Check it out here

The next sixty days are critical in the fight against climate change.  Click HERE to visit the new “60 Days” campaign site.

Press release:

Boulder, CO (Feb. 18th, 2010) Protect Our Winters is proud to announce the launch of the “Sixty Days” campaign and website, www.60daysto.org.

Last fall, the American Clean Energy and Security Act was passed through the U.S. House of Representatives. This landmark legislation is now in danger of being held up in the Senate, and POW is calling on the winter sports community to share their voices with their respective Senators.

“While some see climate change as a scientific phenomenon, when we look at the cost of inaction, it’s serious business,” said POW founder Jeremy Jones. “To us, climate change is a threat to our local economies, our jobs and the vitality of our unique mountain communities that draw millions of tourists each year who shop in our stores, ride our lifts, eat in our restaurants and support thousands of other small businesses.”

For example, snow-based recreation in the United States was recently estimated to contribute an estimated $66 billion to the US economy and support approximately 566,000 jobs. (OIF, 2006).

A vote needs to take place within the next sixty days, or the process runs a serious risk of stalling, with the result of losing the ground gained, and producing a very different future for winter around the world.

The “Sixty Days” website offers an overview of the issues at stake, shows the current voting position of each Senator, and gives users an easy way to send an e-letter telling Senators why passing strong climate legislation is crucial to the economic and cultural well being of mountain communities. The campaign is also being supported by an op-ed piece written by Jones and delivered to mountain community newspapers across the US.

The campaign was inspired by a January visit to Capitol Hill by Jones and a snow sports coalition to screen “Generations”, a short film about climate change and its effect on those who depend on winter for their livelihoods. After meeting with an overwhelmingly positive response to the film, and finding out that many Senators are still undecided, Jones recognized the unique and powerful voice the snow sports community could have in tipping this important legislation toward passing in the Senate.

“Winter fuels our passions, but also fuels the lives of thousands of individuals who depend on annual tourism and recreation for their livelihoods,” said Jones. “It’s important that we come together as skiers, snowboarders, and winter enthusiasts to let the Senators know in these mountain regions that we support strong climate legislation and the move towards a new, clean energy economy.” www.60daysto.org

An opinion piece written by Jeremy ran in the Summit (CO) Daily News today. Check it out HERE.

Thanks to both Nikita and Spark R&D who made contributions to Protect Our Winters at last month’s SIA show.  Both of these partners are taking a leadership role in sustainability, both from a product development and a business perspective.  We appreciate the generous contributions.

Thank you to Vans and Tactics Boardshop for their generous support of Protect Our Winters again in 2010!

Vans has been a valued partner of POW since 2008 and launched the POW/Cirro Boot last year made of recycled and sustainable materials.  We just got a peek at the re-designed Fall 2010 boot this past week at SIA and it’s unbelievable.  We’ll post pics as soon as we get them!

Tactics has been with us since 2009 and makes a 1% Contribution to POW each year.  Tactics’ is committed to sustainability and continuously searches for manufacturers who are working to be socially and environmentally responsible, and who will make gear that will last as long as possible.

Boulder, CO (Jan. 29, 2010)—Jeremy Jones, eight-time Big Mountain Snowboarder of the Year visited one of the most world renowned hills in the world, this time without a snowboard. On Wednesday, January 27, Jeremy Jones along with a coalition of winter sport filmmakers and industry representatives shared a new perspective on climate change with lawmakers on Capitol Hill: the economic, social and intangible values of winter.

Jones represented Protect Our Winters (POW), the environmental non-profit he founded in 2007 as a voice for the winter sports community in the climate change discussion. Jones was joined by Chris Steinkamp, Executive Director of POW, Steve Jones, Founder of Teton Gravity Research (TGR), Elysa Hammond, Director of Environmental Stewardship of Clif Bar and Elizabeth Burakowski, PhD student in Earth Science, Complex Systems Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.

The two-day agenda included a screening of Generations, a short film about climate change and winter released this fall by TGR and Protect Our Winters and sponsored by outdoor industry leader, The North Face. Generations discusses climate change through the perspectives of those for whom snowy winters have a deeper personal significance. Featuring former ski resort developer Bill Jenkins, climatologist Elizabeth Burakowski, and some of the world’s most accomplished ski and snowboard athletes, the film humanizes and contextualizes the debate on climate change by exploring the intrinsic value of snow to people across generations and cultures.

In addition to the numerous awards won by Generations on the film festival circuit, the film received hearty congressional applause Tuesday evening among a theater of Congressmen, aides, staff and local environmental leaders, after being introduced by Congressman Jared Polis. Following the screening, Jeremy Jones, Steve Jones, Hammond and Steinkamp hosted a Q&A on their experience with climate change in the field and how winter sports enthusiasts everywhere can be part of the climate change solution.

The coalition met with key lawmakers and staff largely from US mountain states who are also leaders on climate change and in key positions on the hill to influence the direction of this issue. Together, they shared their experiences, illustrating first-hand how climate change has had direct effects on the winter sports culture and the $6 billon winter sports industry. Participants included Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO), Representative Peter Welch (D-VT), Congressman Jay Inslee (D-WA), and senior energy and environment staff for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) and Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). The members and staff that the group met with are all key players in the climate and energy debate, most holding senior positions and even chairmanships on the central committees of influence.

The film showing, combined with one-on-one meetings, provided the Capitol Hill community with a fresh perspective of climate change, through the eyes of those on the front lines.

“When we started production of ‘Generations’ with The North Face over a year ago, the goal was to communicate the climate change we all see every day, to as many people as possible. Being here on Capitol Hill a year later, talking with the individuals who are literally deciding how climate change will effect us for generations is one of the most important things I’ve ever done,” said Jeremy Jones.

“The perspective provided by “Generations,” and the teams in the meetings this week, provided valuable and often overlooked component of the climate change debate in Washington,” explained Congressman Jared Polis, (D-CO). “The ski industry is the lifeblood of my district and climate change is already taking a toll,” said Polis. “These athletes are on the front lines of this crisis, watching snow, ice and communities disappear all over the world. In sharing their story with Congress, they are sharing the stories of many communities who are all desperately watching their way of life disappear with the warming planet. While the loss of skiing isn’t the worst consequence of climate change, these individuals show us how we all stand to be personally affected by this global problem.”

With the support of the Rip Curl Planet Foundation, Protect Our Winters (POW) is proud to announce our latest grantee; Mountain Riders, a non-profit organization located in Chambery, France.  Protect Our Winters makes one grant per month to organizations that are consistent with our mission.

Created in 2000, Mountain Riders raises awareness for environmental issues on the mountain and promotes sustainable development via ten European branches, 600+ members, and 220 days of on-hill events.  Mountain Riders draws 3000+ volunteers to its resort clean up events and reaches over 25,000 skiers and riders annually through their on-snow event presence.

Facilitating significant strides towards resort sustainability, Mountain Riders is a respected source of mountain-inspired environmental awareness, action, and education in Europe.

POW is excited to help fund Mountain Rider’s roster of industry-leading programs, which include on-slope and in-school environmental education, industry environmental conferences, annual slope cleanups, an annual Eco Guide to ski and snowboard gear, a national charter for sustainable development at Mountain Resorts.

“Mountain Riders is one of the most respected grassroots environmental organizations in Europe and their mission is directly in-line with ours”, said Chris Steinkamp, the Executive Director of Protect Our Winters.  “We appreciate the generous support of Rip Curl and are thrilled to be able to support the efforts of Mountain Riders”

“Mountain Riders is solutions-oriented, riders-led, with great communications to make things moving in the mountains.  Rip Curl has been an enthusiastic supporter for a few years now and we’re very happy to link this commitment to POW, which we trust to unite riders and the industry worldwide to preserve our natural environment and a sound climate for all”, said Eric Dargent, Environment Officer at Rip Curl/France.

Eight-time Big Mountain Snowboarder of the Year Jeremy Jones founded POW in 2007 after personally witnessing the impact of climate change on the Alaskan wilderness. Global warming has been linked to shorter ski seasons, rising snow levels, and resorts shutting down permanently. Reduced snow packs will have broad and global implications for ecology and human society as well.  Snow plays a crucial role in regulating global temperature and weather patterns, providing drinking water, agricultural irrigation and hydroelectric power; and feeding forests, the lungs and CO2 sinks of our planet.

Check out the promo currently running at Sierra Snowboard, a new POW partner.

Buy a t-shirt for 50% off and all proceeds come to us, and you get a POW membership too. Not bad! Click HERE for more info.

Yup!  HERE

Völkl skis has commissioned a custom, one-of-a-kind Gibson Les Paul guitar to be auctioned to the highest bidder, with the proceeds coming to Protect Our Winters. This guitar is unbelievable - with graphical elements from Völkl’s newly redesigned Gotama ski model. The auction is on now through January 28. Learn more and bid on it here