Explaining why newly arrived immigrants want to learn to ski or ride a snowboard, Julie Maurer, Vice-President of Marketing and Sales for Booth Creek, told the trade publication “They do want to assimilate and skiing seems very American.”

The report also recommended offering more family-oriented and intergenerational activities and hiring bilingual ski instructors.

An Uphill Battle
Hua remains skeptical about Northstar-at-Tahoe or any mountain resort’s attempts to cater to Asian Americans.

“Do their restaurants serve Pho?  I don’t think so.  Does their staff have native speakers of Asian languages?  I don’t think so,” said Hua.  “I’ve heard that Northstar is trying to cater to Asian Americans, but what does that mean?  I see no difference between what Northstar does and any of the other resorts in the Tahoe area.  So, I think it is just marketing-speak for; I want your Asian-American dollar’s.”

Still, despite efforts to bring more Asian Americans to the ski slopes, it’s still an upward battle.

“When I started, I was interested, but didn’t know where to start or how to go about trying the sport,” said Hua. “It’s one of those things that you just have to try and if you like it, you’ll keep on doing it, and if you don’t like it, you’ll at least be able to tell your kids that you once skied, before global warming wiped out all the snow pack!”

But, at least with ski clubs like Hua’s, they won’t be swooshing down the mountain alone.