Joy is universal. Where and how we find it may not be, but the feeling is all the same. The Approach, a new ski and snowboard film, is highlighting stories about minority groups — BIPOC, women, and adaptive athletes — and digging into just how universal our obsession with powder is.
“Winter sports have a diversity problem,” Forbes Magazine acknowledges. “According to a Snowsports Industries America participation report, winter sports skew more than 67 percent white. And while 34 percent of backcountry skiers identify as female, backcountry movies are still dominated by men.”
The film isn’t a commentary on inequity or the objective lack of diversity on the mountain, though. It’s a great spotlight on people from diverse backgrounds finding that universal joy in drawing backcountry lines. The kind of stuff every powder hound loves.
“The idea was to make a ski and snowboard film that showcases the ability of all the athletes,” says Ingrid Backstrom, who is an executive producer on the film. “We wanted to get together as a group and help elevate each other within that space, to collectively throw out our elbows to make more room.”
