Today's Stamp: Black Ski Summit, Sun Valley Idaho
Ron Denmon: member of NBS Slippers N Sliders Ski Club
Photo by Samantha Isom
Who says we don't? For years I have heard the phrase "Black Folks don't…..", insert whatever sport other than basketball or American football. In previous stories for Brown Passport, I showed African Americans surfing, camping, traveling, and scuba diving. In this story, we address the stereotype 'black folks don't ski.'
We no longer need the Greenbook to guide us safely through America, yet we still strive for more travel diversity. I've written and spoken about groups such as Travel Noire and hashtags such as #Blacktravelmovement blowing up all over the internet, busting old stereotypes, and helping boost People of Color (POC) representation. YES, as it turns out, representation matters. Before the protests surrounding the murder of George Floyd and ALL the countless other African Americans who have fallen to this same fate, POC representation in advertising and other media had been abysmal. Sadly, it has taken such tragedies for America to have a popular awakening from its tainted history.
Before arriving in Idaho, I had only taken one very short ski lesson on Camelback Mountain in the Pocono's, near where I was living at the time. This mountain was near where I grew up, and I believe that I was the only brown person I saw in two days of skiing on that bunny hill. The other skiers laughed at me for not wearing the right ski gear. What the heck did I know about ski gear? We didn't grow up skiing. My mother had been skiing a few times before meeting my father, though it was never really an activity we spoke about participating in. In 2019, I learned about an organization created by African American skiers called the National Brotherhood of Skiers (NBS), established in 1973.
Ben Finley & Art Clay: Founders of the National Brotherhood of Skiers
Photo by: Samantha Isom
Each year, NBS descends upon a different ski town for their annual summit. I joined up with NBS for the first time at their summit in Sun Valley, Idaho. The area referred to as Sun Valley includes three towns; Sun Valley, Ketchum, and Hailey (home to the Sun Valley airport ). I had tainted memories of being laughed at for not having proper ski attire and not understanding ski culture. For me, to end up in what I deemed a major ski town, I just kept wondering if I would be accepted. I didn't know ski culture; how the heck would I fit in with these folks? In what I thought to be a predominantly white (I’m not talking about the snow) sport I found comfort in knowing I would be amongst hundreds of other African Americans,
Art Clay, Samantha Isom, Ben Finley
It didn't take long to debunk all the stereotypes I had surrounding a ski resort. I don't know if I ever immediately felt so included in my life. It was like being placed in Pleasantville; only it didn't feel fake. At first, I thought perhaps the kind folks of Sun Valley were over welcoming nice because 700-800 people came to town with the NBS, so it must be they are happy about all the tourism dollars. After a couple of days, it became apparent, it's not about the tourism dollars; they genuinely want us here. One afternoon after shooting stills (photos) of one of the races, I had just missed the last free shuttle bus back to where I was staying. A gentleman who said he lived there offered to give me a ride. Hey, I grew up near Philadelphia, where you don't take rides from strangers, but this somehow just felt right. Even though I was nervous, I said yes.
He told me he needed to drop a piece of art off to a friend along the way. The next thing I knew, we rolled up to a mansion with one wall made entirely of glass facing a beautiful snow-covered mountain. I looked to my left, and on the wall was a photo of Ashton Kutcher playing tennis. It turns out that it was Ashton Kutcher's house that this guy's friend was renting for a while. I ended up hanging with them for a couple of hours, drinking Makers Mark and chatting before I finally ended up back at the hotel. I managed a change of clothes and returned to shooting more of the event. I experienced countless interactions of being overly welcomed time and time again, to the point that I pinched myself to make sure it was real.
Matt (ski partrol) and Samantha Isom
I only encountered one thing that was a little strange or off-putting. I realize it wasn't meant on purpose, but it still made me feel a bit like, 'Oh here we go again, OK’. I walked into a ski shop looking to buy a hat or goggles, and the shopkeeper looked at me. Instead of saying, ‘Hello may I help you’, she says 'Oh you're looking for your friends, they are over there’, pointing at the only other black people in the giant store. I said to her, ‘No, ma'am, I'm looking to purchase something'. Would you mind helping me find it?’ Considering that was the only weird thing I experienced this entire week, I’m OK with that.
One person, Angela, whom I met on the gondola (an enclosed ski lift) on the way up the mountain, shared a story with me, which I recorded in the NBS video for this story (see link below). She told me about an experience that she had at a different resort a few years earlier, riding on the ski lift with a Caucasian mother and her son. Instead of getting on the chair and just saying 'hello, how's your day going' or something like that, the woman said to Angela, "Oh hey, are you with THEM?'. Well, for the few of you that may not know this yet, that is not how you want to start a conversation with an African American person or anyone, for that matter. How about just starting to chat like equals? Then worry about getting into noticing a large number of African Americans in attendance.
After spending all week in such a tremendously positive environment, my old memories of being laughed at on Camelback Mountain began to fade. However, my thoughts about skiing being expensive remained, especially after seeing the walk-in price for a lift ticket. Borrowing from the words of NBS co-founder Ben Finley, speaking about the days just before him learning to ski, "When someone mentioned skiing to me, all I saw was dollar bills and broken legs', in that order." Years after my first tiny ski lesson on a small hill in Pennsylvania, I decided to splurge a REAL ski lesson at Sun Valley Resort. I'm happy to report, the dollars weren't as bad as I thought, and NO broken legs. *NOTE: See the entire NBS video with interviews & Ski footage below
Skiing is not, however, what I would consider a “cheap” sport. However, it can be more affordable in some places than in others. Camelback, Pennsylvania, the resort where I first saw a ski lift, is now (as of 2021) about $100 for an adult, give or take $20. A day pass on Baldy, Sun Valley's more advanced mountain can run you up to $170 (as of March 2021). Killington, Vermont would be about $150. For that same ONE DAY pass in Vail, Colorado, a lift ticket can cost $229! Remember, skiing is not like jumping on a bus ride. You have to know how to ski, which means ski lessons over time, do that math on that. There is a wide range in lift ticket prices; it seems to depend on how much snow the mountain got that season, that week, that day. You cannot ski without gear. You either have to buy it or rent it, and the rental is an additional cost to the lift ticket.
At least with another gear dependant adventure sport like scuba diving, you can go shore diving for $10-$50 if you are certified, and between $50-$150 (including gear), for a discover scuba dive if you aren’t certified. Both sports require extensive training, though with scuba diving; it just seems like, to me at least there may be more “affordable” options out there for participants on a budget.
NBS members
There are ways to make skiing a bit more affordable. It can be more accessible if you know how to get around paying the door price for a one-day lift ticket. For a better breakdown, here is a 2020 article by New York Magazine, which also gives tips on how to ski more affordably. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/02/why-is-skiing-so-expensive-its-not-if-you-plan-right.html .
Financial concerns can hinder any financially challenged individual or family regardless of race or ethnic background. Economic reasons aside, why does it still seem to surprise many to see black skiers on the slopes? The stereotype goes both ways. I interviewed several African American skiers on the slopes of Idaho during the NBS summit. Many of the NBS interviewees mentioned getting looks from non-POC skiers, mostly that of sheer surprise.
NBS member
A few of us candidly spoke of the stereotype, “black folks don't ski”, which is often perpetrated by other *POC. We have a contingency of folks stating, "who says we don't?" as quoted from an article featuring the Nubian Empire ski club, part of NBS. Sadly, there is a massive contingency of African Americans who have for whatever reason said to themselves, “We don't do that it's for white folks’. This is not limited to skiing, I have personally heard this about many activities. At this point in the 2020s, it's really up to us to change our narrative.
The U.S. Ski and snowboard Hall of Fame has been around for decades, and for decades, there have been thousands of African American skiers. Yet they hadn’t been included in the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall Of Fame until March 2020. Art Clay and Ben Finely, who founded the NBS in 1973, were to be formally inducted, though the ceremony was delayed due to COVID.
I mentioned earlier in this journal, that advertisements showcasing skiers, pre-Geoge Floyd protests of 2020, very rarely if ever featured POC individuals or families. Now, post-BLM demonstrations of 2020, many if not most companies have made Diversity equity & inclusion (DEI) statements. We are beginning to see a remarkable shift in advertising to be more DEI conscious. Representation MATTERS. The more you see yourself, or the more you see someone who looks like you in any given role, the more you can see yourself in that role.
