Winter Park’s Indigenous roots are now on the mountain in signs and art installations

By Rachel Estabrook
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24min 23sec
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Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Connor Ryan, a Lakota and a professional skier, at his home mountain of Winter Park Resort on April 8, 2024. He’s standing beside a sign on the mountain that translates a ski trail name from Thunderbird Traverse into the Northern Arapaho dialect: Boh’ooonii eihii Traverse. Ryan has played a leading role in helping the ski area add indigenous elements to its history.

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Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Connor Ryan, a Lakota and a professional skier, at his home mountain of Winter Park Resort on April 8, 2024. Ryan has played a leading role in helping the ski area work to add indigenous elements to its history.

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Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
A history marker highlighting notable developers of Winter Park Resort, April 8, 2024. Various native tribes called this region home long before white colonial settlers arrived and forced natives out. The resort now works to incorporate indigenous history into its operations, thereby offering a more complete history to the region.

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Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Connor Ryan, a Lakota and a professional skier, gestures while describing a sign at Winter Park resort that says “There’s Snow on the Ground” in Northern Arapahoe dialect. Indigenous ancestors lived in the Fraser River Valley long before white colonial settlers arrived in the region and forced natives out. April 8, 2024.

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