Love, Peace & Snow: The Brotherhood 40th Anniversary in Aspen/Snowmass
February 28, 2013 
Love, Peace and SNOW. Click 4 pix.The National Brotherhood of Skiers (NBS) is in Aspen/Snowmass for their 40th Anniversary. NBS, a.k.a. The Brotherhood is one of the largest affiliated ski groups in the USA. NBS has over 3000 members from 60 ski clubs in 43 cities. Almost 1500 skiers, riders, families and friends made it to Aspen (one of the whitest towns in America) to celebrate the NBS 40th. The Brotherhood is composed almost entirely of African American winter sports enthusiasts...people of color. Maybe you've heard the often repeated stereotype that Black people can't ski. The Brotherhood dispels that notion all over the world, everywhere they go. Ski clubs like Jim Dandy Ski Club (Detroit), Inner City Ski Bums (Cleveland), All Seasons Ski Club (Oakland), Chicago Ski Twisters (Chicago), Black Ski, inc. (Washington D.C.) and Sno-Burners (New York) showed up in Aspen to slide down the slopes and enjoy all the extra cirruicualars that come with that. The Brotherhood is one of the friendliest, most fun loving and jovial groups that we see in Aspen/Snowmass. That is as long as nobody schralps my lines. It's always fantastic to see people enjoying their lives to the fullest and getting after it on the mountain.
Click 4 Pix: LOVE, PEACE & SNOW
Most of the NBS crowd stays in Snowmass. So on a beautiful bleubird Colorado day, Andy Party made an unusual trip past the traffic circle to Snowmass in order to ski and BBQ with the Brotherhood. It's been well over a year since I've skied at Snowmass. I forgot how HUGE that place is.
Snowmass has 3300+ acres of terrain vs Aspen Mountain's 675 acres. There were powder stashes everywhere. The Mall and the Village Express lift were mobbed with Brothers...but once I cleared the mousetrap at the bottom...it was a POW POW Party. After a few runs up top I straightlined a groomer past several Brothers and cruised to the BBQ at the Spider Sabich Cabin.
Many of the Brotherhood picked up skiing late in life...as adults. The group's skill level ranges from first-timers to intermediates and a few experts. The Brotherhood may not be the most talented ski group in Aspen...but they sure know how to BBQ. Over 500 attendees ate & drank and grooved to the music. I mention the music because it was so refreshing to hear old school funk & soul. Not the sampled beats I'm used to hearing today. The Brotherhood was spinning classic easy to dance to grooves... the music that I love so much. Dancing in ski boots is not my forte...but lets just say the white boy has a few moves left. All the Nubian Empire skiers were cheering me on. The Temps., Smokey, James Brown, Sly, The Four Tops, The Isley's etc.etc. It was great to see old friends bonding and new friends being made and an unbridled passion for skiing and riding.
Each club has their own distinctive and colorful ski parkas complete with their club logo on the back and often with an embroidered nick name on the front. Much like motorcycle gangs, The Brotherhood members take great pride in their "colors".
The members of The Brothehood have as much fun as anybody on the mountain. They are passing their love of winter sports onto the next generation. Here's to 40 more years of POW POW for the NBS.
Click 4 pix: LOVE, PEACE & SNOW (The Brotherhood)
The Jim Dandy Ski Club from Detroit. The first African American Ski Club. Click 4 pix.
