LEXI: The summit air was frigid. The wind whipped up plumes of snow. The sky felt so wide and close all at once.

Hedvig Wessel and Lexi duPont stood on top of Mt. Revelstoke, high in the mountains of British Columbia, taking it all in. It wasn’t the tallest peak they’d stood on, and they’d stared down slicker descents and faced wilder forecasts. But their hearts raced all the same.

This expedition was momentous and scary in a whole new way. Hedvig and Lexi were the leaders now. They’d put together a mighty female team and led them up to this snowy summit in Canada for a new kind of adventure — one where female athletes could feel safe and supported, yet also daring and bold. They had made it safely to the peak, and now had to lead a whole group of skiers down rough and unpredictable terrain.

With the sun reflecting off the shining white snow, the women tipped their skis forward. Their friendship had brought them to this new height and challenge. Now it was their turn to lead the team into the great icy unknown.

LEXI: I’m Lexi duPont.
HEDVIG: I’m Hedvig Wessel.

HEDVIG: And this is Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, a fairytale podcast about the real-life rebel women who inspire us.

LEXI: On this episode, Sister Summit, a community where female athletes connect and support each other to reach their highest peaks.

HEDVIG:
Lexi duPont started skiing when she was just two years old. It was almost inevitable, growing up in Sun Valley, Idaho, surrounded by breathtaking mountains and a family deeply rooted in adventure. In fact, her aunt Alice was the first woman to fly down the Amazon River in an open biplane, and her mom was a professional freestyle skier — one of the first women to land a backflip on skis!

Lexi and her two sisters embraced the mountains, racing each other with pure joy, pushing one another to go faster, higher, and farther. Lexi knew in her bones that she was meant to be in the mountains — climbing, skiing, scaling and exploring all that she possibly could. She knew she wanted to be the best, and she didn’t want anything to hold her back. She was an outstanding skier, but something was still missing every time she embarked on a new adventure.

LEXI:
Halfway across the world, there was another little girl who loved skiing, too. Hedvig Wessel grew up in Oslo, Norway, a bustling Scandinavian city close to incredible forests, lakes, and snow-capped mountains. On the weekends, Hedvig skied down the nearby slopes, feeling the adrenaline rush through her.

From a young age, Hedvig knew she wanted to become a professional skier. She began training under an Olympic medalist. Her discipline was unmatched, climbing steep ascents, and conditioning her core to perfect every turn. She fell in love with mogul skiing, a freestyle discipline with steep courses full of bumps and turns.

But as time passed, she realized something was missing from her skiing, too. Each mogul run was like a puzzle, and while that kept things exciting, the long solitary descents often felt lonely, as she focused solely on her form and technique. She longed for another expert skier to share the incredible views and challenging moments with.

HEDVIG:
Over in the US, Lexi ski raced all throughout high school, even qualifying for the Junior Olympics. She started at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and soon fell in love with a new type of skiing — big mountain skiing, also known as free skiing. Unlike traditional racing, this was all about choosing your own path down the mountain. It required creativity, intuition, and a lot of guts. Free skiers carve paths along steep drops and cliffs, and forge through untouched snow! Lexi had to learn how to study forecasts and weather patterns, observe her surroundings, and respect the ever-present threat of avalanches. But she loved the thrill of making her own tracks.
Lexi soon joined the Free Skiing World Tour. Every spring she would travel to Haines, Alaska, where she was the only woman in a male-dominated arena. It would have been nice to have more women to ski with. But she drew strength from the mountains and trees, and the glistening landscape unfolding before her. She even made the first female descent of two very daunting peaks in Alaska. It pushed her to her limits, and Lexi found she wanted more.

LEXI:
Meanwhile, Hedvig became known for her unwavering dedication – once she set a goal, she poured all her energy into achieving it. Whether it was mastering a new carving technique or tackling a challenging descent, she pushed herself relentlessly, working day and night until it was no longer just a goal, but an accomplishment.

Because of that hard work and dedication, Hedvig was selected twice to compete as a mogul skier in the Olympics. Hedvig was incredible — completing each run with precision and poise. She loved the rush of competition.

But, Hedvig and Lexi were both still looking for that missing companionship. Where were the other female skiers they could connect with? They needed someone who had the same ambition, and understood the sacrifices required to be an elite athlete. They wanted to share life’s great peaks and valleys with a supportive friend.

HEDVIG: Lexi and I didn’t know it at the time, but that friendship wasn’t far away at all.

HEDVIG: In 2022, you, Lexi, decided to give the Freeride World Tour another shot, even though you hadn’t competed in years.

LEXI: And you, Hedvig, reached out before the races to see if I wanted to room with you. I did some research on your style and discipline, and I was… terrified. My mom was like ‘This woman is going to eat you alive.’ But as soon as we landed, you asked if I wanted to have breakfast, and I knew we were good.

HEDVIG: Yeah, we became fast friends. People expected us to be rivals, but I think instead we had a mutual admiration. I was so impressed with your intuition and creativity out there.

LEXI: And I was in awe of the way you could visualize your path, settle your nerves and decide when and how to compete.

HEDVIG: We definitely complemented each other, and instead of trying to take each other down in competition, we started learning from each other, and pushing our boundaries as a team. We knew that we could get more done and have more fun doing it together.

LEXI: That’s when we knew skiing needed more of this feeling.

HEDVIG:
We wanted other women to experience this same sense of community and inspiration — where collaboration was the new competition. And that’s when we founded Sister Summit.

LEXI: The first event for Sister Summit was beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. There were 22 female athletes from all over the world.

HEDVIG: It really was a huge experiment. How can we bring together women of all different backgrounds and skill sets and have them connect rather than compete?

LEXI: We had workshops about taking care of our bodies, improving as athletes, and progressing in our professional careers.

HEDVIG: …And of course eight hours on the slopes every day.

LEXI: All powered and staffed by women, for women, because of women.

HEDVIG: I can’t wait for the next one.

LEXI: Me either! Today, Sister Summit is still going strong. And it feels like it’s needed now more than ever.

HEDVIG: It can be so easy to get caught up in the personal records and thrill-seeking, and we definitely do that too sometimes. But Sister Summit feels like pushing ourselves in the right way.

LEXI: We get to share all sides of ourselves and make space for women in the snow sport community.

HEDVIG: To lift each other up and carve new paths together.

LEXI: I’d say that’s pretty rebel.

HEDVIG: Yeah, me too.

This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls. It’s based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. This episode was narrated by Lexi Dupont and Hedvig Wessel. It was produced and directed by Haley Dapkus, with sound design and mixing by Mumble Media.

The story was written by Abby Sher. Fact checking by Rose Garrett. Our intern was Arianna Griffiths. Our executive producers were Joy Smith, Agelika Temple, and Jes Wolfe. Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi.

A special thanks to the whole Rebel Girls team, who make this podcast possible! Until next time, staaaay rebel!