International Women’s Day is this Sunday, March 8! This is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. To commemorate this day, we want to shine a spotlight on one of our partners, an all-women’s business that is inspiring ladies all over the world to get into the mountains!

SCARPA has been partnering with the all-women’s guide company, Chicks Climbing and Skiing, for many years, supporting their mission to empower women through mountain sports. Founded in 1999, Chicks recently celebrated 20 years of providing group instruction for rock, ice, alpine climbing, and backcountry skiing, led by the most qualified female guides in the country. Two of the Chicks owners and guides, Kitty Calhoun and Angela Hawse, are also members of the SCARPA athlete team!

Chicks courses welcome women through life-changing experiences designed to help them become confident, self-sufficient climbers and skiers, all while fostering connection with one another to strengthen the outdoor women’s community. We recently attended one of Chicks incredible, guided trips to see why this type of organization is so needed in this industry and impactful to those who attend. So, where did we go with Chicks? Japan!

Japan is a tremendously popular destination for skiers from all over the world, seeking to find light and airy, bottomless, powder. The snow is so good in Japan because cold winds from Siberia collect moisture while moving across the sea, which can result in the falling of 600 extraordinarily, dry inches of snow on average in the Japanese Islands each winter.

Guided by AMGA president and Chicks co-owner, Angela Hawse and Japanese - American ski-guide Norie Kizaki, this year’s group of female, back-country skiers went to the northern most island of Japan, Hokkaido, because of its’ copious amounts of amazing skiing options available for any type of weather. Beautiful Japanese Birch trees help with visibility on stormy days and on blue-sky days, you can tour up live volcanoes for stunning views and volcanic fumes…the possibilities of out-of-this-world skiing are endless in Hokkaido!

Thanks to Norie’s local knowledge and her time spent in the country prior to our arrival, she had previously scouted the terrain and was able to lead us to areas on the island that had the best snow with the least amount of other skiers. In addition to her innate ability to find secret stashes of powder, Norie was also able to show us all that Japan has to offer in the name of dining, culture, hot springs, and most importantly, ski snacks.

While we could go on and on about the deep snow we skied, the unbelievable views we saw, and the delectable cuisine we consumed, the trip was so much more than just those things. It was amazing to see how quickly a group of women, who just met, could turn into friends, supporters, teachers and confidants overnight. The bond created, when we were all removed from our comfort zone, put in an unfamiliar place and physically and emotionally challenged in the mountains, was so strong that it inspired each one of us to continuously push through our uncertainties.

Mountain sports can be scary and nature is unpredictable. Those two things combined with any self-doubt an athlete may be feeling about their decision making ability, physical strength, technical skills, or problem solving power, it’s no wonder these sports can be intimidating. It was remarkable to see a lot of those fears melt away in an atmosphere that was free from judgement and full of supportive peers, who wanted nothing more than to see each other thrive.

During our time in Japan, we were able to watch these women evolve from timid to confident skiers in just a matter of days, which proved to us exactly why organizations like Chicks Climbing and Skiing were created. They are not just here for trip planning, and route guiding, they are here to mentor and provide an environment that cultivates personal growth, learning, and confidence in women, developing them to emerge as leaders in their sports and communities.

SCARPA truly believes in supporting female athletes and female-lead businesses that empower women and provide them with necessary opportunities for growth and success in the outdoor industry. We are grateful for the opportunity we had to learn from one of the best in the business and look forward to continuing our support for Chicks Climbing and Skiing and other companies that are working hard to elevate women in the outdoors.