SNOWBOARD magazine’s first annual women’s issue

2009 marks the beginning of the first annual women’s issue of SNOWBOARD magazine with a cover shot of Gretchen Bleiler by Zach Hooper. If you subscribe to SNOWBOARD magazine you’ll be getting this supplement to the magazine in the mail as well. If you are a guy, you can flip through it or just pass it onto your female friends or sisters. For us girls, it offers us our own magazine dedicated to female shredders.
The work of Tawyna Schultz is in full effect, with much of the written content being given to SNOWBOARD magazine’s female associate editor.

Articles featured include Barrett Christy writing about injuries and staying healthy on the mountain, a look at Torah Bright’s pro model, Breast Cancer Awareness products in snowboarding, a conversation with Jamie Anderson and Tara Dakides, articles with Donna Carpenter and Natasha Zurek, girl talk with 6 professional female riders on their starts to riding, packing light and winter driving tips. Articles that go beyond the mountain are about Tyson Beckford and Santogold.

The Galleries feature women riders straight up killing it, rails, powder, cliffs, weird spikey poles. The level of photography and female riders getting good shots is going up.

I applaud SNOWBOARD magazine for picking up the women’s magazine and creating their own style to it without losing the SNOWBOARD standards.

I think magazines tend to underestimate women snowboarders. The articles directed at the empowerment of women professional riders are always a great read. The articles that should be the stepping stone of progression and knowledge for upcoming women riders aren’t there. Why shouldn’t women readers want to learn about gear, construction, adjusting/dialing in products, jobs in the industry for women, what women do for snowboarding…versus how to pack according to your color scheme for a vacation. The days are dying away that women’s gear is a bright pink color and women are still considered snowbunnies or betties. The women who care and drive the industry are helping break that glass ceiling and magazines should bring the to the next level for women.

It’s a good start and can’t wait to see what the staff at SNOWBOARD magazine do to bring more to the magazine.