The fastest skier in American history is not from the resorts hugging the shores of Lake Tahoe or the steeps of Jackson Hole, but right here in Durango. And now, that hometown hero will be celebrated for his impressive feats.
Ross Anderson grew up in Durango, learned to ski at Purgatory, holds the record as the fastest skier in American history and has advocated for Indigenous representation in the sport. On Sunday, Durango Mayor Gilda Yazzie will issue an official proclamation declaring April 19, 2026, as Ross Anderson Day. A special event marking the occasion will begin at 9:45 a.m. in Rotary Park. Anderson will be there.
If you go
Ross Anderson Day will kick off at 9:45 a.m. Sunday at Rotary Park, with opening remarks made by Juanita Anderson. At 10 a.m., a performance by Southern Ute Indian Tribe dancers will take place, followed by remarks from Mayor Gilda Yazzie at 10:45 a.m. and a raffle at 11 a.m.
Anderson has many accolades, notable among them being his induction into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Hall of Fame in 2024 and the National Native American Hall of Fame in 2025. He was induced alongside the likes of ski racer Lindsey Vonn and former Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, respectively.
“I’m very excited about this, and overwhelmed sometimes,” he said.
Anderson made his name in speed skiing – a discipline in which athletes wear specialized aerodynamic equipment and ski straight down a long, steep slope to go as fast as the laws of physics allow. But before that, he was a small-town kid who liked skiing at his local hill.
He was born in New Mexico before moving to Durango as a young child, where he soon began ski racing at Purgatory at age 6. He excelled at the sport, becoming formidable in the disciplines of slalom and giant slalom.
But, when a friend told Anderson about speed skiing as a young adult, something about the sport called to him. A speed skiing track used to be in Silverton, and Anderson began dreaming of participating in the sport himself. So, in 1993, he moved to California.
Anderson is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma and is part Chiricahua and Mescalero Apache. When he made it to California, he began asserting himself in a largely white-dominated sport.
“I went from Denver to Tahoe Donner overnight,” he said. “I literally had only 400 bucks to my name, but I told myself, ‘Well, I might as well do this.’ The reason for that is because there was nobody of color in the world of skiing – world cup or professional. That was one of my things that I really wanted to change.”
In California, he quickly made a name for himself as a competitive speed skier. He traveled all over the U.S. and Europe. In 1997, Anderson set a record as the fastest Native American on Earth, and he finished second in the World Pro Speed Skiing Championships in Les Arcs, France, in 2001.
In 2006, he set the American all-time record when he reached a blazing 154.6 mph on skis in Les Arcs, France. For context, that is 30 mph faster than a skydiver traveling at a terminal velocity of 120 mph (belly-to-earth).
“You’re so focused,” Anderson said. “The pressure was so intense, it’s just ripping you apart when going that fast. It’s just pure aerodynamics, nothing’s pushing us. We’re just going with gravity, and that’s it. The only real thing that protects us is the helmet.”
He said the sport, while exhilarating, was also dangerous. He recalled one instance in which he fell while traveling 131 mph.
“I wrecked at 131 and had third-degree burns on the side of my leg,” Anderson said. “My speed suit melted into my skin, and they had to use tweezers to get it out.”
Even with that close call, he said he begged the doctor to release him so he could race the next day.
“When you get bucked off the horse, you’re either going to go walk away or going to get back on it and continue,” he said.
Anderson said he struggled with discrimination from some white skiers, many of whom were fellow Americans.
“There was a point where I was told I was never going to be fast, that I should just quit,” he said. “(I was told) I didn’t look like the skier type. I got all that, but I had to overcome it. But you have to overcome everything. There’s definitely not a yellow brick road that you’ve got to walk on.”
He said he ended up overcoming that stigma. What helped was how welcoming Europeans were to him, even if some of his fellow Americans were not.
“I looked forward to being in Europe and with other countries’ ski teams,” he said. “You learn diversity, you learn unity. It wasn’t about jealousy. It wasn’t about how different you look.”
In 2010, Anderson retired from the sport, but he knew he wanted to get more Native kids into skiing. From early in his career, he led Native youth ski programs focused not only on teaching skiing and snowboarding, but also to appreciate the environment around them. That way, he said, kids like him can also follow their dreams.
Most recently, Anderson and his wife, Juanita, have been working to kickstart the Star 154 Foundation, a nonprofit that will help make skiing and snowboarding more accessible to Indigenous youth.
“You go with your dreams when it comes to skiing,” he said. “I really want to make this foundation very successful. We’re going to be working hard to see what we can do to make other youths’ dreams come true.”
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
