If you, like me, have been watching the various snow stake cameras throughout Colorado over the past few days, you may have noticed that Winter Park’s snow stake is a bit different than past years. What used to be a simple ruler with numbers, lines, and a big Winter Park logo in the back, is now its own intricate piece of art.
The snow stake isn’t just a cool piece of art meant to hype us up for big snowfalls, though. Instead, it will act as one of many pieces of art and signage that developed and indigenous presences around the mountain, created in partnership with Natives Outdoors.
The instillation, titled “There Is Snow On The Ground”, or Heniiniini’ in the Arapaho language, encourages guests to consider their relationship with the mountains, land, snow, and ecosystem as they take advantage of what the resort has to offer.
There Is Snow On The Ground will be made through four major changes around the mountain. Two of those changes, one being the new snow stake, are already in place. The other is the heniiniini’ art installation, created by Indigenous artists Jordan Craig and Vernan Kee, at the top of the Gondola. It features the outlines of Longs Peak, Mount Blue Sky, Byers Peak, and Parry Peak, a winding river, and the word “heniiniini'”.
The snow stake features the same four mountain peaks and a similar winding river. In the future, the trail signs in the mountain’s Eagle Wind territory will be updated to feature patterns created by Jordan Craig and a translation into the Arapaho language.
Finally the mountains several historical markers will be altered to feature Jordan Craig’s designs, mountain outlines, and Winter Park’s land acknowledgement statement.
You can find the mountain’s snow stake cam on their YouTube or website, and can read more about There Is Snow On The Ground here.
Related: The New Trail Maps Of The 2023-24 Season
Image Credit: Winter Park Resort via YouTube