After last year's ladies' day, myself and the other Lady Monsters were sitting around the solo stove in the Sunapee parking lot thinking about how we could top the fondue-themed Après spread we just put together. The afternoon had gotten chillier and we were all looking forward to heading back to our hotel for a nice cup of tea when suddenly it dawned on us — a tea party! 

Thus, the next year's theme was born. We had all the time in the world to gather supplies, put together a menu and make this the best mountainside après tea party the northeast had ever seen. 

Every good ladies' day starts with mimosas.

In addition to scouring vintage shops to find the perfect teapot, we also compiled a stacked guest list with badass female skiers from inside the industry and out. In total, we had 9 lovely ladies lined up to come shred some 23/24 skis, test outerwear fit for a proper high tea and sip hot toddies — pinkies up of course. 

The weather was working in our favor, with it being mostly sunny and warm. Fresh off some flurries from the week prior, the snow was also, dare I say, perfect. Smooth groomers with idyllic soft patches that made for great testing snow. 

While there was still a little chill in the air, we suited up in the completely new 23/24 line from Goldbergh. They were kind enough to send us their entire line — pants, jackets, base layers, accessories and all. While we can’t say much about everything until it is officially released, what we can say is we are absolutely obsessed. 

To be honest, Goldbergh never really disappoints. The epitome of fashion and function, their new line is no exception. These were seriously some of the warmest jackets we have ever skied in. Would it have been better to test them out on a classic, bitter 10-degree New England ski day? Yeah, for sure. But they were so stylish that we simply had to break them out in the warmer weather too. Plus they have styles that flatter everybody. 

"Our outfits were ah-mah-zing," said Devon Scovill, the head of the softgoods department here at TSM. "We are so excited to show off the Goldbergh looks in a few months. Having all of the crew absolutely shredding in extremely well-coordinated kits was a dream come true."

Devon wore the Goldbergh Bombardino Jacket, a carryforward look for next season, which she said was "very out of character for [her] and [she] felt like a celebrity wearing it." And she looked like one too — crushing it in this coat on the Head Kore 91s. 

As always, we got the chance to try out some new skis too. A lot of ladies got out on some skis they had never tried before. The Ripstick was, no surprise, a big hit for those who had never skied it.

I did some back-to-back tests of the Blizzard Black Pearl 88 and the new Sheeva 9. The Black Pearl 88 is an all-time fave in the women’s all-mountain department. It has a great grip on snow and performs well at high and low speeds. The Sheeva 9 is a little more versatile and less carving oriented but still crushes groomers, particularly on a softer day like this one when you need your ski to push through some slush. 

Devon got the chance to test the Elan Playmaker 91 for the first time this season. Last year she got to test the unfinished prototypes, so she was eager to get on them to see how they’ve progressed since the development stage. “Despite the too long length, on a day like we had I can see how fun this ski is going to be and I can't wait to try it in a smaller length,” she said.

After a couple of hot laps, it was time for an outfit change. As things started to warm up, we decided to swap out our down-filled Goldbergh puffers for some shells and other, lighter kits. 

Zeal Optics rep, Denelle Cohen, absolutely crushing it on the Elan Ripstick 88 W in a full Rossignol JCC kit.

Her first time on this ski, safe to say she was impressed. 

“There was a lot of hype around the JCC kits, especially the yellow and blue outfits,” said Devon talking about the collection from Rossignol in collaboration with famous fashion designer JC de Castelbajac. “The detailing in the embroidery and on the zippers is fun and super unique.”  

Softgoods buyer, Tate O’Brien, said the yellow JCC coat is her new favorite of the season. Citing that it was comfortable and flattering and that she loves the detail on the back — the whole thing just screams Tate.

Tate didn’t test any new skis but spent the day on some of her favorites. “I literally have never gone faster in my life,” she said of riding the Volkl Kenja 88s. Even on a slushier day, the Kenjas still rip. 

She also spent the day on some of her all-time favorites — the Fischer Ranger 96 and the Elan Ripstick 94 W Black Edition, both carryforward skis for next season. “So basically it was a perfect day ski-wise,” she said. Both of those skis made her list of her Top Tested Skis for 2023, and are likely to make it on her 2024 list as well.

K2 rep, Kelsey Burke Kaknes, brought some new Mindbender 90C Ws and skied in the new Mindbender BOA boot — a favorite of hers throughout this testing season. 

After skiing our hearts out, it was time for the main event of the day — Après. Thanks to a Goal Zero generator, we had hot coffee, tea and cocoa ready to go with your accouterment of choice. Everyone got a teacup and saucer to enjoy their drinks and we had an endless amount of cookies, biscuits, pastries and fancy finger sandwiches for snaking — a highly underrated snack in our opinion.

Above all else, the best part of the day was getting out on snow with an incredible group of easy-going, fun-loving women who happen to absolutely shred. While we get to have a lot of great days on snow with our TSM colleagues, there's nothing quite like a girl's day. 

For any questions about gear book an appointment to come see us in Boston or contact one of our gear experts!