OPINION: Snow sports need to do more for skiers of color

Laylah Tsay

She/Her

Contributor

4/14/24

There are prevalent racial barriers in the ski sports industry. Surveys from the early 2000s to the late 2010s showed consistent participation for white people on the slopes, with white people remaining between 88% and 92% of skiers and boarders. There are various systemic reasons for this. When Scandinavians settled in America, they brought their culture with them, which brought exclusionary geography into American society. Exclusionary Geography is based on the exclusion that occurs within a certain settlement zone. Who benefits from living in that zone and why? Who is excluded, due to the geographical circumstances? 

Unlike white skiers, who tend to start from preschool to elementary age with family, many skiers and boarders of color started later on in life – in their teens, 20s, and 30s, with friends. White people have the most people in the top ability category. This is understandable. If someone was able to learn to ski when they were three years old, they are obviously going to have an edge over someone who learned their junior year of high school. Children of recent or first-generation immigrants are highly unlikely to be exposed to snow sports. This is why school and peer groups are particularly important in helping BIPOC kids get on the slopes.

In the 1940s, the ski industry started taking advantage of ski tourism like never before. It was a new culture of consumption and marketing. Every resort competed against each other with the newest lifts and best trails to appeal to a growing middle and upper class ready to spend their money on tourism and recreation. The ski industry is advertised with a Westernized image. They would often use handsome rugged white men as cowboys holding skis, or beautiful white women with expensive sweaters and a name-brand dog in a lodge, ready to hit the slopes. They created a high-class image that excluded people of color. This helped create an ethnic whiteout on the slopes. 

At the same time, most good skiers learned in Europe, and if you didn’t learn in Europe you learned from Europeans. Many ski resorts embodied a Bavarian theme. Although it may seem like harmless marketing, it became more about culture rather than fun. A Fila advertisement read: “Lift lines aren’t all bad, they give everyone a chance to admire your new FILA skiwear.” This quote shows the exclusivity and status that have long been embedded in the ski industry. Even the status of your clothes in winter sports has mattered early on. This type of mindset is still deeply embedded today; posts on social media state if you wear the brands DOPE or Montec on the slopes, you’re deemed a “Jerry”. The term Jerry means a person showing a lack of understanding for the sport. Calling someone a Jerry likely shames a beginner who did not have the opportunity to go to the ski slopes at a young age. It’s limiting and prevents people from feeling welcome to try the sport.

In an increasingly diverse America, understanding how race operates is essential to dismantling barriers. The resilience of a white image of skiing shows a belief that BIPOC people do not belong on the slopes. Programs and organizations that bring opportunities on the slopes are beneficial. So is avoiding big corporate mountains like Loon or Vail Resorts. Support smaller ones. Small, family mountains help create a more inclusive environment without the exclusive atmosphere of corporate destination resorts. 

Tenney Mountain welcomes programs that work to include diversity on the slopes. Last month they had the YES program from Boston there. Look for mountains that partner with the SHARE foundation. Participate, volunteer, and get involved in organizations such as the Chill Foundation, YES Program, Hoodz to Woodz, and the SHARE Foundation, whose mission is to give opportunities outdoors to kids who don’t normally have them. If you are a student at PSU who is also looking to enhance/start your snowboarding or skiing, SOAR (@psu_soar) has a winter program I created as one of the coordinators called Ski Buddies, where an Adventure Education student will teach you one-on-one on the slopes, for free. Lastly, and most importantly, educate others on the current barriers that exist in the ski industry and how to be part of the solution.