Women's Skis Can No Longer Just Be Shrunk & Painted Pink... Read more at http://coolerlifestyle.com/features/brands-female-speci

This is great!

The damage is already done. Even if they revamp the women's ski graphics and beef up the skis, you already have a set precedent. You can't erase the stigma surrounding women's skis, and even I judge other women when I see them on women's skis versus if I see them on a hard charging men's ski.

I was also really disappointed to see Faction's idea of less condescending graphics. They were still overly girly in my opinion. I feel like Icelantic is a perfect example of graphics that greatly appeal to women but are rad in any context. A good graphic design should appeal to both sexes.

I constantly get compliments from women for these men's skis:

CyanicenineYou can't erase the stigma surrounding women's skis, and even I judge other women when I see them on women's skis versus if I see them on a hard charging men's ski.

I do this a lot. However for myself being short and petite there aren't too many options. My longest skis are 170's but it's always hit or miss if a men's ski is even made under a 175. So not too many options for us small girls who charge

this is why i like cooler.

I don't really think design is a big deal.. From either end.. usually guys skis are just as steriotypical as the girls skis. Some girl ski graphics are rad I think. Of course a lot of them are lame and too "girly" I think some of the art is amazing on some girls skis like Armada. I love my 2014 ARWs. I get just as many compliments from the guys on the design than I do from the gals. It does suck that a lot of girls skis are watered down versions.. and there is less variety especially in park skis.. I'm pretty set on getting guys skis new year for the fact I haven't found a good pair of park skis that are buttery and playful. But I also heard On3p is coming out with a womens park ski and I'm tempted.

Just some insider knowledge I've gained... for the most part girls skis are EXACTLY the same as guys. Not all brands but a lot of them.

They're built the same but have a smaller size run / the companies fudge numbers to make a 172 into a 170. For instance the Rossi men's Sin 7 172 is the same as the women's Savory 7 170 except the graphics.

So knowing this, a girl on an Armada TSTw is really on the TST with a different graphic and maybe a size that the men's don't come in. And also because of this knowledge I don't tend to have a different impression of girls skiing guys skis vs. girls skis. It's actually kind of silly to me that such a fuss is made over girls needing to ski guys skis, when for the most part they ARE. For sure there are guys skis out there that don't have "girls" equivalents and so in this case there is just one option.

What bugs me about the "shrink and pink" idea isn't so much the shrinking and pinking, but the fact that women's ski production and engineering are an after-thought.

There are some out there however which are built from scratch by girls testing them out and sending feedback to their engineer. The article did name some and I personally have met the K2 girls and heard their story about the Ski Alliance they have. And they don't just have 2 or 3 skis, they have 16.

I did enjoy the article though, stoked to see some momentum for change!