AdventurUs Women's Winter Escape: Learning to Nordic Ski With Total Strangers
I walked into Suttle Lodge for the AdventurUs Women’s Winter Escape to a group of total strangers, and left the women’s retreat with a solid understanding of how to Nordic ski, a handle on some game-changing search and rescue tactics, and a full heart from all the awesome memories our group of inspirational ladies shared together. A cold plunge is the ultimate bonding experience, let me tell ya. If you’re thinking of full-sending it on an AdventurUs Women’s Winter Escape, let this be your sign to DO IT! Here’s my full, three-day experience adventuring in Central Oregon’s epic wintery landscapes with a group of awesome women.
This post is in partnership with AdventurUs Women and Visit Central Oregon. All opinions are always my own.
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What is AdventurUs Women?
AdventurUs Women is a women-owned community that creates outdoor opportunities for all ages, race, size, background, and experience levels, and all gender identities and expressions who feel that a women’s retreat is the right space for them to explore life-changing outdoor experiences while learning new skills in affirming and empowering environments.
Adventuring with women hits different, to say it as millennial as possible. Trying something new and experiencing the outdoors with other women is an incredibly uplifting experience. There’s a sense of comfort, belonging, knowing, and understanding that you just can’t get in a co-ed group.
Check out AdventurUs Women’s full list of women’s retreats, adventures, and events here!
Day 1
Nordic Skiing with Glide Nordic
We started the morning with a hearty and delicious breakfast at the Suttle Lodge–this gorgeous Deschutes National Forest lakefront lodge was the perfect basecamp for our adventure-filled weekend! After probably too much coffee and a full belly of the SL Breakfast (eggs, trout, potatoes, a type of corn pancake, and a little fresh salad to start the day–I’m so here for the salad for breakfast thing), we packed up our bags, hopped in our transfer and drove the short 15 minutes to Hoodoo Ski Area. Ingrid–the founder of Glide Nordic and our Nordic ski instructor for the weekend–greeted us in the parking lot with a big smile and a wave.
I not only love that AdventurUs Women is woman-owned and operated, but also that it prioritizes partnering with other women-owned businesses for all their women’s retreats, trips, and workshops.
Halle, AdventurUs Women’s Event Manager, helping an AdventurUs woman click into her Nordic ski.
I’m such a newb when it comes to Nordic skiing, so I was pretty dang nervous when I saw the skis make their way out of the rooftop box. I turned to the woman next to me and asked if she’d been before, “Haha not even a little bit,” she said, which made me feel a bajillion times better. If I was going to learn to Nordic ski, I was stoked it was going to be alongside a group of women who were just as new to the sport as I am.
First: balance practice–no skis at all. We eventually graduated to practicing on a single ski, and began skating around, starting to get a feel for the ski and its glide before clicking into both. After a few humbling falls, Ingrid taught us the easiest way to get back up, which we began calling the “dying bug.” Photos of the lovely Paulina practicing the “dying bug” for reference.
It was time to hit the groomers! Hoodoo has a groomed Nordic track with a few daunting hills that we all braved like (almost) pro’s.
Our 2.5-hour adventure was over all too soon, but we all managed to go from zero Nordic skiing experience to getting down hills in one piece, so I’d say it was an epic success.
Search and Rescue teaching valuable winter safety and survival skills at the AdventurUs Women’s Winter Escape.
Search and Rescue Class
After a DELICIOUS lunch at the lodge (a massive trout sandwich for me), we gathered at a Suttle Lodge cabin for our afternoon Outdoor Winter Skills class with some super rad Search and Rescue ladies.
Today, we learned about the 10 essentials for adventuring in the winter:
Nutrition
Hydration
Insulation
Illumination
Navigation
First aid supplies
Fire kit
Repair kit
Emergency shelter
Sun protection
We all learned SO many interesting facts and clever safety hacks, including:
Mustard helps with cramping. Throw a few packets into your adventure pack!
Dryer lint in a toilet paper roll makes a great DIY lightweight fire starter.
Flares double as fail-proof fire starters. They start EVERY time. Keep a small flare with you (like Orion flares)
Always bring two lighters in case the first one poops out.
After a toasty sauna session, I made my way down the icy dock for my cold plunge.
Sauna + Cold Plunge
There’s nothing like ending a snowy, adventure-heavy day like with a hot sauna… and a cold plunge. Okay, so the latter sounded terrible at the time, but believe me when I tell you it felt AMAZING!!!
Gather Sauna House parked outside the our Suttle Lodge cabin, which ended Day 1 of our AdventurUs Women’s Winter Escape.
Gather Sauna House parked their mobile sauna right outside our Suttle Lodge cabin, fired up the wood stove, and we got steamy. We walked into a little entryway/changing area with a bench and some infused water to help us stay hydrated. A second door led to the sauna. It felt freaking fantastic.
The goal is to spend around 15 minutes in the sauna before hopping into a pool of freezing water for 1-3 minutes. There is a motherload of health benefits associated with cold plunges–the shock boosts your dopamine and can help relieve pain, reduce inflammation and increase circulation.
Paulina enjoying the Gather Sauna House at the AdventurUs Women’s Winter Escape.
So I sat there all warm and toasty looking out the window at the ice-covered lake, knowing I was about to run down there and wade into it. Willingly. I mustered up the courage, grabbed my towel, and ran so I wouldn’t chicken out.
Rachel full sending it in the frozen lake for her post-sauna cold plunge.
It was COLD, but once you get over that initial shock and re-learn how to breathe, it was kinda nice (well, if you keep your hands above water). I also made sure to get as hot as possible in the sauna first, but once out of the water, I was standing in the breezy 20-degree air in a swimsuit like it was nothing! And my skin felt INCREDIBLE! It was so smooth, I felt so alive… I did it 4 more times, ha!
I was pretty much out for the count after the 2-hours of sauna shenanigans, enjoyed a nice dinner of pork belly pasta with the other women and passed out in my king size bed for the night. We had a big day coming up!
A backcountry Nordic ski session at the Ray Benson Sno-Park.
Day 2
Nordic Backcountry Skiing with Glide Nordic
To the mountains!! I opted for the quiche this morning (highly recommend) and we were off to the Ray Benson Sno-Park to test our new Nordic ski skills in Oregon’s backcountry. Nervous? Yes. Excited? More yes.
We kicked the snow out of the bottom of our boots and clipped in, nervously eyeing the bumpy, not-groomed terrain. A track was worn in the snow through the trees. There are way too many places to catch an edge. I was going down today for sureeeee.
We took the scenic route today, every once in a while venturing off to break our own trail and ski through fresh, untouched powder. The snow conditions were perfect–dry, fluffy, and forgiving, which was ideal for all the falls we took that day!
Mt. Washington peeked out just long enough for us to get a few quick photos before it was time to turn around and head back.
Ingrid had passed out skins for us to carry at the beginning–no, they’re not real skins, although they used to be, which is how they got their name! Skins are designed to help you climb hills on skis easily!
Saveria, founder of AdventurUs Women, prepping her skins.
They’re long pieces of fabric: one side has adhesive that lets you stick it to your skis and the other has one-way hair-like fiber that slides smooth when you move your skis forward, but catches on the snow when your skis start to slide back.
Ingrid showed us how to put them on, and we climbed up those hills like they were nothing!
Practicing navigation skills with Search and Rescue.
Search and Rescue Class
After lunch, we gathered at a Suttle Lodge cabin once again for some additional Search and Rescue pro tips from the same 5 hardcore women. They’re such incredible humans, I was stoked to see them again!
Today, we learned about navigation, avalanche safety, and cadaver dogs. Yep, you read that right.
Search and Rescue uses cadaver dogs when the going gets super rough out there. If someone is buried, lost in a lake, etc, the dogs come to the rescue, and they freaking love their job!
We also learned that Search and Rescue uses a version of Caltopo for all of their backcountry navigation! It allows you to add friends to your trip and track them in real time! How cool is that? I can’t wait to try it out on my next adventure.
SAR also took some time to refresh our memories on backcountry packing must-haves. Whenever you’re adventuring in a snowy backcountry, there are three non-negotiable gear items you must have with you at all times (in addition to the 10 essentials):
Beacon
Probe
Shovel
You can purchase all three in a backcountry package from most online retailers. This one from Backcountry is $450.
A nighttime snowshoe to a bonfire under the stars.
Snowshoe After Dark
And now, the activity I’d been waiting for!!! Well, okay, every activity was freaking epic, but something about a snowshoe under the stars with the promise of a toasty bonfire at the end made my adventure sense tingle. After dinner, we met up with Courtney from Wanderlust Tours who drove us back up to the Ray Benson Sno-Park. We strapped on some snowshoes in the dark, icy parking lot, and hiked out into Hoodoo’s snowy wilderness under the stars.
Clear skies gave us a sweet view of Cassiopeia, Orion, and the Seven Sisters, which I’d been calling “the little scoop” up until that point, ha! The more you know.
The AdventurUs women strapping into their snowshoes for a nighttime hike to a bonfire under the stars.
We weaved our way through dense trees, admired tracks from a rabbit and learned that the lichen we saw has a symbiotic relationship with the trees. When Courtney said it’s edible, I had to try it. “Try the brown one,” she said, “the green can be too easily confused for its poisonous counterpart.” Wouldn’t want to make that mistake! Turns out the brown lichen is a good source of Vitamin B and fiber, and fir tree needles have Vitamin C!
We reached a hill of fresh powder, gathered in a circle, and took a couple of minutes to simply enjoy the quietness, the nature, the evening. It was pure magic. It felt like it was just us and Oregon’s vast wilderness. Sure, I knew there were probably a few snow campers, but you would never know. Brb while I make a mental note to have more quiet moments in nature this year. It was that life-changing.
We eventually broke the silence and walked on–a flicker lit the trees aglow in the distance. We made it!! We arrived at a dug-out hangout space with snow benches and a roaring fire in the center of it all. Wanderlust Tours passed out treats and hot cocoa with an optional splash of Crater Lake Hazelnut Espresso Vodka– you bet I opted in–and we enjoyed each other’s company on our last night all together. I could’ve stayed there forever!!!
It was emotional. After a fantastic weekend venturing out of our comfort zones, trying new things, and sharing so many laughs with a group of incredible women that were strangers just two days ago, it was so hard to say goodbye, but I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend the last night of the women’s retreat.
We gathered one last time the following morning for a yoga session taught by the lovely Maggie before saying our goodbyes. So many hugs, well-wishes, thank you’s and see you soon’s–there’s no way we wouldn’t see each other again! Who knows, it might be at the next AdventurUs Women’s Winter Escape!