Ski Culture

The short documentary about skier and mountain biker Steve Karzewski won the local NEPSA Awards in Aspen this spring. Now, it’s heading to the 5Point Adventure Film Festival in Carbondale, where it has the potential to reach a wider audience.

The program included athletes, advocates and influencers from all over the country. They gathered for snowboarding lessons, festive parties and fireside chats about race and inclusion, in an effort to show more people the joys of mountain adventure.

Amanda Seward was one of the hundreds of participants who came to the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic at Snowmass Ski Area last week. She wasn’t a snowboarder before she was injured, but now, she aspires to compete in the Paralympics, where she can spread a message of support and community.

At the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Snowmass Village, an entire semi-truck trailer filled with adaptive equipment ensures that every participant can get out on the mountain.

The program is a chance for kids to just be kids — and connect with new friends who understand what they’ve been through. This year’s event ran March 22-29 at Buttermilk Mountain.

A Vietnam veteran from Boulder finds healing and a sense of purpose as an adaptive ski instructor and ski guide for the blind.

Buttermilk Mountain is first to close on March 31, with their annual “Bacon Appreciation Day” to end the season; other resorts will host their own events throughout April.

A ski area expansion at Aspen Mountain has given many inbounds skiers and riders the chance to experience new terrain, but a closed boundary limits access points to the backcountry. Aspen Public Radio reporter Kaya Williams spoke about the matter with Aspen Journalism contributor Elizabeth Stewart-Severy, who looked into the closure for a story this winter.

La pasada temporada de esquí, un número récord de esquiadores y snowboarders visitaron estaciones de esquí en la región Rocky Mountain, incluido Colorado. La gran mayoría de los visitantes eran de raza blanca. Hay un esfuerzo en Summit County para hacer que estos deportes de nieve sean más accesibles para todos, y está dirigido por un residente latino que comprende la experiencia de los inmigrantes.

Last ski season, a record number of skiers and snowboarders visited resorts in the Rocky Mountain region, including Colorado. The vast majority of them were white. There’s an effort in Summit County to make these snowsports more accessible to everyone, and it’s being led by a longtime resident who understands the immigrant experience.