United States. Local club events Many clubs that are affiliated with the National Brotherhood of Skiers host local events with the goal of encouraging black people to become involved in skiing and snowboarding. Most affiliated clubs plan trips and events each season for their members. 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. Scholarships On an annual basis, the NBS awards multiple scholarships to young adults in skiing in snowboarding, many of whom compete nationally or internationally. Each year, the NBS runs a fundraiser for its Olympic Scholarship Fund with the goal of an African American skier or snowboarder competing in the Olympics. Membership Rather than joining directly, prospective participants in events are required to be a part of a local ski organization affiliated with the NBS. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, over 80 clubs were members of the NBS, and the 1993 summit saw 6,000 participants. After that period, which REI describes as the organization's heyday, membership and participation in summits and events began to decline. By 2019, club membership had declined to 53 with that year's summit's participation estimated at about 1,000. However, from the period of about 2014 to 2019 membership levels continuously hovered at around 3,500 people. In terms of demographics, the NBS determined in 2016 that about half of members were over the age of 50. References External links National Brotherhood of Skiers website Skiing organizations