Here at SLUSH, we’ve been aware of Wayward since the very beginning—since Mia Lambson Brady first started pulling on this thread and committing to the idea of making the first-ever feature documentary on the history of women’s snowboarding. We’ve seen the years of work, care, and persistence it took to tell a story that had never been fully told. -Words: Katie Kennedy // Photos: Maisy Hoffman

And on Sunday, December 14, after more than two years, Mia shared that story with us at the world premiere. We spent the day riding with our heroes—Elena Hight, Jill Perkins, Hana Beaman, Barrett Christy, Desiree Melancon, Gabby Maiden, and more. Then, just a few hours later, a packed house at Woodward got to watch them on the big screen. Past and present, riding together—and then finally being seen together—eager to learn about the elusive history of girls’ snowboarding.

What makes this even more wild is that the Snurfer—the first iteration of the modern snowboard—was created in 1965 for Sherman Poppen’s daughters. The sport was quite literally created for women. And yet, from there, snowboarding became overwhelmingly male-dominated.

When you really think about it, women’s snowboarding is just a micro example of a much bigger reality of what it means to be a woman. Women in the U.S. couldn’t open a credit card in their own name until 1974. They couldn’t vote until 1920. They couldn’t participate in sports, like the Boston Marathon, until 1978. That’s not ancient history. And if that’s the big picture, you can imagine how much resistance, dismissal, and straight-up invisibility women in action sports were up against—especially in snowboarding, where so much history went undocumented.

Wayward dives into what was happening on the women’s side the entire time—the tricks, the gear, the media, the community. And even then, this film is only scratching the surface of the iceberg that is women’s snowboarding history.

Mia’s hope for the film is simple and genuine:

“I hope by making this we can inspire more women, girls, and people who thought snowboarding wasn’t for them—or felt it was inaccessible—to see that there is room for them, and a community for them.”

As a young girl obsessed with snowboarding, I covered my walls with posters and torn-out magazine pages. But back in the early 2000s, the only image of a woman rider on a poster that I remember was a photo of a girl with her pants pulled down in a cutesy way, next to the phrase, “Half the fun is falling down.”

Now, when young girls get SLUSH, they’ll see a back-to-back poster—Jill Perkins on one side, Victoria Jealouse on the other. And that kind of representation changes lives, futures, and dreams.

“If this film helps move the needle—even 3% more women in the sport—then it’s a success. If it inspires or educates people in decision-making and leadership roles to make the space even a little better, then it’s a success.”

My mom taught me that until there’s equal representation—until women and other marginalized communities are actually at the table—the most important thing we can do is talk about it. Tell the stories. Say the names. Pass the knowledge on.

That’s exactly what Mia Lambson Brady did. For everyone who was at Woodward that night—and for everyone who will watch this film going forward—I know this will be a success. Congrats, Mia <3

Stay tuned for more WAYWARD premieres worldwide. The team is hoping to show WAYWARD at film festivals, so until then, you’ll only be able to see it at premieres.

Presented by: YETI
Supported by: Burton, Sun Bum, Woodward In collaboration with: SLUSH The Magazine, Pleasure Mag, The Bombhole, Utah Film Center

Follow TOMBOY.MEDIA for up-to-date information about the movie and women’s snowboarding.