Indigenous-owned ski resorts provide snow-filled fun and cultural connections.
Many U.S. ski resorts are located on the traditional and ancestral homelands of Indigenous people, but just two are owned and operated by tribes. As with other tribal enterprises, ski areas provide jobs and funding — but they’re also fun places to share culture and traditions.
Ski Apache
Run by the Mescalero Apache Tribe, Ski Apache was the first tribally owned ski resort in the country. In 1963, under the leadership of president Wendell Chino, the tribe asserted its sovereignty to purchase what was then called Sierra Blanca Ski Resort in the Sierra Blanca Mountains near Ruidoso, New Mexico. Since then, the tribe has expanded to other tourism and hospitality ventures, including The Inn of the Mountain Gods, which offers luxury accommodations and recreational activities like golf and big-game hunting.
Ski Apache, which gets an average of 15 feet of snow each year, offers 750 acres of terrain for skiers and snowboarders of every level. In the summer, it’s open for mountain biking, hiking, gondola rides, and ziplining.
Ski Apache had 750 acres of skiable terrain in New Mexico.
Sunrise Park Resort
The largest ski resort in Arizona, Sunrise Park Resort has been owned and operated by the White Mountain Apache Tribe since 1970. Boasting 1,200 acres of skiable terrain spread across 67 trails, the family-friendly spot is also open during the summer for scenic chairlift rides, tubing, rock climbing, disc golf, archery, and more.
The skiing and recreation are top-notch, and the resort also serves as a unique cultural connection to the White Mountain Apache people. On opening day, for instance, the ski area often hosts a ceremonial performance by Apache Crown Dancers at the base of the mountain. The resort’s name is a nod to the four-day Apache Sunrise Dance and coming-of-age ceremony for girls, and skiers and snowboarders can glide down runs with names like Crown Dancer and Apache Drum.
Sunrise Park Resort is the largest ski area in Arizona.
Read about the Indigenous artists wrapping gondolas in Coast Salish designs and discover the Native roots of Colorado’s Winter Park.
From our January 2025 issue.
HEADER IMAGE: Apache Crown Dancers often kick off the start of the new season at Sunrise Park Resort with a ceremonial performance.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy of Ski Apache; Courtesy of Sunrise Park Resort
