The Gamma Girls
Forty or so of the top dealers and reps for Tecnica/Völkl boots and skis and snowboards took early tracks on Aspen Mountain yesterday.
Accompanying them, clad in light-blue jackets, were the Tecnica/Völkl Gamma Girls ” all top-notch athletes, great skiers and quite beautiful.
All seven who were on the hill yesterday with the dealers and reps are athletes with a considerable record of accomplishment, whether as a college racer, on the World Cup circuit or winning the 24 Hours of Aspen.
The crew working yesterday included Heidi Voelker, Dominique Escuarez, Brenda Buglione, Andy Malbouf, Katie Fry, Megan Harvey and Katie McBride-Puckett. (Apologies if I’ve misspelled your names.)
Their job, beginning yesterday and extending into this week, is to ski and talk with dealers, give them tips and educate them about the equipment. They did it yesterday on Ajax and will continue for today and tomorrow on Buttermilk as part of the ski industry trade show that kicks off this morning.
Just about every manufacturer of hard goods ” skis, snowboards, boots, poles, goggles, bindings ” is in town to show next year’s models off to shop owners and equipment reps. Marker, Solomon, Elan, Atomic, K2, Leki Ski Poles, Carrera, Burton and the like are all on hand for the show.
It’s one of three on-snow shows each year, according to one of the Gamma Girls. The other two are held on the east and west coasts.
The benefits of being a Gamma Girl include goodies like skis and bindings and boots that come with being a sponsored athlete; an opportunity to test out all the new equipment before anybody else; and, of course, first tracks on Aspen Mountain with dealers and reps who ski nearly as well as you do.
First tracks yesterday meant hitting Aztec, both freshly groomed and covered with 4 inches of fresh powder.
As of 5 a.m. yesterday, the Aspen Skiing Co. was reporting just 2 inches of new snow atop Aspen Mountain. All three other mountains were reporting the same.
On the Hill likes the Gamma Girls’ estimate better.
