There’s a travel community dedicated to improving diversity on the slopes: Mount Noire. Its founders are five Black British women from London: Wenona Barnieh (31), a doctor; Tobi Adegboye (31), who works in HR; Simisola Oke (29), a doctor; Blessing Ekairia (30), a management consultant; and Adeola Omotade (30), also a doctor.

“Our company encourages Black and ethnic minorities to ski and snowboard through promoting bold imagery on our social media. We plan and host group ski trips in Europe,” said Wenona. “We also consult on IDE marketing to help brands increase the representation of Black and minority individuals on the slopes.”

How it All Started

The five ladies attended the same university, where most of them were introduced to skiing through their college ski club. Like most of us, it was not a sport they were exposed to as children, however hearing their friends talk about the fun they’d had skiing and snowboarding, they decided to try it out.

“At the time, we could not understand the concept of opting to go on a winter holiday. However, in 2019, we planned a girls’ trip to Chamonix; it was the first time we skied as a group. This was the best trip, full of laughter and memories. “

One of the most memorable aspects of the trip was the attention the friends received on the slopes being a group of Black girls. They had people approach them inquiring about how they started skiing and several people also asked to take pictures with them.

“After the ski trip, we had a positive reception to posting our holiday photos on Instagram. We had so many of our friends asking questions and asking to go with us on our next trip. We all enjoyed the sport after our first individual trips, however, after skiing as a group of like-minded people, we all fell in love with it.”

Skiing