This time, we'd start from ground zero together-and I was determined to keep up. So we headed up to Keystone, where ski school supervisor Sue Campbell shared insight into gender's role in the learning process. Campbell's a compact, friendly, fit woman with short silver hair and a passion for expanding women's participation in skiing. The real discrepancy, Campbell explained, is a matter of confidence levels and attitude. On average, women simply approach learning and skiing differently than men do.
Men tend to measure success by challenges, women by control.
Women, on the other hand, are more conservative learners. Of course, any attempt to categorize men versus women must involve some generalizations. But if these women's programs are successful, there must be some degree of accuracy to the stereotypes. Our beginner's group gathered under a hazy sky, clouds slowly melting into a sea of deep blue. From the first, degree of skill and learning speed seemed unrelated to gender.