Alex Deibold and Kaitlyn Farrington talk Capitol Hill and the future of snowboarding

On September 13, Olympic Snowboarders Alex Deibold, Kaitlyn Farrington, and Gretchen Bleiler traveled to Capitol Hill in Washington, DC with Protect Our Winters to meet with lawmakers and talk climate.

After their time on the Hill, Deibold and Farrington talked with Sports Byline USA, America’s Sports Talk Network, to discuss their travels and why they care about a future with a stable climate and snowy winters.

Farrington covered how POW changed its approach in DC given the current administration. “Our outdoor recreation economy is dying slowly, right now. There used to be 22-foot half-pipes all over the country, and now there’s only a select few due to reduced snowpack.” It’s not an issue in the future; it’s happening now. “We tried to connect with lawmakers by focusing on telling our stories– why we all love the outdoors.”

Deibold noted the timing of POW’s trip to DC– in a way, it was fortunate. “With all of the hurricanes happening, with increased frequency and intensity, lawmakers really started listening to our thoughts on climate change. Their constituents are really concerned. And it wasn’t just Democrats, the Republicans were listening, too.”

Listen to their interviews here!

 

 

 

Interview with Kaitlyn Farrington:


 

Interview with Alex Deibold: