If nothing else, snowboarding’s problem with race has been highlighted in recent days by the volume of white fragility on display – butt hurt white dudes explaining that because they haven’t personally experienced racism, it’s not a problem, all the while conveniently ignoring BAME voices sharing their own experiences. The howl of denial that cries not only there isn’t a problem, but how dare you bring it up in my space.

“Racism doesn’t exist” really means “I have the privilege of not being impacted by racism.”

It’s also demonstrated by brands keen to distance themselves from athletes exposing racist ideologies, but unwilling to address the underlying problems in a way other than posting a black square on their Instagram.

The European and American economies our sport exists because of are built off the back of empire and slavery, and those privileged enough to take part today probably are able to do so due to the class structures that have continued long after those institutions disappeared. Race is a class issue, one removed from science, well explained by many but best relayed to this author via Akala’s brilliant Race and Class In The Ruins of Empire. These structures are not our individual faults, but will become so if we continue to do nothing to abolish them.

This is what is meant by white privilege, not the idea that white people don’t work hard. In fact, snowboarding serves as a good metaphor for privilege: no one is suggesting that riding Alaskan spine lines is easy, or that you don’t have to work hard to acquire the skills to do so. The privilege is arguing that you being able to spend time, money and resources in pursuit of those skills – and feeling comfortable in the spaces you inhabit along the journey – were not advantages gifted to you by social structures that benefit your race and class.

Scratch that. That’s not a metaphor, it’s a case study.

By extension, the argument that we should not talk about race issues (or gender, sexuality, mental health, environmentalism, politics etc etc) negatively affecting snowboarding is patently ridiculous.

“Shutting down discussions on race or denying there is a problem – whether it be in comment threads, company decisions or editorial direction – makes snowboarding a safe space for racism”

Saying you don’t want to talk about race is a privilege. Shutting down discussions on race or denying there is a problem – whether it be in comment threads, company decisions or editorial direction – makes snowboarding a safe space for racism.

I honestly hope that the current comments and actions/inactions we are seeing are from a vocal minority, just like those vox pop clips of lunatics arguing that their grandparents fought in the war to stop us having to use kilometers instead of miles, or the ones who line up to ‘protect’ Churchill’s statue by throwing Nazi salutes cannot possibly be speaking for the British public.

If I’m wrong, then snowboarding is headed down the path of bowls or croquet, doomed to become a space free from self analysis or critical thought. A space void of progress, one that simply exists to make us feel safe.