Again, this isn't a gender thing, this is a body shape thing, but because women tend to have boobs and wider hips, the body shape *may* change how the movement and weight distribution on the ski works.
I'm glad that women are reporting their experiences in this thread and I'd love to read more.
In addition to potentially bigger chests and wider hips, I believe that women
can have proportionately less muscle mass to overall weight (due to body composition, estrogen vs testosterone levels, etc). One of the very delicate level 3 women I ski with is quite vocal about only wanting to be on softer skis. Another plus-size (physically strong) level 3 woman I ski with is equally vocal about wanting to be on a stiff (slalom) ski. The plus-size woman's commentary has been that skiers, female or male, need the right equipment for their body.
Looking at
Head's women's skis page, I notice that all the women skis focus on stereotyped words like lightness, attractive, agility, playful, home/comfort, balance. As a male, I cannot objectively compare a woman's experience on skis, but I will say that moving from a featherweight-ish ski to a heavy, grippy, stiffer slalom ski has forced/enabled me to ski better. Is there perhaps room to get women on a (relatively) heavier, grippier ski? Do women
need to be on a light ski? Is there a fear element here for women? (I ask because at first I was apprehensive about being on a heavier ski. I got over that after two runs.)
How would women describe Lindsay Vonn or Mikaela Shiffrin's skiing? How do women
perceive these athletes' skiing? These might sound like silly questions or like questions with obvious answers, but until we ask, we just don't really know.
Also, are there women racers out there who can chime in, or women who've switched to race gear? Really curious about your perspectives.
