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Can jet-setting ski racers be climate activists? Schumacher, Diggins lean into “imperfect advocacy.”
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Can jet-setting ski racers be climate activists? Schumacher, Diggins lean into “imperfect advocacy.”

Nathaniel HerzFebruary 25, 2024

MINNEAPOLIS — After Gus Schumacher’s upset win at an international cross-country ski race here last week, one of his first moves was not to celebrate at a bar, but instead, to stand in front of the crowd and talk about climate change. With hundreds listening to the panel discussion from the grandstand, Schumacher, his teammate Jessie Diggins and activist and author Bill McKibben passed a microphone back and forth. The subject, for Schumacher, is immediate...

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The Devon Kershaw Show: Closing it Out — Diggins Wins the Overall and the Engadin Experience with Bill McKibben
MultimediaPodcastsThe Devon Kershaw Show

The Devon Kershaw Show: Closing it Out — Diggins Wins the Overall and the Engadin Experience with Bill McKibben

Devon KershawMarch 14, 2021

The main point of the weekend was the coronation of Jessie Diggins as the overall winner of the cross-country World Cup. She becomes the first American woman to do so. Historic? Yes. Adding to the crystal collection, she’ll haul across the Atlantic on her trip home the distance globe too. We discuss the racing in Engadin, Switzerland which consisted of mass start classic races on Saturday and fun point to point skate races on Sunday...

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On Beauty–Québec Day Three: By Bill McKibben
NewsOpinionWorld Cup

On Beauty–Québec Day Three: By Bill McKibben

FasterSkierMarch 24, 2019

Beauty was the order of the day, beginning with the spectacle that spread out on the old battleground that shoulders up against the city of Québec. Nordic skiing usually proceeds against a backdrop of pine and birch, but there’s an undeniable thrill to see a race unfold beneath a bright blue sky, the action painted on a backdrop of buildings and streets. From the bottom of the one steep drop, one looked up to see...

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Harvey on the Plains of Abraham: by Bill McKibben
NewsOpinionRacingWorld Cup

Harvey on the Plains of Abraham: by Bill McKibben

FasterSkierMarch 23, 2019

It’s remarkably sweet when an athletic career ends on a grace note:  Ted Williams lofting a home run in his final game at Fenway, say, or John Elway passing his Broncos to a Super Bowl victory. Or, earlier today, Alex Harvey taking second in front of a levitating crowd of supporters on the Plains of Abraham in the middle of Quebec City. Harvey’s career has been winding slowly down from its world championship apex, but...

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Op-Ed by Bill McKibben: Where I’m going the day after the Birke
GeneralNewsOpinion

Op-Ed by Bill McKibben: Where I’m going the day after the Birke

Jason AlbertFebruary 3, 2019

Where I’m going the day after the Birke I know what you do the day after the Birke. Linger in bed. Go online to look at your time. Compare it with that other guy in your ski club’s time. And that other guy. Figure out if you were fast enough to move up a wave next year. But this year there’s another option. You could drive a few hours west to Lake Itasca State Park...

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Nordic Nation: Andy Newell on a Greener World Cup
MultimediaNordic NationPodcastsUS Ski Team

Nordic Nation: Andy Newell on a Greener World Cup

Jason AlbertFebruary 2, 2018

A few weeks ago we released our interview with climate-justice activist and Vermont resident Bill McKibben. After the interview, we received a few comments that spoke to the perceived large carbon footprint of World Cup skiing and possible changes that might be implemented to curb that environmental impact. With that in mind, we called up Andy Newell, who himself is a climate activist to address some of the questions. We spoke to Newell on Jan....

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With Climate Changing and Political Action Neglected, Snow Sports Have Much to Lose – From Dollars to Jobs
GeneralNews

With Climate Changing and Political Action Neglected, Snow Sports Have Much to Lose – From Dollars to Jobs

Chelsea LittleDecember 25, 20125

A recent report published by Protect Our Winters and the Natural Resources placed an economic value on climate change: for the winter sports and tourism industry, a billion dollars of revenue have been lost in bad snow years in the last decade, and a bad season means a six percent drop in employment compared to a good one. Yet the industry hasn't taken action.

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InterviewsNews

The End of Winter? An Interview with Bill McKibben

Audrey ManganDecember 19, 201125

Snow-wise, the 2011-2012 season hasn’t gotten off to the best start. Just four weeks into the World Cup, low snow has caused nearly every European host to scramble to put together a man-made course, shorten (at least initially) its distance races, or give up and move to another venue entirely. Domestically, competitors for the approaching U.S. Nationals are looking at a week of racing on a man-made loop in Rumford, ME for the second year...

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Elite Skiers Sign On To Support 350.org
GeneralNews

Elite Skiers Sign On To Support 350.org

FasterSkierDecember 24, 2008

When Sara Renner planned her comeback to World Cup racing, she left out a trip to New Zealand last summer, a typically annual pilgrimage for the Canadian silver medalist.  Renner cited sustainability concerns as motivation in her decision to reduce travel, “We thought about the overall costs of going there.  It played into the decision.”  Elite athletes don’t usually consider their carbon footprint when planning training.  Most of athletics is governed by a more is...

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