Growing up in East LA, snow wasn’t exactly at Roberto Moreno’s front doorstep. But Moreno said he was lucky because he lived near a city park that offered a youth program that took kids to the mountains.

Moreno said he finds most people can vividly remember the first time they ever skied or rode a snowboard. He even remembered what he was thinking at that moment.

“I’ll never be able to turn those things,” Moreno recounted excitedly, referring to “230 head standards,” otherwise known as enormous skis. But he did manage to conquer his trepidation, and he hasn’t looked back.

“Tired of Being Bilingual
and Bicultural All By Myself”
Moreno has been skiing for 47 years. He worked as a ski patrol at Keystone, and then he and his wife started and operated their own ski lodge. After nearly five decades on the slopes, Moreno said he’d like to change the culture of snow sports and mountain recreation.

“I was tired of being bilingual and bicultural and all by myself,” he said.

Now, Moreno runs Alpino, a Colorado-based non-profit that promotes diversity in winter sports by outreaching to youth and advocating for diversity among frontline staff at mountain resorts.

“The industry has done a good job of promoting exclusivity, not inclusively (his term),” said Moreno, referring to the overwhelmingly white make-up of snow sport participants.

Nationally, about 10 percent of snow sport participants are non-white, according to Alpino’s website. That rate falls short when nearly one-third of the U.S. population is non-white.

The exclusivity could spell irrelevance for the snow sports and mountain recreation industry; but more importantly, it means few people are exposed to the beauty and joy of America’s mountains, forests and rivers.

Morgan Hua, 42, first went skiing during his cousin’s company ski trip. He’s been hooked ever since.

“First, there’s the rush. Going downhill fast is fun,” says Hua. “There’s the fresh air, the beautiful scenery, the feel of the wind against your face as you’re zipping down the slopes.  Your heart rate does go up.  It’s just plain fun.”

Hua also finds satisfaction in the sense of improvement and the accomplishment of learning a sport.

“Once your skills improve, then you go down more challenging terrain. You look up the mountain and think, ‘Wow, I went down that.  Cool!’” says Hua.

Hua learned about a local ski club for Asian Americans through a family friend, and decided to join up. Fifteen years later, Hua now serves as the Membership Chairperson for the Nisei Ski Club.

Too Pricey for Popular Appeal
One setback that keeps people from participating in winter sports is the high cost. The fees involved with ski and snowboard equipment, admission and lift tickets, meals and

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