Ultimate 4 Comes to Park City…for Ladies Only

Despite being the primary vacation planner and chief decision-maker both before and during a winter vacation, many women do not participate as much as they would like in the main purpose of the trip – skiing and snowboarding.

The Ultimate 4 program, pilot tested at several Vail Resorts’ locations last year, will be offered this season at Park City. Ultimate 4 offers women a ski lesson package that better fits their lifestyle, including female-led instruction in a less intimidating environment, four women per instructor and later start times.

Ultimate 4 offers women a ski lesson package that better fits their lifestyle, including female-led instruction in a less intimidating environment, four women per instructor and later start times.

Over the course of the 2013-14 winter season, Vail Resorts conducted surveys and focus groups with female guests at its resorts, online and in several U.S. and international cities to better understand the barriers to the ski and snowboard experience for women. Common themes included being overwhelmed by the process, having their hands full managing the experience for other members of their group or family, and being too intimidated to try the sports. One important insight the company learned, for example, was that by the time moms had finished getting their kids into ski school lessons, the regular adult group lessons had already begun.

The lessons will be designed to instill foundation-building basics while navigating beginner trails and developing on-mountain camaraderie in “first-timers” through advanced-beginners (ski and snowboard ability levels 1-4). Classes will take place at all resorts between 12:45 and 3:15 p.m. local time Dec. 26, 2015-Jan. 3, 2016, Feb. 12-21, 2016, and March 4-April 4, 2016 (all dates by reservation only). More dates may be available at specific resorts and guests are encouraged to check the desired resort’s website for additional offerings via www.snow.com.

The response to the Women’s Ultimate 4 and other women-specific programming inspired Park City’s Ski and Snowboard School to create a Women’s Camp Feb. 26-28, 2016, offering small class sizes with female instructors and the same group and instructor for each day.

“In terms of getting more women on the mountain, Vail Resorts is just getting started,” said Lynch. “The ultimate goal is to make sure women are having just as much fun as everyone else in the family on their winter ski or snowboard vacation at our resorts.”

For more information on Ultimate 4 and theWomen’s Camp, visit parkcitymountain.com.