This new film from Ikon Pass highlights the stories of two Indigenous snowsports athletes in the U.S.
The purpose of Ikon’s “My Connection” film is simple: to express two Indigenous athletes’ connection to the land — specifically, the mountains many of us now call home — and their desire for everyone to share that connection.
In the video, skier and Húŋkpapȟa Lakȟóta member Connor Ryan shares his appreciation for the land and explains how “skiing and snowboarding amplify their connection to their ancestors and to the mountains,” Ikon wrote.
In addition to Ryan, the film also features snowboarder and climber Lonnie Kauk, a descendant of the Ahwahnee.
“I want to reach skiers and snowboarders and show them how Native people have always been a part of the stories of the mountains, and how we will continue to be in the future,” said Ryan.
“I’d like the ski community to see themselves as a part of a longer and deeper story with the land.”
“My Connection” was directed by Shaandiin Tome, a Diné woman and filmmaker residing in Albuquerque, N.M.
