Did you know that Detroit is home to the oldest black ski club in the world? The Jim Dandy Ski Club (JDSC) was founded in 1958 by Frank Blount, William Morgan and Reginald Wilson with a goal to increase minority participation in skiing and snowboarding.

Only one percent of U.S. ski resort guests identified as black, according to a 2024 report by the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), and the latest U.S. National Park Service data revealed that barely six percent of visitors were black. These disparities illustrate why groups like JDSC are an important part of combatting racist stereotypes suggesting that African-Americans aren’t welcome or interested in winter recreation spaces.

Board president Giselle Jackson has been with Jim Dandy for more than 25 years. On MLK weekend in 1996, she accepted an invitation from a family friend to visit Michigan’s upper peninsula for skiing. When she joined, there were about 500 active members.

“There were two buses full of people from Detroit, and they called themselves the Jim Dandy Ski Club. It was all love and positivity. Everyone helped everyone out. It felt good to be there. I never left,” she shared.

Since joining, Jackson has introduced her children and grandchildren to the sport and they really enjoy it. She feels sharing this pastime with her family is an essential part of preserving Jim Dandy’s legacy in helping families to overcome the discrimination they face in a sport which largely excluded black people.

“They love it and I hope [they stay] in the club well after I’m gone. I try to teach them why [Jim Dandy] is important to keep it going and why we had to start our own club, because we were not welcome in white clubs or hotels,” Jackson said.

Even during the times of Jim Crow, black outdoor enthusiasts persevered and managed to carve out spaces for themselves to participate in winter sports, with Oregon’s Fort Hood being a hotspot.

The earliest documented instance of Black American skiing could be found in the digital archives of EBONY magazine, a premier black lifestyle publication founded in 1945. An article titled “Skiing: Popular Winter Sport Becoming Favorite With Negro Fans” was featured in the February 1949 issue and talked about how the leisure activity is an emerging interest for black college students. It featured photos of participants smiling on the slopes and spending time together in resort lounges. The text says that in 1946, over two dozen black skiers met in Denver to share tips, equipment and personal training. They called themselves “The Ski Lancers” and explored notable winter destinations like Loveland Pass and Winter Park Resort.

In the same article, the EBONY magazine editorial staff shared the findings of a survey they conducted to provide context for the racial power dynamics existing in winter sport spaces. Out of 160 ski lodges and resorts contacted in search of accommodations for a group of black skiers only 32 agreed to service the anticipated guests. From Wyoming to Wisconsin denial letters read “I’m sorry, but we cannot accept negro guests.”

The magazine’s “Resorts That Welcome Negroes” section featured Michigan resorts in Iron Mountain and Ishpeming, where its ski institutions date back to 1887.

Thirteen years later, EBONY magazine published an article titled “Detroit Ski Addicts” which connected the Jim Dandy Ski Club to a larger audience across the country. JDSC participants compared the experience of skiing to flying and described the spiritual feeling they get when gliding through the snow.

“You feel a sense of achievement as well as a great joy in being alive. You have to ski to understand this,” said Maxine Bounter, who was the recording secretary of the club at the time.

The feature article continues to talk about the importance of safety on the slopes and places an emphasis on how community building is a vital part of the group’s foundation. The groundwork JDSC has done to build an inclusive environment for skiers of color has helped transform ideas about race and belonging in spaces like ski resorts and national parks. Providing access to knowledge, materials and a safe communal space was conducive to garnering African-American interest in winter sports. The organization is recognized as a pioneer in establishing outdoor leisure as a place of comfort and solace for black people.

The JDSC is part of a larger network consisting of black ski clubs across the country called the National Brotherhood of Snowsports (NBS). The two founders, Ben Finely and Arthur Clay met at a resort after years of participation in their respective clubs in Los Angeles (Four Seasons West) and Chicago (Sno-Gophers). The creation of a larger coalition was the brainchild of the two, in addition to members of Jim Dandy, which eventually led to the first “Black Summit in Aspen” in 1973. The event welcomed more than 300 attendees.

“The NBS [summit] is a yearly event where all of the black ski clubs around the world meet to fellowship, compete in racing and donate to our youth black Olympic hopefuls,” President Jackson explains.

The 13 founding clubs range from states like Washington and California, to Ohio and Massachusetts. Although the origin date is noted as Thanksgiving of 1973, the NBS wasn’t officially recognized as a non-profit organization until 1975. Outside Online’s “Oral History of the National Brotherhood of Skiers” talks about how the organization would go on to develop scholarships for promising winter sport athletes and secure corporate sponsorships from companies like General Motors and Subaru. These efforts would eventually produce Andre Horton, who became the first black member of the U.S. Olympic Alpine Team. By 1993, the NBS national conference exceeded 6,000 attendees.

Despite these significant advancements, black participation in skiing can be used to analyze the social and institutional factors that reinforce winter sports as synonymous with ideas of whiteness and white supremacy. A research study titled “Black Skiing, Everyday Racism, and the Racial Spatiality of Whiteness,” published by the Sage Journal, explores the culture of exclusion and discrimination at America’s ski destinations.

In his findings, sociologist Dr. Anthony Kwame Harrison states, “There are powerful symbolic forces which work to define and maintain skiing and its associated social spaces as essentially White.” Harrison uses the concept of racial spatiality to examine the “gatekeeping” nature of winter resorts. This concept is the idea that members of a favorable group are entitled to exist in certain social spaces, like the outdoors, for example. It also suggests that the presence of other racial groups causes “problems” or “disruptions” and unfavorable conditions. These ideals are often reinforced by a deliberate effort to make members of marginalized groups feel rejected and unwelcome.

Instances of overt racism are unfortunately something black skiers still encounter on the slopes. Jackson says, “We still have a lot of work to do in this world as far as equality goes. Just last week we had a group of children on the mountain skiing and from up above on the chairlift, two [white] children yelled out ‘Go home n-ggers!’” She continues by explaining that experiences like these are an opportunity to reiterate to their youth members that they belong. It is such instances that can cause feelings of loneliness and isolation, which seem to be part of every black ski club’s origin story.

“[We] assured our children that they had every right to be there as much as the white kids and [encouraged them] not to react. Our children’s group consists of Black, Asian, and White races, and we teach them all the same,” Jackson says.

The latest NSAA data reported 88 percent of ski resort visitors identify as white, which suggests there is still an overwhelming white presence on the slopes and in the professional winter sports world. This is why Dr. Harrison’s reference to whiteness as “the systemic management of a collective advantage” can be used to better understand the barriers that prevent African-Americans from skiing.

Dr. Harrison’s study identified that the lack of access to formal training and knowledge, as well as the high costs associated with travel, equipment and lodging act as preventative measures, blocking minority hopefuls from aspirations of skiing long before they begin. This was even mentioned in the1962 EBONY Magazine article on the JDSC by acting secretary Maxine Blount. “The thing that held us back was not knowing how to begin. We didn’t know where to go to learn or whether we’d be accepted once we got there,” she said.

Winter sport industry giants understand the negative impact of these racial disparities, and have created programs and grants to increase minority participation. The U.S. Ski and Snowboarding team created a four-year partnership with the NBS in hopes to grow minority representation in the Olympics. Vail Resorts, a major leader in snowsports retail, signed a $9 million dollar partnership grant with the NBS and the Boys & Girls Club to increase access to skiing for minority and inner-city youth. This “Youth Access Grant” provides funding for Jim Dandy’s youth outreach initiative.

According to Jackson, Jim Dandy’s youth program, “Epic for Everyone,” builds a sense of confidence and belonging while learning the sport. She says, “It is very important to teach our kids at a young age that they can do anything that they want with no boundaries or limitations, such as the color of their skin or their size. Our ‘Epic for Everyone’ program [takes] inner city children that would not normally have the opportunity to afford the luxury of skiing or snowboarding to introduce them to something different.”

In addition to youth outreach, the club is currently sponsoring two Olympic hopefuls: Brian Rice (@flyinbrian_2), a snowboarder from Metro Detroit and Keegan Supple (@kongpad6) who is a skier from Lincoln, NE. Jackson shares, “They have both been members of [Jim Dandy] for several years.”

Although the club faced a major blow to membership during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jackson notes that numbers are starting to rise again, with more than 300 active members globally. Their annual “BlackOut” at Mt. Brighton just celebrated its 17th anniversary, which aims to spark new minority interest in snow sports and attract new youth and young adult members. The NBS has grown to more than 50 black ski clubs across the US.

The Jim Dandy Ski Club planted a seed that has seemed to sprout branches globally. Similar interest groups are popping up with the goal of increasing black access to the outdoors and adventure sports. Nuban Ski has existed in the United Kingdom for the past 25 years and Soft Life Ski was founded in 2022 to bring Afro Caribbean culture to European ski resorts.

Perhaps the tides are slowly but surely changing. Charles “Chuck” Love’s presence at Mt. Holly’s Ski Resort as an instructor can attest to that. He is a member of the Professional Ski Instructors Association with over 40 years of personal experience. He gained an interest in skiing during his childhood and was encouraged by the support of his parents to pursue the sport.

“I’ve been teaching for about four years as an instructor and I love it. It’s amazing to show someone a new skill and see the look on their face when they’ve accomplished it. Especially when someone goes from the bunny hill to the chair lift of the largest slope by the end of the day. That’s the biggest kick I get out of it,” Love says.

As a black man living in Holly, MI where barely one percent of the population is black, Love understands the importance of black representation at ski lodges and resorts. Mt. Holly apparently does as well, partnering with YMCA Detroit to bring inner-city youth to the slopes. He often experiences shocked reactions from black guests while working as an instructor.

“I’m definitely seeing more people of color on the slopes. When I came to the patio area, a random black woman walked up to me and gave me the biggest hug. She wanted to take a picture with me because she couldn’t believe it was real. It’s all about showing black excellence,” Love jokingly says with pride.

The formation of the Jim Dandy Ski Club represents an important moment in black environmental history, and the organization continues to work to be a major catalyst in increasing the access African Americans have to outdoor sports and leisure. JDSC welomes all people of varying backgrounds and experiences into its family and sees such diversity as strengthening the communal bond between its members.

“The Jim Dandy Ski Club is full of people with all different personalities, backgrounds, professions, and from all walks of life. We accept anyone in our club, you don’t have to be black, we have non-black members that fit right in. You just have to respect everyone to the utmost. You will always find someone in this club willing to help you out with anything,” Jackson said.