Girl Winter is bringing women’s stories to the screen—and building community along the way

Girl Winter Film Tour returns to Park City with new films, community and a growing celebration of women in winter sports

PARK CITY, Utah — New films, more glitter and a growing community of women in winter sports are coming to Park City, Thursday, Nov. 19 at the Jim Santy Auditorium.

The Girl Winter Film Tour, presented by Stio, premiered in Salt Lake City last week, kicking off its largest tour yet. The tour celebrates women in winter sports and will make nearly 50 stops across North America.

How Girl Winter got its start 

Sierra Schlag, Katie Cooney, Sara Beam Robbins and Iz La Motte are the minds behind Moonrise, a creative studio focused on making the ski industry a more equitable place through storytelling and events like Girl Winter.

In 2021, the four women came together to create the film “Advice for Girls.” After Schlag noticed that there were very few films centered on women in skiing, the group reunited the following year to showcase a collection of short films on women in winter sports. The first tour featured 16 stops.

“It was very last minute,” Schlag said. “But it was very successful, and people were really stoked on it. So we were like, okay, I guess we’re doing this again, and we’re actually going to be intentional and think about it.”

Expanding Girl Winter across North America 

This year, the tour has nearly 50 stops, expanding to cities like Austin, Texas, Chicago, Illinois and across greater North America.

“When we went into planning this year’s tour, we knew that we wanted to again just elevate the experience and give more resources to anybody that wanted to come,” Schlag said.

In order to make the films more accessible, the tour is working with local hosts to bring it to additional communities.

“We have local people within the community who are helping host shows. So I think that is also cool to be like, ‘I know this person on stage, and they’re presenting the film!’ I think that is going to be a fun addition and also allows us to have more shows.”

This year’s tour features five new films, including Moonrise’s feature-length film, “Winter Elements,” which focuses on women working within the ski industry and the ways their roles are interconnected.

The film highlights jobs that are not typically featured in ski movies, including ski patrollers, snowcat drivers and avalanche broadcasters.

More than just a movie night 

In addition to new films, this year’s tour is partnering with Ski Utah and ZipFit to feature a glitter booth, a ski boot charm bar, merchandise and live music. These intentional additions are designed to make the event more than just a movie premiere by creating space for attendees to build community.

That focus on community extends beyond the activities surrounding the films. Girl Winter has also created opportunities for attendees to connect directly with women working and competing in the industry.

Creating connections on and off the slopes 

At the world premiere, Girl Winter hosted a panel featuring women working in the industry.

“We had probably 15 athletes at the premiere, and it’s all women athletes,” Schlag said. “Just to see everyone in line to get their posters signed, and so many young girls so excited, and their moms so excited because we didn’t have this growing up.”

The panel also gave attendees an opportunity to hear directly from women working in the outdoor industry and connect with them afterward.

“I think that was just really cool to kind of dig in a little bit and pull the veil back because I think it’s so hard to get your foot in the door in the outdoor industry. And hopefully the panel provided people in the audience with good advice and experiences, and then they could network and meet all the panelists afterwards.”

A connection that keeps growing

That sense of connection has become a defining part of the Girl Winter experience, and the community surrounding the tour continues to expand beyond its original audience.

“It is just really hopeful and positive energy, which is really amazing. We thought about this for so long because nothing like this existed in the ski industry before we created it, and now it’s growing. It’s not our first rodeo anymore, and it’s not only women in the crowd. We have a pretty mixed audience typically, and that’s getting more mixed as the years go on.”

The tour will return to Park City, Schlag’s hometown, Thursday, Nov. 19 at the Jim Santy Auditorium. Tickets are available now at: girlwinterfilmtour.com/tickets.