Celebrating women in Nordic skiing: U of A scholars launch Ski Like a Girl Podcast
8 January 2025
The Ski Like a Girl podcast is a new series dedicated to uncovering the untold stories of women and girls in Nordic skiing. Hosted by 黑料不打烊 historians , and professor , this podcast combines deep archival research with documentary narratives to bring Canada’s rich ski history to life.
“Women have been longtime competitors and participants in Nordic skiing in Canada, yet their stories are often overlooked,” explains Conrad, a Master of Arts student and one of the podcast’s hosts. Ski Like a Girl aims to change that. With each episode, the team explores the lives, challenges, and accomplishments of women in skiing — from early trailblazers to more recent skiers, these stories of winter recreation and sport highlight the lives of women in Nordic skiing.
The new podcast launches on Jan. 23, 2025 with a virtual podcast launch-party at noon MST. It will feature the launch of the free podcast with a chance to meet the team of historians based in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation. .
The podcast’s first episode, “,” dives into the vibrant history of skiing on campus during the Great Depression. Drawing from her master’s research, Conrad shares how U of A students embraced winter recreation with Sunday ski hikes, skijoring, ski jumping and warm cabin gatherings. “Skiing was one of the most popular sports on campus during the 1930s,” she notes. Through archival sources such as The Gateway and Evergreen and Gold, listeners will hear the stories of trailblazing women who balanced academic and professional ambitions with their passion for skiing.
The second episode, “Women’s Ski Jumpers: Fighting to Fly, features doctoral student Charlotte Mitchell’s personal and academic insights into the history of women’s ski jumping. Mitchell recounts her experiences as a Canadian ski jumper and a plaintiff in the landmark lawsuit against the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee to include women’s ski jumping in the 2010 Winter Olympics. “This episode is about breaking barriers and fighting for equality in the sport,” says Mitchell. Find their podcasts on and .
The podcast also touches on topics such as backcountry touring, skijoring, biathlon, and cross-country skiing, and racing, offering something for everyone — from skiers to history enthusiasts. As Conrad explains, “We aim to excite listeners thinking about the lives of Canada’s women and girls, past and present. And if we give all kinds of listeners a sense of what it was like to ski and move on snow and they go outside to enjoy winter, all the better.”
With episodes averaging 30 minutes, Ski Like a Girl blends intimate interviews, soundscapes and documentary-style storytelling to transport listeners to the snowy trails of past times. The series is a collaborative effort, incorporating voices from historians, Olympians, recreational skiers, and alumni, as well as archival materials from museums, families, and ski clubs.
The podcast is more than just storytelling — “it’s a public history project and a reflexive feminist praxis of knowledge designed to document the legacy of Canada’s winter sport culture. If our podcast inspires listeners to explore history and see winter sports in a new way, we’ve achieved our goal,” says Reichwein.
For more details visit the official .