Culture Shifters was designed to empower influential BIPOC leaders and grow awareness that BIPOC individuals not only belong in snowboarding, but are actively shaping its future. By creating space for shared experiences on the mountain, the program sought to build community, amplify underrepresented perspectives, and shift mainstream narratives around who snowboarding is for.
A key goal: bring in new, racially diverse participants and expand representation from intersectional identities across gender, especially Black femmes, gender nonconforming, and Indigenous riders, resulting in 65% new attendees year-over-year. We crafted an experience to welcome riders of all levels - from first-timers to professionals.
Culture Shifters moved the snowboarding industry toward greater equity by fostering direct connection between industry leaders and BIPOC communities. Through partnerships, in-person engagement, storytelling moments, fireside chats - progressive conversations celebrating the BIPOC snowboarding community, pro-riders and nonprofit accomplishments - and participant-led awards, the initiative encouraged brands to reflect on and address systemic barriers. There was a clear opportunity to grow the visibility and long-term impact of nonprofit partners beyond financial contributions.
Cultural and creative inclusion was another critical pillar. By commissioning Black artists and working with creators like Wild Gina (@wildgina) and Zeb Powell (@zebpowell), we ensured stories were told authentically and shared across platforms with high BIPOC engagement. Marketing focused on expanding familiarity with Culture Shifters, elevating its identity as both a cultural moment and a movement for change.
Key objectives were representation, relationship-building, and driving a more inclusive snowboarding future through community-led, industry-supported action.
Envisioned by ESPN commentator, producer, and activist, Selema Masekela, and professional snowboarder Zeb Powell and powered by Burton Snowboards, Culture Shifters brings together BIPOC change-makers to build a snowboarding community that reflects the future of the sport—diverse, inclusive, and empowering. The program was created through a multi-layered strategy rooted in community leadership, industry allyship, and cultural visibility. We began by refining the program’s core goals: empower BIPOC riders, expand representation across race, gender, and experience, and challenge the snowboarding industry to address systemic barriers. An Advisory Panel, including Selema, Zeb, and brand partners Red Bull, Yeti, Ikon Pass, Aspen, Snowmass Tourism, Proximo Spirits, and Open Beer, guided planning, ensuring the program remained community-led and values-aligned. Many Burton Philanthropy nonprofit partners including Omar Diaz and Brian Paupaw were also engaged to support equitable access in the outdoors.
Execution focused on experience design, storytelling, and strategic amplification, organizing an intimate, multi-day, mountain gathering with 152 participants, 65% of whom were new to the program. We brought together a wide range of riders, from first-timers to pros, and increased nonprofit and contractor involvement to deepen representation and participation. Zeb’s thoughtfully designed park and on-snow lounges created a welcoming space for riders of all levels to connect.
We collaborated with BIPOC creatives Wild Gina (@wildgina), Malik Diamond (@malikdiamond), Quannah Rose (@quannah.rose), and James Charles (@Willan2Shred), to produce compelling content. Distribution focused on reaching audiences via platforms with high BIPOC engagement. Red Bull added significant momentum, with branding and mentions integrated across more than 100 in-feed and story posts. The event culminated in Red Bull Turn It Up, a celebratory, branded moment that gave the experience a vibrant, unifying close.
Performance metrics affirmed impact. Culture Shifters content earned over 614,000 video views, 962,000 impressions, and a 95% year-over-year increase in comment engagement. Zeb’s personal content alone saw a 241% rise in impressions. The Burton blog post drew over 5,000 views—ten times the projection—while the My Turn episode views continue.
We certainly had challenges. Getting other brands to be brave and bold with us, especially as anti-DEI rhetoric has recently increased, was tough. Another tension was scale: how do we grow visibility while preserving the intimacy that defines Culture Shifters? We solved this by an intentionally curated guestlist, expanding nonprofit invitations, and hosting a pre-event planning session with partners to co-design the experience.
Another challenge was ensuring broad representation. While Black male visibility remains vital, we focused on increasing the presence of Black femmes, gender nonconforming individuals, and Indigenous voices—on the slopes, in leadership, and behind the camera. This is a work in progress, but feedback from the Advisory Panel and intentional creative partnerships helped us move forward.
Culture Shifters is unique because of our commitment to building a new cultural paradigm—not fitting BIPOC riders into an old one. From storytelling, terrain design to brand integration and community governance, this program models what it means to lead with purpose, celebrate joy, and center those historically left out of the industry’s narrative.
Culture Shifters surpassed expectations, generating over 614,000 video views, 52,209 total engagements, and nearly 1 million impressions—driven by strong content, thoughtful targeting, and strategic partner amplification. Our goal was to grow awareness that BIPOC individuals are a vital part of the snowboarding community, while building industry accountability and representation.
We brought in 65% new attendees and featured a wide range of riders, from first-timers to pros, alongside increased visibility of femmes, gender nonconforming people, and Indigenous voices. Through a community-led approach, we engaged a new Advisory Panel and deepened relationships with advocacy organizations, expanding the presence of nonprofits and BIPOC contractors.
Our efforts sparked meaningful dialogue, with a 95% increase in comment engagement year-over-year. Partners like Red Bull played a key role in elevating visibility through over 100 tagged in-feed and story posts, with owned moments such as Red Bull Turn It Up providing celebratory, branded experiences on the mountain.
Notably, impressions from creator-partners like Zeb Powell rose by over 240%, and thoughtful inclusion of Black creatives, including Wild Gina, ensured the storytelling remained authentic and resonant with our audience.
We consider Culture Shifters a success because it not only exceeded KPIs across digital and social platforms, but created space for BIPOC leaders to be seen, heard, and celebrated. The initiative is now ongoing. Through community-driven programming and standing sideways in solidarity, we continue to build momentum toward a more inclusive future for snowboarding.
