Selema Masekela, a television host, sports commentator and snowboarder, has partnered with Black, Indigenous and people of color artist Chase Hall on a limited-edition snowboard for Burton. The Family Tree (all mountain) board was designed by Masekela with graphics by Hall and is intended to honor the connection between art, sport and the Black, Indigenous and people of color community.
Masekela, who sits on Burton’s board of directors, is also a passionate surfer and sought to design a surf-inspired snowboard that was versatile enough for all conditions and riders. Once he decided on the design, he approached Hall, who has become known for his depictions of Black people in unfamiliar spaces, to create the graphic.
Hall drew his inspiration from a series of paintings he did in 2021 titled “Portrait of a Cowboy,” which references Black cowboys and American history. They named the board Alekesam, which is Masekela spelled backward, and it will drop on Tuesday, in advance of the fourth annual Culture Shifters event, slated for April 8 to 11 in Aspen.
Culture Shifters was created by Masekela and pro snowboarder Zeb Powell and brings together Black, Indigenous and people of color changemakers to help build a more diverse and inclusive community of riders. The event has grown beyond strictly snowboarders to encompass musicians, athletes, designers, artists, community organizers, nonprofit leaders and advocates, all willing to strap on a snowboard no matter their skill level.
“Culture Shifters for me is one of the ways to grow and expand the landscape of what it looks like to be a snowboarder,” Masekela said. “I want somebody who never thought they’d ever want to snowboard to see the fun we’re having. This is an opportunity for us to share an experience, but to also create content that people normally don’t see of what the mountain lifestyle and snowboarding looks like. Hopefully it makes it appealing for folks to be like, ‘Yeah, I can be that, too.’”
The Alekesam snowboard retails for $799.99 and is available on the Burton e-commerce site.
Selema Masekela with his snowboard.
courtesy