momentum, and inspired by the women leading the way. The WWSO Summit wasn’t just an event, it was a collective step forward.
A heartfelt thank you to the WWSO team for building a platform that is both bold and inclusive. I look forward to continuing these conversations and building stronger, more equitable snow sports communities in the seasons to come.
Connection, collaboration, and a shared love for snow: WWSO Summit participants unite on the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier.