I was in Sun Valley, Idaho, last weekend for the first stop of the inaugural Honda Ski Tour. It was a total blast. There were parties, celebrities, concerts, skiing action and plenty of beautiful people around to enjoy it.
Skiing could use a little boost in the United States, and, I’ve gotta say, this event definitely seemed to capture the cool that’s been missing for so long.
But there was just one thing missing: women.
When it came to female pro skiers, there was no contest – literally. Only men were invited to compete in the skiercross and skier halfpipe events. Event organizers had all kinds of excuses. “We didn’t want to bite off more than we could chew,” they said. “Maybe next year.” The best were: “The field just isn’t deep enough” and “We put in hundreds of phone calls but couldn’t get any of them to commit.”
Geez, I wonder why that is. Let me guess. It probably has something to do with money.
The men were awarded the biggest cash purse in freeskiing history – more than in the X Games – with winners walking away with $25,000 each. There also were other expenditures, like paying Tommy Lee to make an appearance at a private party. There were the VIP parties with top-shelf liquor and gourmet catering.
There also were the “Ski Tour Girls,” a gaggle of models who cruised around the venue dressed in ski-bunny attire like white puffy jackets with faux fur-lined collars and Technica moon boots. They were everywhere: at the contests handing out schwag, at the parties dressed to the nines and in the fashion show sporting gold lamé hot pants and bikini tops. I’m guessing they were each paid a day rate that, when multiplied by four days for six girls (or however many of them there were), probably adds up. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve got nothing against hiring pretty girls to amp up the party. That’s fine. But have you seen what pro skier chicks look like these days?
Take Kristi Leskinen, a blond beauty whose photos have graced the pages of men’s magazines like FHM, dressed in sexy lingerie with a body like a Victoria’s Secret model. She’s a ripping skier and she’s hot, so naturally she has a big fan base.
“More people know who I am than half these guys,” she said.
Ms. Kristi came up to Sun Valley for the Ski Tour because her sponsor, Red Bull, was involved with the event and her team manager encouraged her to come.
“My sponsor wanted me to be here to show a women’s presence and to get women involved.”
She was none too pleased at what she found.
“I’ve been fighting for so many years to be treated equally, and then I come here and we aren’t even included,” Leskinen said. “It’s disappointing when there’s an event this big with big corporate sponsors and women aren’t even invited to compete? I mean, who does Honda think their market is? Half of their market is comprised of women. We don’t need to be equal, we just need to be included.”
To add insult to injury, Leskinen said she was standing right there when an event organizer asked one of the Ski Tour Girls to present the awards at the halfpipe competition.
“Ski bunnies were what they were interested in. They didn’t even make an effort to get me involved,” she said.
The worst part is listening to these guys go on and on about how this event is going to lay the foundation for the future of skiing in the U.S., how it’s going to give kids heroes to worship, to be inspired by. They’re hoping the Tour will continue on in the years leading up to the Olympics in 2010, when skiercross will make its debut. I guess that’s great news for aspiring young skiers – as long as they’re boys.
What really drives me crazy is when people say, “The girls aren’t as good as the guys.”
Well, duh. Of course, they’re not. That’s so not the point. Women need their heroes, too. As an athlete myself, trust me when I say I can’t understand a technique in any sport until I see a girl my size do it. Then I can’t say, “I’m not big enough” or “I’m not strong enough.” I can look at that girl and think, “If she can do it, maybe I can, too.”
Don’t get me wrong: The Honda Ski Tour was a fabulous event, a great show. But as it stands, it’s still a boys club. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens next year.
Freelance columnist Alison Berkley can be reached at alison@berkleymedia.com.
