The Brave Ski Mom

Building a new generation of skiers and snowboarders.

Ski Fashion: Curves or Turns?

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It’s harder than you’d think to find ski fashion photos from the 60s and 70s. Photo Courtesy Style and The Start Up.

Last month, while skiing at Heavenly in California, I found myself on a chairlift with three men. These men were friends and had skied together at Heavenly for over 40 years. We didn’t have a lot in common, other than the enjoyment of a beautiful ski day, so I didn’t mind when they began a conversation without me.

I didn’t mind, that is, until, the topic of the conversation turned to stretch pants. It was like this:

Man One: Do you remember that gal, she was an instructor here in the ’70s….ummm….what was her name?

Man Two: Oh yeah, I remember her. Gorgeous blonde, wore stretch pants. Didn’t dress like the gals today, wearing pants that look like a bag of cats.

Man One: Exactly, but what was her name?

Man Three: Dana. Dana from Montana.

Man One: That’s it. She was nice to ski behind…and walk behind. (Turns to me, the token and much younger female on the chairlift) If you know what I mean.

Actually guys, I don’t know what you mean. And while I sat through this conversation with a pleasant look on my face, I don’t care to know what you mean either.

It’s a Man’s World?

Talking last winter with an editor from SKI and Skiing, I asked about their magazine demographics. The answer: overwhelmingly male, in their 20s-40s (Skiing) and 30s-50s (SKI), who take one or two-week long “guy” trips per season. Female readers? Not so many.

What’s interesting about this is that men are not the future of skiing. While more men than women ski, the industry recognizes that to grow, they need to get families skiing. And to get families skiing, they need to court women. Talk to most any ski industry representative and you’ll hear the same theme: if the moms ski, the kids ski, and the family spends money on skiing.

So What Happened to Stretch Pants?

Okay guys. Why aren’t you still wearing stretch pants? Photo Courtesy blog.sfgate.com

Not long after the above conversation, I was reading the March-April 2012 issue of Skiing Heritage magazine. Like SKI and Skiing, the readership is probably overwhelmingly male. A feature of this edition was a photo spread titled “You Were So Beautiful” which featured (you guessed it!) photos of women from the ’60s and ’70s in stretch pants. And if you thought the conversation I overheard was obnoxious, the intro to this piece was a tutorial in full-blown chauvinism.

Which brings me back to my title: Curves or Turns? Apparently, in the minds of a certain generation of skiing men, the “good old days” include days when women wore tight, uncomfortable, itchy and not very warm pants. Fashion dictated and women followed.

We’re not so different today. Many of us who ski like looking good.  And every few seasons we’ll buy a new coat or pants based on the latest colors and style. But we also want to be warm (hence the “bag of cats” pants), safe (helmets, which Skiing Heritage bemoans for mussing our hair) and see where we’re going (goggles, which cover our “smiling eyes” – again from Skiing Heritage).

And guess what, since we control the spending, there is little demand for stretch pants. We’re not out on the slopes to show off our curves. We’re there to kick some butt with our turns.

Don’t get left behind, guys.

 

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Awesome post. It’s so true, the fashion industry in any sport caters to men and women differently. I think it’s nice that women in skiing have gone beyond the stretch pants into more utilitarian wear. I had a few difficult years in climbing where I couldn’t find a pair of pants with a decent number of pockets in them. Men’s climbing pants are all about utility. The descriptions for men’s wear are always like “These pants will get you to the most extreme places ever! They will hold all of your gear, keep you at exactly the right temperature and probably save your life at some point!” And for women it’s always “These pants are super cute! You will just be adorable as you attempt to climb anything in them. You’ll probably be cold, and have to ask a guy with pockets to hold your stuff, but damn, they will admire your behind!” Bah.

  2. Good one! I still wear stretch pants occasionally so I wonder if it means I’ve been left behind….

  3. I just wanted to give you a thumbs up on the good blog post today. I feel the same way.

    I thought you might like to see a post I did about a similar thing a few years ago. Warren Miller had a creepy editorial in SKI magazine where he
    blamed the decline of skiing on women’s NOT wearing stretch pants, so I wrote a letter to the editor — and they printed it!

    Here is the link — http://www.theskidiva.com/i-have-a-letter-in-ski-magazine/

    Best, Wendy

    • Thank you so much! Your letter is perfect. I so appreciate you sharing it!

      If you aren’t familiar with Wendy, she’s THE Ski Diva at TheSkiDiva.com, the largest, coolest and best forum out there for skiing women. Check it out! http://www.theskidiva.com/

      Thanks!

  4. It’s time for us women to overthrow the sexist male ski industry! Hooray for comfy baggy, WARM women’s ski clothes. I’ll take ’em over stretch pants any day.

  5. Silly boys!! =)
    Don’t they realize that we rule the world…or at least the family schedule & entertainment? My husband has not planned one vacation that we have gone on in our 13 years of marriage. And, guess who purchases the season ski passes along with all the gear to equip the entire family? I wouldn’t be out there on the mountain with my family if I couldn’t stay warm. The resorts & magazines are missing out on a huge demographic that they tend to ignore.

    • You are so right. These are great points. And not to take anything away from men, but we each have our strong points. And I’m with you…warmth is non-negotiable. Thanks!

  6. I have seen some stretch pants in Tride…usually with some fur thing on top. Great points. Bike industry is similar although tight shorts are ok in biking;) They have (kind of) acknowledged women but families are still an after thought. At least with skiing you can buy quality kid skis and apparel.

    • Good points Jen. Trying to find proper bike shorts for kids is impossible — especially for mountain biking. They are so flimsy, it’s a bit of a joke. I was quite happy when my boys grew big enough to wear Pearl Izumi smalls! As for fashion and style, well, I’m never been runway worthy! Cheers!

  7. i think when Spyder and Helly Hansen came out with such durable warm and comfortable skiing pants (ie, DRY and WARM) stretch pants went the way of long skinny skis, into the recycle bins!!!

  9. Totally agree, though apparently I am pretty out of the loop (or maybe don’t care!?!?) because I hadn’t even noticed the stretch pant thing. HA! But, I absolutely want to be warm and safe and having fun – so my snow pants better satisfy all those requirements! It is super annoying to me (maybe because I am a mom?!?!) when ANY one (but particularly girls) are sacrificing their safety and comfort just to look good. I want to be skiing, not strutting! 🙂

    • No, you’re not out of the loop. Stretch pants primarily are an item of nostalgia for skiers from the ’60s and ’70s. Technical fabrics, extreme terrain and Title 9 helped those babies go away! Love your comment about skiing, not strutting! Cheers.

  10. bag of cats…you’re killing me! I started skiing in the 70s, and do remember some of the more colorful fashions. I may or may not have some neon items around too. Gotta admit that I splurged on a pair of lovely Marker stretch pants, and they are very warm & comfy on days that are not too extreme. When it hits 10, I pull out my “bag o’ cats” right quick!!

    • Can’t take credit for “bag o’ cats”…nor can my chairlift companions. Credit the esteemed Mr. Warren Miller for that one. I agree with you…wear what fits the conditions. BTW, I too have some neon lying around. Hilarious! And we’ll look back at what we wore in 2012 and gag, as well!

  11. “Bag of Cats”! Lol! I too wore stretch pants back in the day! Must of looked pretty funny with my Ski Patrol jacket (as the jackets were always big being sized for the men) and my first aid fanny pack. No wonder it was “after you” at the start of the run! And I thought they were being polite!
    I much prefer my “bag of cats”!

    • Well, they were being polite and interested, perhaps? You bring up another of my pet peeves however….clothing sized for men that women are expected to wear. On the one hand, there are stretch pants. And on the other there are t-shirts handed out at runs, bike rides, etc. that are always sized for men. Talk about a bag of cats…nothing looks worse on a woman than a man’s t-shirt! I would think a guy’s ski patrol jacket didn’t do much for you either!

      Thanks!

  13. While those gents on the chairlift showed a certain degree of tasteless form with that conversation in the company of a lady, but alas, that’s the power of a pretty woman in tight pants. She’ll make an impression that clouds good judgement and one that apparently lasts 40 years. You could say that’s the curse of being a man.

    Seriously, though, my wife tells me she likes to ski behind me because I look so good. Her words, not mine. Now that I read this post, I’m thinking she must be just saying that so I get out of her way…..

    • Mark, can I just say that I love this comment? First of all, you assume I deserve the title of “lady.” Thank you. Secondly, your wife sounds very intelligent. You’re a lucky man.

      Thanks for commenting!

      Mark and his wife blog at http://www.adventureparents.com/ Check out their amazing site!

  14. Love this post. And the pics are hilarious. I am sure the lady in the tank top and furry boots took skiiing seriously 😉

  15. This is so funny BSM. Some of the male lifties I worked with last season were obsessed with the golden age of stretch pants. As if!! One of the silliest ski quotes I’ve ever come across is “Stretch pants – the garment that turned skiing into a spectator sport!”

    • That is silly…and hilarious! Ah, the Golden Age of Stretch pants…but notice how the guys who yearn for that age have no interest in revisiting it themselves! Thanks for a great comment.