Across North America, mountain operations departments struggle to find and train new skilled operators. Resorts often lack consistent technical training for new staff as crews age and turnover remains high.
A grassroots initiative called She Grooms is working to change that.
Founded in 2023 by experienced operators and grooming managers, She Grooms builds technical skills, confidence and career paths for women in snow operations, from grooming to heavy equipment and snowmaking. The program brings together operators, manufacturers and mentors for several days of training, networking and hands-on experience with mountain equipment.
The 2026 She Grooms Conference will take place May 5–7 at Mt. Hood Meadows in Oregon, continuing a program that has grown quickly since its first gathering. For organizer and Schweitzer Mountain operator Sabrina Straszewski, the idea began as a way to create a supportive space for women in grooming and mountain operations.
“What it was really trying to do is bring female operators together to bounce off each other’s ideas of learning ways to deal with their peers, how to move up in their jobs and be a resource for them if they felt timid asking anybody else in the workplace,” said Straszewski. “That’s kind of where it started. Pretty small thought that blew up rather quickly.” From snowcat fundamentals to welding and lift maintenance, She Grooms offers hands-on training for the next generation of operators
A small thought that quickly grew
The first She Grooms event was small, but organizers quickly realized demand was much greater than expected. “There were around 15 or 20 attendees the first year, and it’s doubled in size. We learned very quickly how popular this was and how needed it was,” said Anna Holgate, marketing director at Mt. Hood Meadows.
Holgate adds that participants quickly connected over shared experiences. The conversations revealed that women in mountain operations often faced similar challenges, confirming that the program was filling an important industry gap and helping the conference grow internationally.
Bringing the industry together
While the event supports women in operations, collaboration with the broader ski industry – manufacturers, suppliers and experienced operators – has been key to its success. They contribute to the conference’s training and mentorship. Straszewski says building those connections was always part of the vision.
“The need was also for more ski industry professionals to jump on board,” she said. “With Prinoth, PistenBully and other companies in the industry that jumped on, it really made it more known [that] this isn’t just operators getting together and going out and racing snowcats around.”
The conference has become a professional development environment, connecting participants with industry professionals and opening doors to careers beyond seasonal resort work. “We are creating operators, we’re creating industry professionals that want to move on,” said Straszewski.
“Here they’re coming, they’re getting the networking, and they’re learning this is possible – ‘I can go across the country and work at a different resort or out of the country.’ They can go to [industry leaders] and ask for recommendations of where they think they could fit in or move to or try something new.”
Showing a path to a career
For many entering the ski industry, mountain operations can feel like a temporary job rather than a career. Ben Finn, who manages demo and training programs for Prinoth, says the seasonal nature of resort work can make it hard for newcomers to see long-term opportunities. That’s where She Grooms makes a difference.
“When you bring in the snowcat manufacturers, the lift companies and snowmaking and all the industry professionals, people [who] have made a career out of working in the ski industry, [it shows] people who are new that there is a path toward making a career out of working in the ski industry and not just being a seasonal employee,” he said.
Supporting the industry’s workforce
For industry partners like Prinoth, supporting She Grooms is also about strengthening the future workforce of ski resorts. "Much of mountain operations happens behind the scenes,” said Rachel Templar, marketing manager at Prinoth. “You wouldn’t have skiers if you didn’t have grooming.” Supporting programs like She Grooms introduces new people to behind-the-scenes careers and allows women to explore roles they may have hesitated to pursue.
“We’ve had people email us to get on the waitlist and say, ‘Hey, I work in IT (or marketing or guest services), and I’ve really wanted to try this for so long,’” Holgate said. “Growing the industry is taking somebody who may have been in guest services for five years but always wanted to be part of mountain ops and giving them that opportunity.”
Allies and mentorship
Another important aspect is the involvement of seasoned operators, many with decades of grooming and terrain park experience. Straszewski says mentorship is essential. “We would not be able to do what we do if it weren’t for men like Paul [Kirkland] and [Finn] in the industry,” she said.
Seeing male industry leaders support the program helps participants feel like they belong in mountain operations. “A lot of the women come to this and are like, ‘Why are men here?’” Straszewski said. “Why are they coaching us and not women? They want to provide for us, too, and they want to be part of what you are doing.”
Learning from experienced operators ensures participants get world-class instruction. “These guys doing the coaching have years of experience building and grooming the very best,” Templar said. “As a woman, I want to learn from the best so I can be the best.”
Kirkland, a sales and demo specialist with Prinoth, says he wanted Prinoth involved with She Grooms as soon as he heard about it from Allison Marriner, a grooming manager at Mt. Hood Meadows and founder of She Grooms. “We had to be involved in this at some level and just to help coach these women and give them the knowledge that they don’t get internally at some of the resorts,” he said. “The more knowledge we can download on them, the better operators they’re going to end up being.”
Programs like She Grooms address broader workforce challenges since many resorts lack consistent training. “There’s a whole generation of cat operators [who] are retiring now, and a lot of the knowledge isn’t being passed on very well,” he said.
Hands-on technical training
High turnover and seasonal employment make it hard for resorts to invest in training programs. “A lot of resorts aren’t willing to invest a lot of time and money into training people because they don’t expect them to stick around very long,” Finn said. This makes foundational training opportunities even more valuable.
While networking and mentorship are central, She Grooms also delivers practical technical training, including grooming fundamentals, snow science and terrain park building. Straszewski says many participants already had some snowcat experience but wanted to expand their skills. Training also includes basic mechanical troubleshooting. “So, if they’re out on the hill and something breaks down, they have an idea of what’s going on and how to deal with it,” she said.
The conference now includes dozer and excavator operation, with sponsors providing equipment for hands-on training. Training covers welding clinics and introductory snowmaking and lift maintenance. This foundation helps participants build confidence, develop their skills at home resorts and stay engaged in the industry.
“If they’re not feeling appreciated or trained or looked after, they don’t come back,” Kirkland said. “So to give them some excitement to want to come back the next year and the year after that, that’s a big one.”
Looking ahead
Despite rapid growth, organizers plan to keep the conference relatively small to maintain hands-on training. “We really like the intimate feel of it,” Straszewski said. Attendance is limited to 35-40 participants to ensure meaningful access to equipment and instructors. “We want to make sure that people are getting what they came for,” she said. “That one-on-one, that comfort level of being able to ask the questions they don’t feel like they can ask.”
Future plans include expanding technical training in areas like lift maintenance, snowmaking infrastructure and heavy equipment. The core mission remains creating a supportive community where women can learn, grow and build careers in mountain operations. For organizers and mentors, seeing the program’s impact makes the effort worthwhile. “It’s been awesome to see the stoke from the ladies during the event and what they’re getting out of it,” Kirkland said.
Holgate agrees that the program’s passion is one of its defining features. “The amount of time that [Straszewsk] and everyone have put into this is pretty awesome,” she said. “Just seeing how much people love what they do and wanting to share that with another generation, it’s really special.”
The program has begun creating its own cycle of mentorship, with past participants returning as coaches to guide new operators. “They’re kind of moving through the generation of She Grooms,” Straszewski said. For Finn, the continued demand for the conference is a strong sign that it is meeting a real need within the ski industry. “To see the number of women [who] have returned every year – and the waiting list of people who want to be there – I think that really speaks to the event itself and how well received it is,” he said.
As the ski industry looks ahead, initiatives like She Grooms help ensure the next generation of operators has the skills, confidence and connections needed to keep mountains running smoothly.
For more information on She Grooms, go to skihood.com/explore/she-grooms.
