SISU and Protecting Winter - 247

The SISU cross country ski festival was held on the 6th and 7th of January and was a great success. I know this firsthand because I interacted with many of the 800 racers and their families. SISU is a well-oiled machine after 15 years of putting on this premier race. Racers had nothing but wonderful things to say about the professional grooming, great organization, and first-class amenities.

It was rewarding for me too. The SISU board invited “Protect Our Winters” to participate so I and some of my climate committed friends manned a booth in the Memorial Building and talked skiing and snow with the racers.

Protect Our Winters is committed to ending the warming of the climate by fossil fuels. Their Mission is to help passionate outdoor people protect the places we live and lifestyles we love from climate change. They are a community of athletes, scientists, creatives, and business leaders advancing non-partisan policies that protect our world today and for future generations.

You do not have to be a passionate outdoor person to “warm” to POW. You may work for a ski area. You might be a local business owner. You may be a homeowner. We all are directly affected by winter. The fact is, green is not the color of money here. It is white. Snowmobilers, downhill skiers, cross country skiers, snowshoers, and people who love winter flock to enjoy our winter landscapes. They contribute millions to our economy. The value of our land, businesses and homes is, in large part, a function of snow. You do not have to be a winter lover to figure this out.

While we may, in the short term, receive more snow due to climate change there is a limit. If we do not act with passion to end fossil fuel pollution (It will take a couple decades), many winter days will be warmer than 32 F. Then we will only have a wet soggy landscape and a long mud season. If temperatures stay below 32F the economic viability of our area will be protected.

Our winter sports businesses are not the only ones threatened by climate negligence. The great ski resorts in the French, Austrian, Italian and German Alps are all scrambling up the mountains to find colder temperatures. This winter has been awful for the ski businesses in Europe. Even with manmade snow, the snow on many ski runs has melted.

Last spring Teri and I were invited by friends to visit them at the skiing mecca of Garmisch in Bavaria. It was renowned for some of the best ski runs and ski trails on the planet.  It is a skier’s nirvana with ski lifts, gondolas, and interconnecting trains. You can, or I should say could, ski different runs and trails for weeks without having to use a car.

This Tuesday the world cup ski officials in Garmisch cancelled two of the World Cup downhill races scheduled for January 28th and 29th. This is almost beyond imagination. If you have examined pictures of ski hills worldwide it is not unusual to see white ribbons of snow surrounded by green vegetation. Ski resorts spend thousands of dollars on artificial snow and much more to ensure a World Cup race is not cancelled.

Our friends in Garmisch are passionate outdoor people who love all four seasons. They are upset but not surprised. They had been following science and knew this was a possibility but did not think winter would leave the Alps in their lifetime.

Human nature is reflected well by Joni Mitchel when she sang, “you don't know what you have till it's gone.” (Big Yellow Taxi)

 The white money fueling the economies in the Alps is melting away fast. Let’s not be forced to realize what we have now, later, when it is gone. We have a special place and a special climate. Join the climate fight.

Recommendations:

Join as a volunteer to help at the SISU ski festival.

Search Protect Our Winters and consider joining.

Search Citizens Climate Lobby and consider joining.

Ref: “Europe’s snowless ski resorts preview winter in a warming world.” Jan 12, 2023 Washington Post.

Ref: “In the Alps, ski resorts are desperately battling climate change and local resistance.” Dec 2020 National Geographic

Lastly, a shout-out to the SISU team for demonstrating what Sisu is all about.

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