Park City women passionate about the outdoors gathered Wednesday night at Stio on Main Street to learn about ILLA, a company that connects women based on their interests.
“I just want to say thank you for coming,” said ILLA founder Tana Hoffman, driving down from her home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Fifteen women gathered as she explained how the ILLA app worked.
“Once you create a profile, you can find other skiers, snowboarders, bikers, mountain bikers, mountaineers, surfers, whatever you like, depending on your region,” she said.
Based on your profile, members will receive notifications, for example, when someone pings you for a ski partner in the next day. Those who are available or interested will join the group chat to plan their own adventures. It’s a combination of a friendship dating app and a Facebook group.
This “activation” event on Wednesday was an opportunity for people to learn about ILLA, connect directly, find winter ski and board buddies, and build their own female-centered community.
Hoffmann encouraged participants to raise their hands to identify fellow skiers and boarders and connect with each other, much like an in-person ILLA group chat. She handed out cards with information on how to create a profile.
Sarah Kodrick, who won the night’s $75 Stio gift card prize, came looking for friends and Epic Pass-owning snowboarders in the Park City area. After she moved to Utah from her home in Slovenia with her boyfriend in June, she was desperate to find a woman to spend time with.
Pro snowboarder Madison Blackley, who was born and raised in Park City, stopped by after attending Woodward’s monthly ladies night. She spoke to the group about her passion for encouraging adult women to take up the sport they love.
“I coach at a women’s camp called Beyond the Bounds. We run a women’s adult snowboarding camp,” Blackley said. “[These camps]are for anyone, whether you’re a beginner, whether you’ve never been to a park before, whether you want to keep up with your boyfriend, whether that’s your goal, whatever your goals are.”
One girl exclaimed, “So that he follows us!” The group laughed.
This was the attitude of many of the women who participated. And for the creators of ILLA, that’s the whole goal.
The New Hampshire native said she has been involved in the outdoor industry her whole life, but struggled in a male-dominated world.
“Most of the ski shops and surf shops I was in, I was always like the little sister,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman said it’s not easy to feel confident as a woman in the outdoors, a challenge shared by many of the women she met, and she found herself drawn to female-first communities.
Over the years, Hoffman began connecting with other female outdoor enthusiasts through social media and group chats. But as a person, there is only so much she can do. What if there was an app for that?
With this mission, Mr. Hoffman founded ILLA in February 2022.
“ILLA was a vehicle for how to expand this beyond me doing group text messages and group Instagram introductions,” she said.
She said it currently has about 1,000 users from across the country, but it’s more concentrated in certain areas than others.
“We find that wherever you think of a mountain hub, you tend to see more of it. Areas that seem inherently attractive to the outdoor industry, like Tahoe, Missoula and Bozeman.” said Hoffman.
Park City is one of those places, and Hoffman said she hopes events like Wednesday’s will bring more women to the platform.
“Focusing on women, we use the term women+, but it’s a self-selection. If you feel like you belong in a feminine space, we want you to feel welcome here.” “,” Hoffman said. “ILLA is truly a choose-your-own-adventure. We are tools, not enforcers.”
The platform is still in its early stages and is a web app, but is expected to be released in app stores by the end of December or early 2024.
Anyone can join ILLA now at illawomen.com.updated information will be announced to members from time to time.