Connor Ryan Guest Speaker

Snow Mountain Ranch is hosting indigenous pro skier and climate activist, Connor Ryan, in an interactive event that includes a film screening, ski opportunity and a keynote. All are welcome!

Connor Ryan is a proud Hunkpapa Lakota and passionate skier, Connor Ryan was born and raised on the Arapaho, Cheyenne and Ute homelands at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. He considers these places among his biggest inspirations and closest relatives. Connor seeks to decolonize, reconnect and learn to better honor all his relations through adventure and activism. Skiing is his dance and prayer, a ceremony of its own. Lakota traditional ecological knowledge helps Connor understand the true value of the sacred land and water we ski on in deeper and more tangible ways. He has devoted his life and platform to rediscovering how traditional Indigenous culture and ecological knowledge can shape our relationship to the lands we relate to through skiing, life, and adventure. Connor has shared his stories and experiences in person and through media (films, words and photos) with universities and businesses in order to seek collective paths to a better future for all our relations.

January 3, 2025
Snow Mountain Ranch, Schlessman Family Camper Hub

• Snacks and refreshments will be provided. Please bring equipment and warm clothing if you plan to participate in the cross-country ski portion of the event.

1:00 – 1:45 PM: Spirit of the Peaks film showing

2:00 – 2:45 PM: Cross-Country Ski with Connor Ryan

3:00 – 4:00 PM: Keynote

“Spirit of the Peaks” is a film about the struggle for balance between two worlds. For Hunkpapa Lakota skier Connor Ryan, skiing in Ute Territory has always raised questions about being in reciprocity with the land and its people. As a skier who connects with the land through sport, he empathizes with the injustices that have displaced the Utes and ongoing colonization, erasure and extraction impacting the Ute people. This story connects conflicted pasts to an awakening in cultural awareness that can create an equitable future for Indigenous people and skiers. The film was produced in partnership with REI Co-op Studios, Wondercamp and Natives Outdoors with additional support from Salomon, Peak Design and Protect Our Winters.