Protect Our Winters (POW) and U.S. Ski & Snowboard have collaborated with Kappa on a snazzy race suit for their athletes that brings attention to climate change.
“The Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team will wear the suit in front of the world during the 2023 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in Meribel-Courchevel, France Feb. 6-19, 2023.”
The suits are designed to elevate climate change as a priority for snowsports enthusiasts across the globe.
2022-2023 has been a glaring example of how warming temps are wreaking havoc on professional ski races.
“Climate change is an existential threat to the future of skiing.
In the 2022-23 winter alone, teams around the world have seen the devastating effects of a warming climate with canceled races due to lack of snow, tracks made entirely of machine-made snow and athletes racing in 50-degree temperatures in the middle of winter.
A warming winter is one of the biggest threats as athletes and fans look at the future of snowsports.”
Protect our Winters is a non-profit focused on promoting non-partisan policy to slow climate change.
They’ve made huge strides here in the US, and this partnership extends their reach to the masses.
POW Executive Director Mario Molina said this about the partnership:
“POW and U.S. Ski & Snowboard are aligned on the urgency of uniting the snowsports industry and community on meaningful advocacy on climate,”
“This World Championships suit designed by Kappa makes a statement that athletes, brands and winter enthusiasts worldwide can get behind. By coming together, we can educate and mobilize our snowsports community to push for the clean energy technologies and policies that will most swiftly reduce emissions and protect the places we live and the lifestyles we love.”
American ski racer Travis Ganong is the spokesperson for the collaboration.
He had this to say about the suits:
“As a POW Alliance member for the last few years, it’s really cool to partner with the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team through POW to wear these Kappa speed suits for the 2023 FIS World Championships,”
“These will help bring awareness to climate change and melting glaciers and shrinking snowpacks around the globe and how that affects our sport directly. We’ve had so many canceled races this year so it’s definitely happening in real time as we speak.”