Join us for
Episode 10 of our Snowbowl series as we speak with Community Journalist, author, and Professor
Kyle Boggs. In this conversation, we dive into Kyle's new book "Recreational Colonialism" as it relates to the peaks.
Recreational Colonialism and the Rhetorical Landscapes of the Outdoors argues that outdoor recreation is not politically neutral but can reinforce ongoing settler colonialism by normalizing non-Indigenous claims to and uses of lands that hold deep cultural, religious, and historical significance for Indigenous peoples. Drawing on examples such as skiing, climbing, ultrarunning, and bikepacking, especially focusing on the conflict over Arizona Snowbowl on the sacred San Francisco Peaks, Kyle Boggs examines how recreation, language, and public-land narratives shape who is seen as belonging on the landscape and whose relationships to place are marginalized. Rather than calling for an end to outdoor recreation, the book challenges readers to critically examine their own participation in these systems and to support Indigenous sovereignty and more ethical relationships with land.
Check out his website at
kyleboggs.com