COLORADO THANKS TRIBES FOR SNOW

"Thank you for the Snowdance... everyone is getting snow," said Sue Baldwin, Marketing Director of "Colorado Ski Country USA," following the magnificent ceremony by members of the Ute tribe, Denver Indian Center, and Mile High Pow Wow Association, at the Colorado SnowSports Expo on November 8.  

Eagle Dancer Derek Howell inspires crowd at historic"Thank you Snowdance" at the Colorado SnowSports Expo

"It's been snowing ever since the tribal dancers/skiers got home over the passes safely.  Creator is cool," said Olympian Suzy Chaffee, co-chair of the Aspen-based Native Voices Foundation (NVF) the event organizer.   Chaffee and teammate Billy Kidd, founder of Steamboat's "Ute Future Olympians program,"  introduced the American Indian cultural presentation, which was the first ever at a US Ski Expo, though "Natives are the biggest draws abroad," say international marketeers.  

"We felt very positive energy. Thank you blessed Mother," said Betty Box, wife of Eddie Box jr, the humble Southern Ute traditional leader who led the ceremony with his son Matthew chanting on the Grand Central Stage.  Derek Howell's eagle dance and the "heartmelting little girls" of the Northern Ute Tribe and Denver Indian Center, set the tone for the prayer ceremony. People were in awe.  The event was made possible by the Peak Bank.

The purpose of the snowdance was to thank leaders of Telluride, Aspen, Vail, Durango Mountain, Steamboat, Keystone, Sunlight, and Breckenridge for their historic pioneering - of welcoming the tribes back to their ancestral lands and sharing the joy of "flying like eagles on skis/boards" with their youth, starting in 1996.  Early snow, which could truly bolster the economy (and releave Western drought conditions) of ski towns, eludes most US resorts.  Having been blessed with a Ute snow miracle, (like four other Colorado resorts), which allowed Steamboat to open two years ago, Kidd thought this was an ideal chance to give the ski world a hand. 

Saturday turned out to be the lunar eclipse of the Harmonic Concordance, "an exceptionally propitious moment for humanity, through prayer and collective focus, to graduate to new level of consciousness and realign to the cycles of Mother Earth."

The snowdance was also a way of thanking the SnowSports Industry (SIA) and ski shops, like Ken Gart's "Specialty Sports," and skiers who participated in the industry's Donate-A-Ski program, as well as Olympians like Billy.  Beginning with the Salt Lake Olympics, SIA has been reaching out to honor the contributions of the US tribes with $500,000 in equipment and clothing, "to help create a healthy generation of Native Olympians."  The ceremony ended with lots of children joining the tribal stars of the Salt Lake Opening Ceremonies in a heart-warming "Friendship Circle Dance."  Then the Ute kids were off to conquer the plastic ski slopes and rock climbing wall.

The National Ski Area Operators of America (NSAA) were also honored for being leaders amongst sports industries for preserving Nature with their "Sustainable Slopes Program," led by Aspen Ski Co, who has won the most "Golden Eagle Awards."  Thanks to the friendships formed by NVF's Native Ski Programs, ski resorts are becoming even more sustainable at these environmental crossroads.

Contact:  970-922 5406 or cell 970-948-8410, suzynativevoices@aol.com, www.nativevoices.org