Connection to White Mountain

As I am sitting here snowed in with the storm of the year at my sister’s trailer. I decided to write down my connection to White Mountain (Sierra Blanca), which is home to Ski Apache located in Alto, NM. The ski resort is owned and run by the Mescalero Apache Indian reservation. Ski Apache being the only ski resort I have ever been to and a place I can truly call home.

First of all Sierra Blanca Mountain is more than just mountain to the Mescalero Apache people. Sierra Blanca is the highest peak on the northern fringe of the Sacramento Mountains. The mountain is one of four sacred mountains, each in a different cardinal direction and each representing the four directions. Sierra Blanca symbolizes where the creator gave us life and it is a special place. It was on the White Mountain that White Painted Woman gave birth to two sons, Child of Water and Killer of Enemies. When they grew to be men, they rose up and killed the monsters of the earth. There was peace and all human beings were saved. The mountains were the home of the Crown Dancers who acted as inter-mediators between the Mescalero and White Painted Woman and the supernatural world. The ability to hunt and gather montane resources, and visit sites of cultural significance on Sierra Blanca was critical to the tribe. Using the resources of Sierra Blanca was part of the process of maintaining the legacy of Mescalero creation and the balance between the natural and supernatural.

As far as I can remember is school trips to Ski Apache. They always had field trip days during the school year. I remember back in 4th grade we had a trip to Ski Apache and I had never really learned how to ski beforehand. It is embarrassing to say that I didn’t know what the hell I was doing on the ski slopes. A trail called Lower Deep Freeze (blue trail) was one of my first runs, but at that time it was my first time clicking in skis and strapping on the boots. I was stuck on the run and my classmates were passing by with no problem and I was the laughing stock of the day. Come to think of it I think ski patrol had to help me down on a snowmobile that day.

It was then I began to become interested in skiing because I hate defeat, my father worked up there as a snow groomer and I would go up every now and then to sit passenger in the big snow cats early in the morning before the sun came up. I was so intrigued because these machines groomed out black trails (advanced trails) and had no problem climbing the incline of the trails. Also by the way the mountain was managed day in and day out and how it was a source of employment for Mescalero. My father had the biggest influence on me skiing, I would ski trails with him after we groomed out the trails and he was such an awesome skier and everyone knew it. Back in his youth he was part of racing teams and has numerous of stories of his injuries and glory days of skiing. I can guess he was a bit reckless, as am I today. My father worked seasonally at Ski Apache over the years, so that allowed me to become more connected with White Mountain.

Over the years I went on and off to the ski area, I didn’t really start skiing until I was 14. My father was working in the board shop at Ski Apache at that time. I was up there often so I decided to apply for a job as a ski instructor. I remember that 2008 job fair held at the Inn of the Mountain Gods. I was barely old enough to attain a job, and numerous of my peers were there applying for jobs as well. Ski Apache is a main source of employment for the Mescalero Apache and people filled in for the job fair. I remember turning in my application and having an on the spot interview with Mr. Schnieder who was head of ski school. He did not know of my ski abilities, didn’t know I had no gear of my own, and hired me on the spot anyway. Then the second step after the interview was to get drug tested, it was in a separate room and it was empty because so many people left because that was the first year they implemented pee tests into the job fair. I peed in the cup and walked out not knowing what to expect. I went to orientation couple days later and I was surrounded by a bunch of old people in ski school. I didn’t know ski instructing was an old guy job. I mean what did a 15 year old really know about skiing and the technicality of it.

However during my job it was a bit stressful because I was the youngest and was always the last to attain classes. The older guys would complain when I received classes and they didn’t. So I put in the work on my social skills and obviously ski skills. I found that when I wasn’t teaching a session I was either free-skiing or taking lessons from the old guys on how to ski. I improved dramatically just skiing with my co-workers who were technical and my peers who were reckless. I was young and I seen different styles of my peers and co-workers. Being surrounded by people who knew how to ski made my job much easier as time went on. I found myself attaining more classes and people actually requesting me to teach them how to ski. It was a very rewarding job, having people look to you to learn the art of skiing. It was a good feeling seeing people who couldn’t stand on skis in the beginning of the day, to seeing them able to go down blues no problem at the end of the day. It was cool teaching classes having people call you coach and giving you high fives. My passion for skiing grew after my job as a ski instructor and I was up at ski apache just about every other day, even when I wasn’t working. I feel so at home up there, even though I was working it didn’t even feel like a job because skiing is just that fun to me.

Skiing everyday was awesome, but I realized I didn’t have the cool gear like everyone else in ski school or of my peers. I didn’t care about that at that time because I just enjoyed being up there skiing. It’s not the gear that makes the skier, but gear was a necessity in a way. The Mescalero tribal members receive free ski passes and rentals so it was like the tribal playground in a way. And I know the ski shop got tired of seeing my face day in and day out, filling out the same form every single day for rentals. They ended up giving me some knock offs for the season, but I put em’ to use anyway. I was doing everything in those old skis and one strap boots that I was given from teaching lessons, skiing through the trees, hitting powder, and even in the terrain park hitting kickers. I remember when my dad decided to go out for a run with me. He was still an avid skier, but didn’t hit the slopes as much due to work and aging I guess. Onto the run, we hit chair 2 (Lincoln lift line) and we got off halfway because they had built a huge terrain park that year and I was practicing often. I told him to wait at the bottom of the park, he thought I was wasting his time but I had to show him what’s up. I hit those kickers with some speed, and got some mad air in the park with him watching. Keep in mind this was with those knock off rentals, I met him at the bottom and he was so freaked out because they were huge gaps to clear and I pulled off some grabs. He complimented me after which was cool. I also competed in local competitions, placing third on two occasions but it was nothing all that spectacular as I was doing basic tricks. Two bronze metals encouraged me to keep at it.

However I lost touch with skiing overtime with school, but every time I go it’s like riding a bike you never forget. I’m attending college at the University of Oklahoma, currently in my 5th year and finally graduating May of 2016. Oklahoma obviously doesn’t have any ski areas and their winters suck so bad. Super cold with minimal snow, ice storms are the thing in Oklahoma. So I’m stuck in Oklahoma majority of the time watching ski videos constantly and reminiscing about what I was able to do. I always long for home and the snow. I wish I considered my passion for skiing before entering college because I haven’t really skied much while i’ve been in school. I really wish I didn’t lose touch with it because I was improving and getting comfortable in different settings, but that’s what happens with priorities and living in an area with no mountains. I finally decided this season to get my own gear, and get back to what I love which is obviously skiing. I want to become a great skier and I want to continue to learn the art of it. The park is something I’m becoming more and more interested in, but that is going to take a body change and improvement overtime. While at times it can be done for leisure, skiing is an incredibly strenuous sport. The amount of muscle strength to perform and survive in the park is incredibly high. So now I am working on my goal to become a freestyle skier and getting my body in shape.

My connection to White Mountain is real culturally and individually. It is the only place I have ever skied to this day and I’m completely fine with that because it is my second home. I learned how to ski up there. My favorite job was on that mountain. I walked a couple miles to the highway everyday just to catch the ski bus that picked up employees. Fractured my first bone there. Skipped class on numerous occasions. And it’s crazy it’s not only me that has this connection, numerous of tribal members have made Ski Apache part of their careers. Connection to White Mountain is rooted to Mescalero people, and that is not going to change. White Mountain will always be a part of me. I’m so glad that I’m back on the skiing track and I hope it’s something I can continue to improve on. Long term goal is to get good and make my own video edits and share with others my skiing adventures.

Stay tuned.