Event Information: Doors open at 6:45 pm, event begins at 7pm.

Location: Silver Maple Ballroom, 4th Floor of the Dudley Davis Center.

Event Description: The Social Justice Coalition of the University of Vermont’s Outing Club is happy to invite UVM students, faculty, and Burlington community members to join us in supporting Unlikely Riders. Unlikely Riders is a ‘vermont’ BIPOC collective mobilizing our community to find healing with the mountains while claiming space in the snow sports industry and culture.

In addition to a screening of the film Spirit of the Peaks, described below, Connor Ryan, the Indigenous skier whom this movie is about, will be both introducing his film, and joining us for a conversation after the screening. We will also have a raffle with brands including Skida, Burton, Black Diamond, and Fjallraven.

Each ticket includes one raffle ticket, additional raffle tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5.

All of the proceeds of this evening will benefit Unlikely Riders through access to:

The Winter Gear Closet - no-cost access to skis, snowboards, boots, warm layers, backcountry gear, Nordic/XC gear, and more
Lift Tickets + Trail Access - Alpine and Cross-Country
Community Instruction - Ski, Snowboard, Backcountry, Cross-Country, & more
Leadership/Mentorship development
Community Events and Mountain Days

Produced in partnership with Wondercamp and NativesOutdoors, and co-directed by Hunkpapa Lakota skier Connor Ryan, “Spirit of the Peaks” is a film about the struggle for balance between two worlds.

Skiing in Ute Territory has always raised questions for Connor about being in reciprocity with the land and its people. As a skier who connects with the land through sport, he empathizes with the injustices that have displaced the Utes and ongoing colonization, erasure and extraction impacting the Ute people. This story connects conflicted pasts to an awakening in cultural awareness that can create an equitable future for Indigenous people and skiers.

Connor's mission with the film is to do his part in restoring balance with all inhabitants of these mountains by illuminating the Utes' culture and traditional knowledge that can benefit everyone in the fight to preserve the land and dissipating snowpack.

UVM Outing Club’s Social Justice Coalition Hosts Connor Ryan

Join us on March 24 at 7 pm ET for a screening of Spirit of the Peaks, conversation with Connor Ryan, and gear raffle to support Unlikely Riders