The Snowboarder’s Race Against the Sun
Sunday, December 17, 2023
Red Bull Content Pool, Sam Anderson, Red Bull Heavy Metal, 2022
Inspired by his older brother to start when he was only five, Sam Anderson never stopped. He has been a sponsored snowboarder since he was eight years old and is now a pro at age 25. Growing up in Madison, Wisconsin, he never had any big terrain. He started to ride within the streets of the city. A professional street rider was never the intention, however, he has made a name for himself and has watched the industry change, including the snowfall around him.
“I saw a noticeable change when I first started riding street in Madison of having about four months of steady snow,” said Anderson, “the last couple years we'll be lucky to have a month of snow in the city.”
Climate change is becoming a threat to the snowboarding community. While resorts profit from these athletes and amateurs, the climate crisis remains. Snowboard companies are working to figure out how to create a more sustainable system for snowboarding. Whether it’s using recycled materials, packaging, or working with organizations to create change, trying to preserve the snow is a collective goal.
As temperatures have been rising, the snowpack has been decreasing. According to the EPA, the average temperature for the U.S. has increased to 3°C and there has been a 23% decrease in snowpack across 94% of the western side of the United States. Whether in the mountains or small towns in Wisconsin, the snow is decreasing. Anderson says that the future of snowboarding is very unpredictable due to the uncertainty of climate change.
National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Annual Temperatures 1995-2022, December 2023
Sophie Gilk switched from skiing to snowboarding due to ACL tears and has now been riding for over 10 years. She has been working in the REI snowboarding department for over six years. She gets an inside look at how the climate crisis is incorporated into the technology. Gilk says figuring out how to use recyclable materials or making boards more recyclable would be a step forward.
“When you use a lot of adhesives, it makes it really hard to recycle,” said Gilk.
Another brand that works at being eco-friendly is Burton. Burton has been one of the largest snowboarding brands in the world since 1977. Everett Wesp, former rider for the U.S. Revolution Tour and current Burton employee, has been working in the snowboarding industry his whole life. He explains how Burton uses recyclable materials within their products and distribution to stay environmentally friendly.
“Burton is definitely doing as much as they can because obviously, we're all snowboarders. We want to keep the snow,” said Wesp.
There are several ways to stay sustainable on the mountain. A lot of sustainable uses are within the manufacturing and distribution process, said Wesp. Many brands are focusing on how to be more green, like Anderson’s sponsor, Never Summer. Their audience is the U.S. so they save a lot of emissions by not distributing internationally. They also reduce the amount of base materials they put in the products by taking excess substances and incorporating them into different boards.
Red Bull Content Pool, Travis Rice in Valdez, Alaska 2023
“It is kind of somewhat of an oxymoron because ski resorts definitely aren't zero emission,” said Anderson, “they require a lot of energy to blow snow and as the winters get worse, they just have to blow more snow which in turn is a larger environmental footprint.”
The amount of greenhouse gasses going into the atmosphere from resorts and transportation is an issue alone. The National Ski Area Association has been tracking ski and snowboard participation since the 1978-1979 season. In 1980, there were around 40 million while the 2022-2023 season consisted of 64.7 million visits making it the busiest winter season ever. However, 75% of emissions burned from resorts in 2022-2023 were propane and diesel.
“I think snowboarders as a whole and everybody in the snowboard community is kind of on that same level where it's like, yo this is an issue that we really need to address,” said Wesp.
