About Klarisse Torriente

Klarisse Torriente is an outdoor columnist for the Explorer.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jonny says

    ” I had seen only one other Black person. Gore lacked representation on this day. So, I tried to breathe the pain away, consider my privilege and remember joy is why I am here.”

    What pain? Please don’t make the jump that ski resorts are racist, because YOU felt uncomfortable for no reason other then to write another baseless article. EVERYONE has access to EVERY ski resort. Money is the only thing that stops anyone from doing anything in this country. If your issue is with pay for different people’s, then work on that. Place the blame where it belongs, and please stop being such a victim. It sounds very privileged.

  2. Steve Borne says

    “This sport is expensive, perhaps purposefully out of reach”

    To just throw around suggestions like this is part of the reason why there is backlash against so many really important initiatives to help marginalized communities.

    Just because it’s 200 miles away from NYC doesn’t mean there are gatekeepers. In fact, it’s state subsidized and open to everyone. It’s an expensive sport because it operates a few months a year.

    There should absolutely be more effort to provide these types of opportunities to marginalized communities. But, making it seem like there is a deliberate effort today aside from economic obstacles is frustrating.

  3. C says

    Amazing that you had to turn this into an article on race. There is no limit at Gore or any other ski area I have visited based on race, faith, gender, sexual orientation etc. Everyone has the same access, and is charged the same prices. There is no privileged access at Gore. Very inappropriate, race baiting article.

  4. adkresident says

    Yup another race baiting article.
    I used to snowboard at Gore, great place, just can’t afford it any more.

    Does that make Gore ski center racist?

    • Kevin says

      Jonny- you took her comment about the pain related to her fall on her knee and twisted into something else. Or perhaps that was a lack of reading comprehension on your part. Either way, the comment missed the mark.

      I’m also surprised at the Explorer publishing another comment calling the article race baiting when it simply described occurrences.

  5. ADK Skier says

    Hi there, I’m hoping I can provide some optimism for your future ski endeavors by painting a somewhat broader picture of the economic spectrum that doesn’t really come to the surface while looking around a ski resort.

    The daily price for lift tickets is set so high so that it’s economically prohibitive and forces people to buy a season pass. It’s by design. All of the major resorts have switched to this model in recent years. Even weekend warriors seem to go for the season pass, as it’s just too much $$$ for a day pass if you intend to go more than 3 times season. It’s stupid, but it seems to be the model that we have to deal with.

    Look for smaller, privately owned hills and mountains. They have low day rates. Or hike a local hill. Still fun and it’s great exercise.

    As for racial representation, I have to say that this season I saw more people of color than I have ever seen at my local mountain (Whiteface). I’ve been going to this mountain for 30 years and could probably count on one hand the number of black/brown people I’ve seen until this season. I think things are looking up in that regard. I was really happy to see more than just white people everywhere.

    I know it may seem like the mountain is populated by rich people who just happen to magically have the means to be up there recreating, but there are many, many stories of hard work, saving, and figuring out how to make it work on a tight budget than you realize. Myself, and the people I know have dedicated a large part of their entire income to this sport. Others save or buy used gear. It’s not a lark or casual thing for most people. People like myself learned on local hills where you have to hike up and down on foot. My kids learned that way and we didn’t set foot on a mountain until my son was 12. All of his learning happened in the back yard on used old gear for free. It’s far too expensive to pay for lessons and gear for our kids. We get gear from the local “Play it Again Sports” and it’s actually pretty cheap. Cheaper than an Xbox.

    What I’m trying to say is that you’re not alone. I stayed away from the mountain for almost a decade due to the high prices for equipment and lift tickets, but at some point I decided that sitting at home or using that same money for less healthy pursuits was not doing me any favors.

    Here’s hoping that you keep coming to the mountain. Try sites like Liftopia for great deals on lift tickets if you don’t plan on getting a seasons pass. It can be done! And bring your own lunch. The cafeteria prices are insane!

    Hope to see you out there!

  6. Debbie says

    Unfortunately a lot of sports related activities are expensive. Not as a way to be exclusive but because expenses to run these places, insurance and the overall upkeep keep rising. It would be nice if facilities could have reduced fee days, free “ try it days” or even scholarships for reduced memberships to encourage those who would otherwise not have financial access to try these sports.

  7. RealityCheck says

    Agree with above commentary, I’m not a skier/snowboarder but this article pushes me further from even trying. Stop viewing everything as oppressor or victim. You’re a new snowboarder, just like we are all new at something at some time. Everyone has to earn their stripes or spend their life huddling in a corner in the fetal position. Grow up, be an adult and realize the only opinion the matters is yours and those you trust.

  8. Charles says

    As a White person, I had the privilege of not ever being heckled when I fell down so many times my first day on skis, and that, my friends, is the difference. Ms. Torriente, I own some land that might be suitable for cross-country skiing if that is your thing. Drop me a line and I will tell you where it is. I guarantee that there will be no hecklers there; just you, the trees, and the deer. Nice jacket, by the way.

    • Adkskibum says

      Then you never fell right under a chairlift. Not always appropriate, but it’s a right of passage to get hooted and hollered at if you fall under the lift. People can tell an oops! fall from an injury fall. An oops! fall will get some hoots, and an injury fall will elicit yells of “do you need ski patrol?”

      When you fall on your own land, the squirrels and birds are snickering at you, you just can’t hear them!

  9. Meredit says

    All I can say to previous commenters is: if you haven’t experienced racism, do not judge those who do. You don’t know what you are talking about. In fact, your comments kinda prove the author’s point.

  10. Sasha says

    I have been a skier for almost four decades and grew up skiing at Gore. This article makes my skin crawl. Skiers of all ages, races and ski levels, ski at every mountain I have been to. The assumptions this author is making about ski “culture” and being “purposefully out of reach” are ridiculous. If the author feels so uncomfortable at a ski resort because of her personal hang ups , perhaps she just shouldn’t go.

  11. Jeff James says

    I was there that day…..oh my goodness it was icy. I fell that day too. I got up, put my own skis back on and laughed at myself for pushing myself to hard. Hopefully I learned something that made me a better skier. BTW – I bought my ticket on-line before I went. I don’t recall the computer asking the color of my skin. Oh and yeah I still had to go to work the next day too.

  12. Mary says

    I never heard of such mean spirited people when you fell!

    You should try another ski area. I would suggest greek peak in central ny as my daughter snowboards and skis there.

    She has a season pass she buys through a local ski club at s college. It is a big discount.

    They also had a special day early in the season – lift tickets were $10 . Also evening lift tickets are cheaper.

    Try to go when it is not so busy… like president’s weekend.

    It is an expensive sport, but sounds like you love it. It is also something you can do for years to come.

    I think comments in this publication can be aimed at readers and maybe the commentators friends.
    I wish some commentators would refrain from bullying and belittling .

  13. jd says

    OMG! the race card because you fell. the people on the chairlift could not see the color of your skin. They laughed because they have fallen as skiers and they laughed at another skier who did exactly what they have done. They did not know your color. Only you did and try to make a big deal of it. If you did not see more brown faces on the ski slope, ask yourself how many friends you invited to come skiing with you. I will not pay $100 or even $50 to ski. I cross country ski. it’s a lot cheaper, no crowds, no chair lifts, no expensive equipment. You can xc ski just about anywhere in the Adirondacks on state trails or old logging roads. Which Gore is a part of. Get out in the woods and do some gliding thru the trees. We skied today. Saw no one. My wife disappeared and I heard her laughing. She fell down while skiing thru some small trees. Her skies were in the air. She laughed at herself for being downed by small saplings. You should try laughing at yourself sometime. Everything is not serious while skiing. Sometimes it’s funny to wipe out. And OMG-somebody else might laugh. I feel terrible but I laughed at my wife’s antics trying to get untangled and back up. Grow up! Get up! And realize everything is not about you. Lose your attitude and you might make some friends while skiing.

  14. Loretta says

    Great, well-written article. It covered a lot of themes including vulnerability, perseverance, community. And yes, race/class too. From some of the comments here it seems that the winter sports community could use some education about structural racism and cultivate some compassion for the real, lived experience of being a black person in this country.

  15. Ed says

    I guess I must be old-fashioned, I always believed that skin color shouldn’t matter. It sure matters to the author of this article, what a shame. And what a shame AE publishes this kind of article.

  16. Ryan says

    The joy of riding a snowboard is something that can’t be described. I have grown up with it, so I have never thought of it otherwise, but I think that it’s fun and a great way to spend time in the winter. It’s an amazing feeling when you ride down a run, carve a few turns and finish off with a jump, and in the end waiting for your friends to catch up.

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