Connor Ryan on Native Knowledge, Nature and our Responsibility to Both.

A proud Lakota and passionate skier and storyteller, Connor Ryan was born and raised at the foot of the Rocky Mountains on Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute Territory. He considers these landscapes among his biggest inspirations and closest relatives. The peaks and trails led him to find deeper relationships with himself and nature while providing a cherished space for reconnecting with Lakota culture. As a professional skier and avid trail runner he uses his athletic endeavors and filmmaking to find common ground and stoke passion for action throughout the outdoor industry. With his voice and praxis Connor has been able to help Native communities be better represented in skiing and the outdoors and guided organizations and brands into needed roles in environmental and social justice. As an Indigenous storyteller grounded in a contemporary community of adventure and advocacy he is able to speak to common threads that bond people to place regardless of their background.

Connor wears a Performance Thin footbed in his ski boots. His award-winning film Spirit of the Peaks is available on YouTube.