Women of Speedriding

Hosting the first annual women's speedriding event

by Julia Lieberman

: How do you get a bunch of hard-core speedflyers to commit to showing up on time? It turns out the first International Women of Speedflying event can make that happen! This rad event took place in early March 2023 in Chamonix, France, and was a flying success for everyone.

It all started in July of 2022. I was invited to a “float-and-fly” river trip where many people would be speedflying, and I’d get to take a rubber kayak down the Lower Salmon River in Idaho. By the end of the trip, I owned a used 15-meter Mirage and had fallen in love with this faster genre of flying.

On that trip, I met my friend Carl Weiseth, founder of Speedfly.com. He mentioned a need for more female leadership in the speedflying community, and from there, the idea was born. In a spinoff of the more well-known “Best of Speedflying” Instagram profile, I created a profile called “Women of Speedflying.” The original goal was to figure out how many women in the world speedfly (or ride) and find a way to celebrate them.

As my passion grew for the sport, so did my connection to other female speedflyers world- wide. I started chatting with women in France, Norway, and South Africa, and the concept of something more official than just an Instagram account started to form. I freehanded a logo based on a photo of Laëtitia Risdon, one of the most inspiring female speedflyers I’ve come to know, and paid a graphic designer to create a print-ready design for it. Laëtitia and I chatted about doing a Women of Speedflying event together in France, and before I knew it, the plans were coming together.

I built a website and started inviting all my new lady friends—soon, we were ready for a weekend event in Chamonix where all women, and those who support them, would be welcome.

We met at Le Tour at 9:30 on a warm, sunny Saturday morning. Although there was not much snow, the wind forecast looked perfect. Thirteen women plus around 30 men (the usual ratio for women’s events open to everyone) showed up with speedwings in hand and GoPro cameras mounted.

Many people associate large gatherings of pilots, especially speedwing pilots, with injuries and accidents. At the morning briefing, I stressed that this event was about building community—not pushing the limits or trying new things. If we wanted to make this an annual event, we needed to get through the weekend without any incidents. After talking through safety procedures and logistics, we got on the lift to scope out our first flight for the day.

We had both new pilots and veterans, and wings ranging from 13 meters to 6 meters. Level Wings had three representatives there, including the company’s founder and head designer Francois Bon. Women from Norway, France, Switzerland, Canada, the U.S., and Russia all got to speedride this chunky terrain. The winds were perfect, but the lines we were riding were short (no more than 200 meters) and had poor-quality snow, so we headed up to the longer speedflying line, Vallorcine. Here we side-stepped up to the edge where the terrain gave way to at least 1,000 glorious meters of steep relief, free of cables and full of various cracks to explore.

We started lapping this section, flying lines together, with pilots flying the way they personally enjoy. Of course, there was barrel rolling and swooping, but everyone flew within their limits, playing it safe and smart. Smiles were big that day as we flew our final line to the parking lot just before beer o’clock. Though our event schedule said showers were mandatory, we agreed that getting in another flight was more important than smelling nice. So with the help of a few wet wipes and deodorant, we raced over to L’Hydromel for our first apres-fly party. More than 50 people showed up! The stickers with our new logo were quickly snapped up. In an attempt to get an all-ladies photo, we got a round of shots for the women.

Though the event was officially over (it was only meant to be a single day), the conditions the next day were perfect for flying the iconic north face of the Aiguille du Midi on Mont Blanc. The north face is a world-class line but not to be attempted by beginners. As such, groups divided up, with some people heading back to Le Tour, others to Flegere, but most doing laps on the Aiguille. With a committing launch and a tight landing, you must be on your A-game and have all factors lined up to send this drool-worthy flight. The day did not disappoint, and dozens of pilots got to soar over intimidating seracs and crevasses and experience the jaw-dropping views of Les Bossons Glacier.

That evening we again met for apres at L’Hydromel for a final hurrah and goodbyes. The event concluded with zero incidents, a whole lot

WHAT THE PILOTS SAY...

“I was curious to meet the rad ladies I’ve been stalking on Instagram, whom I discovered thanks to the “Women of Speedflying” profile. I can now confirm that they are incredible, worthy, and ready to own their seat at the extreme sports table. I’m grateful that I got to share ski-lifts and drinks with them, and two intense days of badasserie!” -

Anissa Desuzinge

“I was very enthusiastic from the beginning of the Women of Speedflying adventure, and when Julia proposed that we organize a meet-up, I found the idea crazy and extraordinary at the same time. At first, I thought it would be a small meeting of ladies who always ride together. But what I really liked was not just the motivation of the women present but also the enthusiasm and beautiful spirit shared with all the men who came to support us by participating in the event. The enthusiasm was contagious!”

- Laëtitia Risdon

“I had so much fun that I’m moving to Chamonix next winter!”

- Lesia Witkowsky

“Julia’s superpower is bringing people together, and this is evidenced by the success of the first Women of Speedflying event. It was a special experience to meet and speedride in Chamonix with many extraordinary ladies I look up to! We are all used to speedflying being a male-dominated sport, and when we got the women together, our shared passion quickly bonded us. We had so much fun. I hope to inspire other women to enter the sport, and I am excited for more events with the speedflying ladies soon.”

- Katie Silva

of smiles, and a new international community of women (and women supporters) who love to speedride.

At the end of the day, we got exactly what we wanted—a fun community-building event that showed this is not just a man’s sport but something that women can excel in without feeling pressured to fit into the bro culture. By hosting an event designed for women, we helped set the stage for a sport that is equally inclusive of all its athletes. There’s so much fun to be had, so let’s make this an annual tradition and show the boys how it’s done!

Thank you to all the women, especially Laëtitia Risdon, Katie Silva, and Lesia Witkowsky, for helping make this event a success!