W2W celebrates 10 years

Half the population that has been systematically overlooked since the beginning of time were being sold gear that was, by and large, still designed and made by men. Much of it was inferior, and often brands’ efforts to include women ended right there on the ski shop floor—if, that is, women even made it inside the shop at all. Skiing, it seemed, was still a place where women didn’t quite belong.

In 2015, Blizzard Tecnica decided that wasn't good enough.

They launched Women 2 Women not just as a product line or marketing campaign, but as a declaration that women’s voices, experiences, and potential belonged at the very center of the skiing world. The germinating idea was, of course, to build better gear for women, which other brands were also doing. But for Blizzard Tecnica, that was only the beginning. The brand wanted to build something bigger that could actually carve out a space for women in the industry—giving them knowledge, inspiration, and experiences that would translate into other aspects of their lives.

They engineered a program to be a holistic, 360-degree approach with four pillars that focused on product, inspiration, community, and education.

They hired dedicated W2W athletes, started women-only events, gathered input from all-female focus groups, and raised money for professional development to further women in outdoor educational pursuits.

The initiative is worldwide, but one woman stood behind it all. Leslie Baker Brown, W2W’s Global Leader.

Baker Brown, an accomplished skier who was one of the first women ever to break into and rise through the ranks of the hardgoods side of the ski industry, was the force behind the grassroots methodology, pushing not only for better product and marketing, but also education and community.

She knew that in order to make a measurable difference, women also needed role models to help them see what’s possible. And encouragement to help them find their own voice both in a male-dominated industry and within themselves—growth that doesn’t just stop when the lifts stop spinning.