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It’s September. You know what that means? Winter is not too far around the corner. And I can’t wait. It is my favorite time of year. A lot of people might think of winter in terms of hours spent shoveling driveways, but for me, a northern Michigan native, winter means pond hockey, skiing, hot chocolate and just watching the snow fall. But our winters are changing. Temperatures are rising and winters are getting shorter. And people who rely on Jack Frost’s gifts for their livelihoods and recreation are noticing the change.
Climate change and what it will mean for ski season, I’ve found, is a popular topic for skiers on long chairlift rides. But it’s not just the day skiers and locals who discuss climate change and its impact on our slopes. An increasing number of professional skiers and snowboarders are working to light a fire under the winter sports and mountain community to take action on climate change.
Later this month, the innovative Sherpas Cinema team will release their new film All.I.Can. It’s an inspirational ski movie that they hope will empower people to take action on climate change. The movie opens with a grand view of the dangers we face, features some incredible displays of skiing, and closes with an inspirational call to reduce our carbon pollution.
Ski films are not the only avenues of action the winter sports community is taking. Protect Our Winters, an organization founded by professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones, is working to unite the winter sports community behind the fight to limit the impact of climate change on our communities and our outdoor recreation. They, like so many others, understand it’s time for us to do our part to protect our environment and the activities that depend on it.
These talented athletes, like Jeremy Jones, are on the front lines of climate change; they understand that dwindling Alpine glaciers and erratic snowfall patterns are a reality we cannot ignore. Watching these skiers inspires me not only to ski steeper lines, but more importantly to “go big” on climate action. They, and the thought of shorter winters motivate me. But we want to hear your stories. Who or what motivates you to take action on climate change?
Bill Reiswig
September 12th
I will be interested to see the message in the All.I.Can Movie. As a long time skiier and climate activist, I’ve felt guilty at times about the footprint of some aspects of skiing. I love it, but at the same time, the focus on gear, consumption, travel, and a sport that relies on massive energy consumption in the SUVs that transport people, the heated lodges and hot-tubs, and lifts is an ironic activity in an era where we are heating the planet and possibly threatening the very climate that produces the snow.
Jill Drury
September 14th
Recently saw the premier of The Art of Flight. It is a beautiful snowboarding movie that captured the splendor, athleticism, camaraderie & art of snowboarding. It became readily apparent that even the extremist of locations no longer guarantee breath taking snow-capped mountains.
David Rawlin
September 15th
Here in England our winters have been getting worse! Last years was the deepest snow i’ve ever seen here and this winters predicted to be just as bad. maybe we humans are not to blame but just maybe it could be the Sun? Lack of Sunspots ? Just don’t buy this Co2 lark. global temperature as been dropping for last 10 years ! Dave.
paradigm shift
September 15th
it isn’t rocket science.
rapidly fluctuating temps are a hallmark and key indicator of how man is screwing things up.
particularly in london jet stream is now missing you more and more..
if you study environmental analysis, the same pattern causing widespread starvation i.e. rains not coming, is going to lead to britain being colder and colder and not temperate in winters…jet stream pre humans acted like warm water conveyor belt. it is disappearing due to man. jet stream affects fish migrations, global temps.
I studied this in school and wrote papers. lack of freshwater is another biggie we are NOT coming to grips with in the US.
if you live in Texas right now then you must be living in a hole.
all of human civilization is where it is based on proximity to water, not good in climate change era, as well as moderate temps based on jet stream.
dave, wake up and see the light.. don’t say you just don’t ‘believe’ in something. it is science. it is facts. it isn’t faux news opinions masquerading as facts.
Jeff
September 18th
Give me some good old-fashioned warming will save me two cords of wood. I got a few snow flakes in Colorado already, need to put some gas in the chain saw. The poor trees are having a hard time breathing with so little CO2.
David Rawlin
September 20th
It’s easy to say this is science but science is only fact until it’s proven wrong. it’s theory nothing more. why measure ice sheets in the middle off summer an cry it’s melting! You don’t say! There’s an iceage on the horizon and time will prove this. Dave.
David Rawlin
September 20th
This is in response to a previous comment about the jet stream. The jet stream changes and moves due to the Earth’s rotation and Solar radiation, not Co2 . Right now Solar radiation is very weak due to very few Sunspots causing the jet stream to move south and in turn causing the northern and southern hemisphere’s to cool resulting in extreme weather. Dave.