GIRLS SCHOOL

Jeannie Thoren, director of Jeannie Thoren’s equipment Clinics, says practice makes perfect … but only if your boots fit and your skis are properly adjusted. This is a particular problem for women, she says, because most gear, until recently, was designed for men.

"When I was younger, I was a junior national champion and skied really well." But then she hit a performance plateau that she couldn’t blast through. "Everyone tried to coach the technical problems out of me. But it turned out that I didn’t need more lessons – I needed more plastic under my bindings," she says. "I have the classic pear-shaped child-bearing body." This places her center of gravity in her hips. That, in turn, makes staying forward a little tougher.

Realizing the impact of physiology on equipment performance, she began working with manufacturers to retool ski gear. "The options now are better than ever," says Thoren. Still, women often need additional fitting. So for the past 10 years Thoren has spent her ski season on the road, hauling behind her a trailer stocked with 120 pairs of demo skis and 80 pairs of boots. She also packs footbeds, cants, wedges, and binding mountings. " I have everything I need to modify equipment. I can lift, shim, shrink or stretch," she says.

"I’m always amazed at the kind of gear people end up needing," she says. More than once, "I’ve put a little old lady in a powder blue ski suit on racing skis." But there are also a set of common problems and solutions that most women share. For example, to compensate for a generally lower center of gravity, Thoren recommends placing ½ inch heel lifts in women’s boots to get their weight forward. She also suggests that women move their bindings at least 3 centimeters forward for the same reason. Then, to adjust for bow-legged or knock-kneed stance, which can mean under-edged or over-edged skiing performance, she says all women should consider foot beds and canting.

Do these things, she says, and "you’ll ski better right out of the box … You’ll feel more nimble, turns will come more easily." Besides, "Most pros have customized boots. Why shouldn’t you?" A final word of advice: "Try before you buy."

Thoren’s program ranges from one-day demos to three-day, all-inclusive seminars.