RSSPillow Fight! 2008 Burton Women’s Snowboard Weekend
March 8th, 2008 by CourtneyI am all about the ladies getting out on snowboards and having fun. I was so stoked to hear about Burton’s Women’s retreat at Steven’s Pass that I jumped at the opportunity to get involved. Lucky for me, I was able to join up with the Burton crew as a weekend helper.
The event was a weekend of snowboarding, eating, drinking, and bowling with some of the Burton female employees and other women looking for a good time with snow. Girls throughout the US were invited and we even had ladies from Vermont and L.A. join all us Pacific North Westerners.
We all met up Friday night at the Icicle Inn in Leavenworth, WA and settled in to our rooms for the weekend. A short walk downtown took us to the Dragonfly Bistro, where Burton had planned a special dinner for us. There were plenty of Green Tea-tinis, Ginger Drops, Mojitos and other froofy drinks for us girls, along with an amazing meal. Sushi and Miso soup starters with curries and pad thai for the entree… delicious. For dessert, a dance party in back with DJ crazy mustache. It had been far too long since I had gotten down to Slim Shady.
Saturday morning came a little earlier than desired, but we were all excited anyways. We headed up to Steven’s Pass where we met the entire group of ladies participating in the “Pillow Fight” weekend. We had such a good group of female instructors, first time lady shredders, Burton women’s product designers, Shop Girls, and a crew of dudes to cater to our product demo and massage needs.
The ladies broke into groups based on ability levels and areas where they’d like to improve. We had a couple beginner groups, an intermediate group, and a freestyle group. All the groups were headed up by the lovely Steven’s Pass female snowboard instructors. We all got geared up with new 2009 Burton Demo Gear and were more than ready to get out and ride the 8 new inches of pow.
(Chris and Brandon, I hear they’re good with a #3) (Burton Demo Tent, a mecca of gear)
From tree runs, scary cliffs, polite parks, and long groomers, Steven’s Pass has terrain for everyone. I tried to keep up with my girls from Montana, but their season at Baker has taught them to be incredibly fast through northwest snow. Kate, Maggie, and Emily showed me some super fun tree and pow runs along with an eerie ride under some power lines that kept buzzing and made me feel not right. I followed Co-Co into a near death experience where we side slipped the iciest chute I have ever seen; it was worth it though for a few tasty turns through some untracked powder and hopefully some marketable photos for Burton and Steven’s (i’ll be waiting for my check in the mail).
At the end of the day, we all met back at the lodge for some Apres action. Ben was giving out massages, there was beer and cheese, and Anise and Janet gave us a demonstration on board tech and women’s snowboard anatomy.
(just what every girl needs after a day of snowboarding) (tech talk to better your riding)
We were tired and happy from such a good day on the hill, but we knew the night was just getting started. 80′s costumes, limo rides, pizza, bowling, and dancing were in store for that evening. We went back to the hotel and got all dolled up for a night out at Brian’s Pizza and Bowling. An Escalade limo picked us up outside of the hotel and we were on our way.
The 80′s bowling night was wild: totally outrageous dancing AND bowling. My throat hurt the next day after belting out all the lyrics to Journey, Bon Jovi, and Guns and Roses all night long. My entire body was sore and I wasn’t sure if it was from the snowboarding or the dancing. Seriously, it was that crazy of a dance session. I’m pretty sure that Amanda has some amazingly embarrassing YouTube material.
If Saturday morning was early, Sunday morning came even earlier. Fortunately there was coffee and waffles and the hope of a Victoria Jealouse appearance to keep us motivated. Sunday was another day of lessons for the campers and Co-Co and I got to help out with one of the beginner groups. We actually got to pretend to be instructors for one run. The girls were awesome, but I don’t think we’re cut out for instructing.
(schralping with the beginner ladies)
Victoria stopped by and rode with some of the girls for awhile. It was pretty rad to be in the presence of one of the best female snowboarders of all time. Hopefully she was able to inspire some of the newbies to keep working on their skills.
Even though I still don’t understand the “Pillow Fight” name, this Burton Women’s snowboard retreat was an amazing event. I would encourage all ladies of any ability to sign up next time. It’s a great opportunity to progress your riding, be encouraged, and make some new pals.
If any of you ladies need to get your hands on the Burton gear you tested, all TruSnow‘s 2008 Burton Snowboards, boots and bindings are on Sale. We will also be carrying a great selection of 2009 Burton Women’s Gear next season. Keep checking back for more updates on women’s snowboarding in the northwest and exciting TruSnow news.
(shred betties for sure)
(best Burton soft-good reps EVER)
(Co-Co and some ex-Big Sky thugs)
(Burton For Life)
Tags: Burton, Burton Outerwear, Burton Snowboards
