The National Brotherhood of Skiers (NBS) is a nonprofit focused on organizing and supporting African American skiers. The NBS comprises dozens of predominantly-black ski clubs in the United States.
History
The NBS was founded by Art Clay and Ben Finley after being introduced to each other by a mutual friend in 1972. The first NBS event was a summit of members of the 13 founding associated clubs in 1973, which became an annual event. That first summit, held at Aspen, is the first known organized gathering of black skiers.
The organization was chartered in 1974 and incorporated in 1975. It is a member of the National Ski Council Federation, an organization formed in 1999 and composed of the largest ski clubs (and groups of ski clubs) in the United States. It was initially planned for late March, but was postponed to December of the same year due to COVID-19. Members of NBS had twice previously submitted Clay and Finley to be inducted, both of which were unsuccessful.
Summits and events
The NBS had its first summit at Aspen in 1973 with 350 participants from 13 clubs. Before the summit, the Colorado National Guard was put on alert and remained on standby during the events.
The summits are held annually, usually lasting about a week, and the location changes from one year to the next.
The Boston Ski Party, an affiliated club, hosts multiple annual events including "YouthFest", which brings 140 children to a local ski mountain to introduce them to snowsports.
Membership
Rather than joining directly, prospective participants in events are required to be a part of a local ski organization affiliated with the NBS.