Petition in French & German

Pictures of excavator shovels digging into the Theodul glacier in Zermatt and bulldozers demolishing glacier ice in Solden have shocked the outdoor community. All this to prepare the slopes for FIS’s early season World Cup ski races. At a time when the climate crisis demands a strong and resolute answer from policy-makers and the society at large, such practices damage the credibility of winter sports.

In early 2023, 500 professional winter sports athletes signed an open letter calling for greater climate action by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). Yet, the FIS still schedules races far too early in the season, misleading claims of climate positivity are still in place, and FIS’s published carbon footprint calculation is wildly inaccurate. It is clear that FIS has done far too little to be the climate leader we need at this critical time. The Federation, event organizers and host destinations must act as role models and show that they take the current challenges seriously. 

Wake up FIS! Seize the opportunity to become a leader in securing the future not only for winter sports but more importantly, for a liveable planet.

The global POW movement calls on FIS to:

• Implement a target-based sustainability strategy - including a roadmap to achieve a 50% emissions reduction by 2030.
• Publish FIS’s environmental impact with full transparency.
• Adapt the competition calendar to reduce the impact of travel and respect the changing climate.
• And use FIS’s political influence to advocate for climate action at a governmental level.

Join the movement and sign the petition now.

#tryharderFIS

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Dear Mr. Eliasch,
Dear FIS Council members,

As the outdoor community, we are experiencing the effects of climate change first-hand. Visible in the shrinking glaciers, reduced snowfall and increased extreme weather events. An increasing number of snow sports competitions are cancelled due to extreme weather events or lack of snow. Pre-season training slopes are getting rarer and shorter each year because glaciers are shrinking at a frightening pace and increasingly destructive practices are required to prepare glaciers for early-season races. The public opinion towards snow sports is shifting towards unjustifiability.

Our sport is urgently and existentially threatened.

Last season 500 active FIS athletes spoke up in an open letter to encourage FIS to take a leading role on climate and start showing progressive organizational action. 

We regret that FIS failed to take the offer from the athletes to unite against the climate crisis. Disputing their valid concerns and paying only lip service to the athlete’s demands while holding on to outdated and unsustainable policies.

We the signatories join these FIS athletes in the following crucial demands:

• Publish a roadmap to achieving the 50% emissions reduction by 2030, as required by UNFCCC Sports for Climate Action framework, by the end of this race season. Allocate the resources required to meet this target effectively.
• Commit to full transparency of FIS’ environmental impact and stop misleading claims of climate-positivity.
• Move the race calendar by at least 1 month to suit the new climatic conditions and optimise the race schedule to reduce the requirement for air travel.
• Use FIS’s politcal power as an international sports federation to advocate for climate action at a governmental level. 

We, as the whole outdoor sports community including athletes, staff, brands, media and enthusiasts are standing united with the athlete’s call for greater climate action to save the future of our sport.

This is our most important race, let’s win it together.