Hi, my name is Roberto Moreno. I’m the Director of the non-profit snowsports diversity initiative in Colorado called ALPINO.
As a lifetime skier, former pro ski patroller and instructor, hotelier and marketing consultant, I believe our mountains are wondrous places, create options for kids and so am committed to increasing minority inclusivity in snowsports nationwide. At just over 7 percent, the minority participation rate in skiing and snowboarding is the lowest of any organized sport in America.
Sadly, thousands of American kids of color are growing up in close proximity to mountain areas throughout the United States and never get there during their entire life! ALPINO thinks there is something wrong with that picture.
The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has asked me to share some of ALPINO's success stories and your success stories with its membership at the upcoming convention in Savannah, Georgia, May 17-20. I have been asked to join the panel “Embracing Youth, Diversity and Growth” and I am writing an article on snowsports diversity strategies for an upcoming issue of the NSAA Journal.
Why? Well, when you consider the multicultural future of the United States, it’s not only good business to reach out to minority and multicultural customers, it’s critical to the Snowriding Industry’s future success!
If you know of snowriding areas that have made attempts to outreach to Latino, Afro-American, Asian or Native-American snowriders, would you please share that information with us? We define “outreach” as any attempt to attract minority customers to a resort, efforts to recruit minorities to front line positions ( i.e., ski instructors, ski patrol, etc) and any effort made to use “minority images” on web sites or in collateral materials.
You can email us at: snowdiversity@earthlink.net with your thoughts or a summary of the diversity efforts you're aware of.
Roberto L. Moreno
ALPINO
snowdiversity@earthlink.net
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