Eldora hosts event to defy stereotypes about snow sports, expand access in Colorado

Liz Ballard, an adventure lead for BIPOC Mountain Collective, started skiing in middle school. So living in Colorado is great for her.

"I've been here in Colorado for probably more than 20 years and have just really enjoyed being able to be in the mountains," said Ballard.

But, she knows that's not the case for many Black, Indigenous, Latino and other groups underrepresented in mountain sports.

"They say, you know, 'I have lived in Colorado my whole life and have never been to the mountains, I have never been on the snow,'" said Ballard.

That's why on Saturday, Eldora hosted a day for the BIPOC Mountain Collective to bring new skiers and snowboarders to the slopes, some maybe experiencing snow sports for the first time. The goal is to help remove barriers to access. Ballard says those barriers can be daunting.

"Just knowing what equipment that you need, being able to afford the equipment, being able to afford the lessons and then, I think it also just takes the comfort of feeling like this is something that is for you," said Ballard.

It's an event Eldora is happy to host.

"One of our main initiatives is to increase access to native lands and increase diversity on the mountain and in winter adventure, so this is a great opportunity to partner with this organization where we have aligned goals and be able to introduce new people to the sport," said Hunter Wright, the director of sustainability and project development at Eldora Mountain Resort.

People could join in on the fun whether they were seasoned ski veterans or newbies and, based on the turnout Saturday, it seems their efforts paid off.

"We found a lot of people are like, 'this is wonderful. Like, I can't believe I haven't done this for my whole life. And I've lived here in Colorado,'" said Ballard.