A New Winter – Sofía Jaramillo

Heidi: What are your hopes for this body of work?
Sofia: This is an ongoing project. I hope to make a book eventually!
This project has two main goals:

• To encourage conversations about diversity and inclusion in winter sports
• To create representation for people of color in winter sports culture.

I plan to showcase this work at various museums and galleries, particularly in the Mountain West, to promote dialogue about the evolving culture of winter sports and explore ways to make it more welcoming for everyone.

How did this project come about?
This project began years ago when I walked through the Sun Valley Lodge. Sun Valley is the first ski destination resort in the U.S., meaning it has some of the earliest marketing images of destination skiing in the country. These were the first images to define what ski culture would be like in the United States. Many of these photographs are displayed in the lodge, particularly in an iconic hallway lined with hundreds of images.

While I was there, I noticed that out of the hundreds of images on the walls, only one featured a person of color. This stark observation made me reflect on the correlation between the representation of individuals in those historic images and what we see, on average, at ski slopes today. For those who don’t ski or haven’t spent much time on ski hills in the U.S., according to the Snow Sports Industry of America’s 2022-2023 annual report, only 13% of all skiers were Hispanic, 9% were Black, and 8% were Asian, making skiing one of the least diverse sports.
When I saw those images, I thought, “How does this relate to who we see skiing today, and how exciting would it be to remake and reimagine ski history in a more inclusive way?” As a young Latina who grew up in Sun Valley, this project reflects my personal journey with identity and my desire to see a future in winter sports culture where everyone feels they belong.

How did you decide on the casting?
The first year of casting, I called up all my friends to see who might want to support and be part of my crazy idea. I am lucky that some of my good friends are also great models and we got a really great group together for the first year this way. I invited everyone out to Sun Valley and we shot for 3 days.
The second year was way different. We started planning casting a lot further in advance and we worked with a dedicated Casting Director. Terumi Alana Murao, who is also our stylist, stepped it up and offered to do the casting as well. Turns out Terumi is just as talented at styling as she is casting and we were able to lock in some incredible models!

We are specifically seeking athletes and models who are not only outstanding in their fields but also share our project’s mission of representation and inclusion in outdoor sports. Many of the models we have chosen are involved in either operating or volunteering with nonprofits and organizations that promote participation in outdoor sports among people of color. Quannah ChasingHorse and her family started Native Youth Outdoors, which provides access to the slopes for Native Youth in Alaska. Juju Milay started Colour the Trails, a nation wide organization in Canada that helps get folks of color outdoors in many different sports.

How did you decide on which images to reimagine?
I spent about a year researching images and looked at different sources from library archives and books, to online archives.

My main source was actually the Wood River Historical Museum in Sun Valley. I spent hours going through old slides with an archivist looking at images and browsing their online archive. The historic images absolutely fascinate me! Many of the images that caught my eye were shot by Union Pacific Railroad photographers. The railroad started Sun Valley Resort and had their own photographers. Beyond those photos, I was drawn to the works of other photographers like Slim Aarons, George Silk and Ray Atkeson for their minimalistic style and ability to showcase the pure joy and pleasure of ski culture.

Historically, Black and Brown bodies have rarely been depicted in moments of joy, pleasure, and strength in photography. Instead, the images that dominate history often reflect narratives rooted in struggle or oppression. This absence speaks volumes and it’s one I seek to challenge with my work. In this photo series, I juxtapose Black and Brown bodies with spaces and scenes they have not traditionally been depicted in, such as the world of skiing and luxury. Slim Aarons’ work, for instance, often celebrated exclusivity and affluence, aligning closely with the early imagery of skiing in the U.S. By placing BIPOC+ individuals in these contexts—where their presence has historically been erased or marginalized—I want to reimagine these spaces and expand our understanding of who belongs in them.

How can people support the project?
If brands or agencies would like to support this project, they can either hire me for similar concepts or donate vintage clothing for the shoots. Anyone can contribute directly to the project by donating to the Sun Valley Museum of Art and specifying that the donation is for “A New Winter”. Supporters can also purchase fine art pieces through Ochi Gallery, where we offer a variety of sizes and price points. If you know a book publisher who might be interested, please connect me with them. Additionally, I am available to speak at your event! I have a 20-minute keynote presentation on the history of skiing and this project.

Can you share a little bit about the process from the first photo to creating the last photo?
This was quite a journey for us. In the first year, our goal was to prove we could even just make this happen with a dedicated team of eight people. We learned a lot, starting with five scenes that were all single portraits.

By the second year, we shot eight scenes, including three group shots. We went from having a small crew the first year to having over 30 people on set on year two for some of the scenes. During the second year we were way more set up because I had built community connections in Sun Valley like private supporters and the Sun Valley Resort that was a huge supporter of this project. They ran lifts for us even after they were closed, helped us dig snow pits and gave us lift access. One of the most unexpected parts of this project, was how much the community in Sun Valley showed up to support it and make it happen. I plan to continue it in the snow sports realm and beyond, and I’m excited to see how it evolves after being showcased at the museum and gallery this winter.

We sat together at Center in Santa Fe for The Democratic Lens: Photography and Civic Engagement lecture. What kind of framing did that provide?
Yes! Getting to hear that talk was such a treat. I remember it being very informative and was so grateful that you invited me. The talk was about how photography informs who belongs and the different ways photographs currently and previously influence citizenship and who is deemed worthy of it. The talk had a significant impact on this project because it helped me realize the true purpose of my work: to question how images inform and influence notions of belonging. How do images, especially in a historical context, inform and influence who belongs? How do historical images perpetuate stereotypes?