Once I first arrived at Tradition Shifters in Aspen, Colorado, I didn’t know what to anticipate. As a Black girl who had by no means snowboarded — nor even envisioned myself attempting — I wasn’t certain if I belonged in an area so usually stereotyped as unique and homogenous. However what I skilled at Tradition Shifters was unforgettable, genuine, and one thing I’ll cherish for the remainder of my life.
Based in 2020 by skilled snowboarder Zeb Powell (the primary Black athlete to win gold on the X Video games) and tv host and sports activities commentator Selema Masekela, Tradition Shifters is an annual occasion that brings collectively BIPOC riders, artists, athletes, advocates, and creators. Their mission is straightforward however radical: to “make the mountains extra colourful” — to create a future the place snowboarding is actually numerous, inclusive, and empowering for all talent ranges and backgrounds.
“That is simply the beginning,” Powell informed Journey Noire, reflecting on the occasion’s five-year journey. “We’re not simply constructing a snowboarding occasion — we’re constructing a community. A motion. It’s infectious. You are feeling it and also you simply need to go residence and inform your folks.”
At Tradition Shifters, freshmen and seasoned riders alike took to the snow. Classes had been provided, encouragement was plentiful, and the air was charged with a way of joyful goal. It wasn’t nearly driving; it was about celebrating the trailblazers who’re shaping a extra equitable out of doors future. The occasion actually gave flowers to people and organizations main this variation, honoring teams like EDGE Outside, Unlikely Riders, Excessive Fives Basis, Black Outdoors, Chill Basis, Indigenous Ladies Outside, and extra.
Burton Snowboards, the worldwide snowboarding model supporting Tradition Shifters, has been instrumental on this transformation. Ashley LaPorte, Burton’s World SVP of Folks & Influence, shared that snowboarding is now essentially the most racially numerous snow sport in North America, almost mirroring the final U.S. inhabitants. “For snowboarding to remain related and liked, it must embrace all types of individuals, and we’re beginning to see that occur,” she defined.
The funding goes past visibility. Annually, Burton commits $2 million to grassroots organizations engaged on out of doors entry and local weather justice. The corporate has additionally embedded variety at each stage internally, providing actual mentorship and assets to make sure BIPOC and girls leaders thrive.
“I feel lots of firms make investments as a result of it’s fashionable,” LaPorte stated. “However at Burton, this work is in our DNA. Snowboarding itself solely exists as a result of folks fought to buck the established order.”
That historical past was unimaginable to disregard throughout my time at Tradition Shifters. Jake Burton Carpenter, the founding father of Burton Snowboards, helped pioneer the game at a time when snowboarders had been usually banned from ski resorts altogether. Slightly than anticipate permission, he and different early riders merely confirmed up, carving their very own paths down the mountains and difficult the outdated guidelines. That spirit of joyful resistance — of making area the place none beforehand existed — was palpable all through the weekend.
In between group rides, hearth chats, and group dinners, we laughed, tumbled down bunny slopes, and inspired one another to maintain going — not simply on the snow, however in life.
For Selema Masekela, Tradition Shifters represents a fruits of his life’s mission. Rising up browsing and snowboarding in predominantly white areas, he usually felt like an outsider, compelled to show he belonged each to the broader tradition and generally even inside his personal group. Now, by way of Tradition Shifters, he’s reclaiming that area.
“Once you all of a sudden notice your folks have seen you, you notice you might have permission. Permission to make room for others,” Masekela shared. “This isn’t nearly Black excellence or BIPOC excellence in silos. That is about actual, considerate community-building — for Indigenous, brown, queer, and disabled of us too. Watch what we are able to do collectively.”
The occasion’s affect is already rippling outward. Many attendees — together with myself — are dedicated to persevering with snowboarding past Aspen, spreading the spirit of Tradition Shifters again residence. Powell goals of increasing the occasion into festivals, pop-ups, and native activations to make it much more accessible.
“We’re inspiring folks to begin their very own variations of Tradition Shifters in their very own cities and mountains,” Powell stated. “That is only the start. Think about what it’s going to appear to be in 10 years.”
For me, Tradition Shifters wasn’t simply an occasion. It was an invite, an open door to a brand new group, a brand new sport, and a brand new perception in what’s potential when pleasure, activism, and group intersect. I arrived hesitant and left hopeful, with a snowboard below my toes, a group at my facet, and a coronary heart filled with gratitude.
And for the primary time in my life, I can say: I see myself on the slopes.