Ladies, if you allow yourself to indulge in one thing this year, make it the Oakley Progression Sessions.
A weekend spent sharpening your park skills, building friendships, rubbing shoulders with pros, and living it up Oakley style (more on that later) is a far better investment than a new pair of shoes or a night on the town.
I speak from experience: I’m just starting to come off my OPS Whistler high from this past weekend. For the uninitiated (you can brush up on OPS 411 here), Oakley Progression Sessions are annual women’s-only camps that take place at a few select resorts across North America. This two-day event is focused around improving your skills in the park. Skiers and snowboarders are coached by some of the best athletes in the field.
The Whistler OPS weekend kicked off on Friday night. Coaches, staff, media, and members of the Oakley family gathered for a pre-OPS reception – only this wasn’t your typical cocktail party. A glass of wine into the evening, we soon found out that we’d be heading outdoors to do some twilight zip lining with ZipTrek Ecotours Whistler.
This was my first taste of doing things Oakley style. Oakley style, I’ve deducted, is all about taking things to the next level. From start to finish, nothing about this weekend was just decent or mediocre – everything was full on. They don’t just have coaches; they have pro skiers and snowboarders teaching the ropes. They don’t just do morning stretches; the day starts off with a full 45-minute flow yoga class – and yes, you can keep your pink Oakley yoga mat. Oakley style weaves itself into every aspect of OPS.
Back to zip lining – squeals of excitement mixed with terror filled the air as we zipped our way between Blackcomb and Whistler, watching the sun come down. We continued to swap post-zip lining stories over nachos at the Dubh Linn Gate, then it was off to bed – after all, we had a big weekend ahead of us.
Bleary eyed but eager, attendees began to file into Oakley’s designated ballroom at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler at 6:45 am. We were met with stacks upon stacks of brand spanking new Oakley goggles, complete with Prizm lenses. And that was just the beginning: there were rows of fuchsia backpacks filled with Oakley goodies, each marked with an attendee’s name. Christmas had come early (or late?)
After we’d pored through the contents of our new bags, we were lead through a surprisingly fiery yoga class, taught by non other than Dom Vallee. Once our muscles were stretched and primed, we were split into groups and sent on our way. Each group was assigned a coach for the morning; coaches would rotate among the groups throughout the weekend. This format was awesome – each coach offers a different approach to teaching, and you’re bound to find at least a few that click with your learning style.
Everything that Oakley could control was pulled off to a tee. Unfortunately, weather was the one thing they couldn’t plan for. Despite relentless rain and violent winds, we spent a full day on the mountain – and we actually had fun. My group spent the morning semi-successfully seeking powder for our warm up laps with Marie-France Roy. We stopped at Glacier Creek for lunch (included in the OPS fee and with reserved seating, natch), wringing water from our jerseys and desperately using the bathroom hand dryers in feeble attempts to dry out our soggy mittens.
Post lunch, the rain had somewhat subsided. My group, now lead by Dom Vallee, took off for the Terrain Garden. It was around this time that I realized that the other girls in my group had mad skills. They could already throw down some impressive tricks and were eager and willing to tackle anything thrown their way. Their confidence and steeziness made me want to step up my game, and the whole lot were nothing but supportive as we tackled jumps and boxes.
As we skied out for a well deserved après at Merlins, I realized that I’d been so caught up in learning that I’d totally forgotten that every article of clothing I had on was completely soaked – surely a good sign. After making a dent in the tower of nachos before us, I took off to dry my gear and get some rest.
The next morning, my body felt a little tender all over – repetitive hiking through slush will do that, I guess. I was relieved that the second yoga session was a little more forgiving than the first, but it was the weather forecast that really had me stoked: cloudy, no winds, and nary a drop of rain in sight.
Mary Walsh, founder of the Progression Sessions and snowboarder pro, took my now-bonded group over to the Whistler Park. Mary has that rare combination of being an awesome snowboarder and an awesome teacher. I didn’t know I had it in me to attempt a 180 immediately followed by a half cab, but I (mostly) did it – pretty cool, considering I didn’t really know what a half cab was before the weekend. We tried our hand at methods and grabs until we had to go in for lunch (which came all to soon).
For our final session of the weekend, the coaches split up, each focusing on a different feature. We could head wherever our hearts desired. I stuck with Whistler Blackcomb teacher extraordinaire, Carrie, who helped me correct my foundation and improve on my jumps.
Worn out but beaming from ear to ear, we ended the weekend back in the Fairmont ballroom. We listened attentively through a WEND workshop on how to wax our gear, then applauded each other through the official OPS awards ceremony. I was stoked to see a girl in my group, who had an infectious positive attitude, take the grand prize: a full Oakley snowsuit. Then, I booty popped my way in a dance-off as part of the Instagram contest that had been going on throughout the weekend (I lost – and yes, there is video evidence out there).
My only regret about OPS is that it all went too fast. There are still three OPS sessions left for this season: one at Mammoth (March 21 – 22), one at Loon Mountain (March 28 – 29), and one at Mont Tremblant (April 4 – 5). If you live near one of these places, I implore you to check it out.
And now, I’ll be counting down the days until OPS hopefully returns to Whistler next year. See you in the park!
