Snowboarder Jeremy Jones Leads Fight to Protect Winters

Quick Summary

• Jeremy Jones, a big-mountain snowboarding pioneer, transitioned from helicopter-assisted snowboarding to splitboarding for environmental reasons.
• Jones founded Protect our Winters (POW) in 2007 to promote climate change solutions within the snow sports world.
• POW includes elite athletes like Jessie Diggins, Jim Morrison, and Tommy Caldwell under its advocacy umbrella called the “Outdoor State,” representing millions of outdoor enthusiasts across political lines.
• The group engages in lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill, organizing campaigns like “Stoke the Vote” featuring film screenings and panel discussions with scientists.
• POW highlights climate change’s economic impact on U.S. ski resorts-shorter seasons and reduced revenue-while advocating legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 through appeals to local job preservation.
• Climate-related challenges such as shortened ski seasons are contributing to overcrowding on backcountry trails and risky avalanche conditions.

indian Opinion Analysis

Protect Our Winters (POW) taps into a unique coalition combining athletic influence with grassroots action against climate change. Its strategy aligns well with attempts worldwide to personalize environmental issues beyond partisan divisions by emphasizing shared economic stakes. India-a country heavily reliant on enduring tourism in regions such as Himachal Pradesh or Kashmir-may draw valuable lessons from POW’s model. Economic vulnerabilities tied directly to changing weather patterns highlight how adaptation may require both policy shifts and community-level engagement.

Moreover, engaging public figures who are relatable yet non-political serves dual purposes: credibility-building while centering efforts around widely respected cultural symbols. Indian policymakers could examine similar outreach strategies for tourism-dependent sectors affected by climate impacts like declining snowfall or biodiversity loss in mountainous regions.

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