Winter Sports Enthusiasts Call for Action on Climate Change

People who love winter sports like skiing and snowboarding know there’s something special about being out in the cold.

“We find things in deep winter or at high altitude elevations that we don’t find anywhere else, that speak very directly to our connection to nature and to the human soul, really,” says Mario Molina, executive director of the nonprofit Protect Our Winters.

He says people who enjoy winter sports want to preserve this experience for future generations.

“They want to pass those sports on to their kids and their grandkids,” Molina says.

But global warming is causing warmer winters and more precipitation to fall as rain instead of snow. That puts winter sports at risk.

So the Protect Our Winters campaign mobilizes outdoor enthusiasts to take action.

“We turn passionate outdoor enthusiasts into effective climate advocates,” Molina says.

For example, one campaign encourages athletes to speak out against fossil fuel extraction on public lands. Another asks winter sports lovers to contact their elected officials in support of clean energy.

So Protect Our Winters encourages everyone from casual skiers to big-mountain snowboarders to get involved, join together, and demand climate action.