An Oral History of the National Brotherhood of Skiers
Since 1973, a groundbreaking organization has gathered thousands of Black snow-sports enthusiasts for a week of on-mountain revelry. But the event has always had a more serious mission, too: changing perceptions about who belongs on the slopes.
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In June, Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz wrote an to his employees, calling the ski world 鈥渙verwhelmingly white, with incredibly low representation from people of color,鈥 and pledging to change that. Currently, just 1.8 percent of American skier days are logged by Black people, according to the . That number hasn鈥檛 risen in a decade.
But it might be a lot closer to zero were it not for the National Brotherhood of Skiers. Launched in 1973 with the mission of creating a national Black ski summit and attracting more Black people to the sport, the Brotherhood鈥檚 has seen up to 6,000 attendees gather in a premier ski town鈥擵ail, Park City, even Innsbruck, Austria鈥攆or a week of revelry. There are giant outdoor feasts, rollicking on-snow dance parties, and all-night celebrations. Skiers in matching parkas perform choreographed mogul assaults. The organization also coordinates discounts on lessons and rentals for first-time skiers鈥攖he NBS calls them never evers鈥攚hile its cadre of experts, the Sno-Pros, provide mentoring and tips.
The NBS acts as an umbrella group that unites 55 regional Black ski clubs scattered nationwide. With an all-volunteer staff and a $250,000 annual budget coming from donations, fundraising, and sponsors like REI and New Belgium Brewing, the group has received considerable media coverage, and has introduced thousands of Black people (both children and adults) to snow sports. It鈥檚 also supporting Black skiers and snowboarders hoping to make the U.S. Olympic team.
As the NBS moves into its 47th year, it faces a new set of challenges. Its founders鈥擝en Finley and Arthur 鈥淎rt鈥 Clay, now 81 and 83, respectively鈥攈ave become legends, but the group鈥檚 membership has aged, without an influx of younger constituents. In March, the group made news after its summit in Sun Valley, Idaho, had a devastating encounter with the coronavirus鈥攕cores of members fell ill, . Now it鈥檚 wrestling with how to leverage the momentum of a national reckoning with racism.
Recounted in the voices of its own members, here is the story of how the NBS came to be, its accomplishments, and the direction it鈥檚 heading in the future.
