BUSTED. Sometimes even park managers get their passes pulled. Photo Courtesy of Allison Kozar.

The odds are pretty good that if you’ve ever taken a lap or two through the parks at Bolton Valley, the features you’re gettin’ rad on were built by this girl. (Trust us, she’s much more professional in person.) And when it comes to building parks, she’s downright serious about stoking up freestyle skiiers and riders with a well-manicured and progressive park setup for improving their skills.

As the only female terrain park manger in the state, Allison is one of the many women taking the industry by storm and proving that if the guys can do it, girls can too. Ride Vermont got the chance to catch up with her to talk marriage (yup, she’s taken), inspiration and even a little about terrain parks.

Allison Kozar

Ride Vermont: Do you feel like you face any unique challenges, being the only female terrain park manager in Vermont? What are those challenges?

Alison  Kozar: This is a hard question to answer, because I don’t feel like I have unique challenges just because I am a woman.  I feel like I face the same challenges as any other park manager. The industry is changing, and snow sports are not as male-dominated as they once were.

RV: You recently got married. Be honest: do you shred harder than your husband? Do you guys regularly ride together?

AK: I do shred harder than my husband, but he isn’t on snow everyday. He plows in the winter; so, when it dumps, he’s plowing while I’m skiing. Usually he doesn’t feel like riding after sixteen hours of plowing. Otherwise, we try to get out when we have time.

RV: That’s quite the trade off on pow days. Which female (doesn’t have to be a skier or anything) has inspired you the most in your life? How has she inspired you?

AK: I don’t know if I can name just one woman. Poet Sylvia Plath taught me not everything has to be sugar, spice, and everything nice. Famous rock star Joan Jett made me realize that girls can rock harder than boys.  Sarah Burke has been a hero of mine since I discovered freeskiing in 2001; watching her has made me try to become a better skier.

RV: What advice can you offer to all the young female snowboarders and twin tippers out there who are thinking about a career in snowsports or as a pro rider?

AK: If you are trying to start a career in snowsports, be persistent. It’s important to show that you’re willing to dive in head first and get your hands dirty. For those trying to be pro riders, push yourself everyday, don’t be afraid to ride with the boys and compete at every event possible.

One such event was the recent Not Your Girl Jam that encouraged freestylin’ females to come out and push themselves in a friendly and fun rail jam comp. Along with the crew at Mascara Militia, Allison was a key player in organizing (and building) this event.

She regularly blogs about the goings-on at Bolton Terrain Parks and helps keep the park’s Facebook and Twitter accounts fresh. So make sure to like and follow them to stay up on what new features are waitin’ at the Valley.

Here’s a short video we made with Allison during Ride Grrrl week, two years back. Obviously, seein’ as she’s hitched and all now, her name has changed. (She didn’t forget to mention her dreamy plowman.)