This weekend, between November 25-29, Arc’teryx will give $20 CAD to POW for every new member sign-up, up to $100,000. That’s $100,000 going to protect the experiences you love, your hiking trails, and your winter snowpack.
In 2007, the world-renowned snowboarder Jeremy Jones had a problem. He was neck-deep in winter and stoked to keep riding powder, but some of his favourite resorts were closed from a lack of snow. What the hell? Jeremy thought. This is what I live for. Jeremy knew the culprit—climate change, of course—and looked to join an environmental group that shared his interest in skiing and snowboarding. But there were none. What the hell? Jeremy thought. This is what WE live for.
So, what do you do when your lifelong passion is at risk of extinction? The same thing as when you’ve found a secret powder stash and there’s no up-track beat in. You find your own way.
Jeremy founded Protect Our Winters (POW) that same year. He had a perspective of climate change that others couldn’t yet see; it was often discussed in the abstract, as if it was some theory that only applied to the Arctic, polar bears, and Santa Claus. The climate emergency lacked the urgency that it has today, and Jeremy strived to bring the conversation in front of millions.
POW has experienced significant growth since those early days of its inception and is now an international organization with chapters in 13 different countries and nearly 100,000 members.
POW’s mission is to turn passionate outdoor people into effective climate advocates. We all love to adventure outdoors—many of us would be aimless without it—and POW believes this love of nature demands our participation in the fight to protect it. Their vision is to create a future with resilient communities and healthy outdoor playgrounds. They understand this is no small task and they are asking you to help protect the spaces you love.
What’s the easiest way to do this? Become a member of POW. The organization wants to engage with the largest climate group around: the millions of outdoor enthusiasts across North America. This group is an eclectic crew of snowboarders, skiers, climbers, runners, hikers, anglers, and bikers. By signing up for a free membership at POW, you are adding your name to a long list of like–minded folks who trust POW to take these issues to our elected officials. Adding your voice means POW has more weight when speaking to decision makers; our goals become their goals.
“I wanted to get involved with POW to be part of a collective that pushes for real policy change at the federal level,” says rock climber and Olympian, Alannah Yip. As a POW athlete, Alannah promotes the policy work that POW does and inspires others to sign up as members. “It’s really easy to get involved, and POW has a great tool for sending emails to your local MP and cabinet ministers to push for policy change,” she says.
When conversations about climate change become too intimidating to tackle, take a small step forward and sign up to support POW. With your membership, you’ll become part of countless memorable and impactful campaigns. This includes advocacy with governments, thought provoking national campaigns, and leveraging the voices of influential partners, brands and athletes within the community.
POW members prioritize the places they love to recreate in, and ensure they will remain intact for generations to come. For athletes like the ice climbing legend, Will Gadd, he can’t help but notice his workplace changing drastically. “When I was a kid, glaciers seemed permanent, invincible,” he says. Now, he watches them shrink yearly while working as an alpine guide. From climbing high peaks to descending to glacial depths to ice climb, Gadd wants to ensure his children can visit his favourite destinations, too. “Climate change becomes more than just a theory when you spend your time outside.”
Spending time outside is what we at Arc’teryx do best. Our work has always been a response to the mountain environment, shaped by our experiences there, and the desire to disrupt the convention and reinvent the possible.
In addition to working closely with organizations like POW, we’ve prioritized several key initiatives to reduce our environmental impact. These include, but aren’t limited to, being the first Canadian organization to set science-based targets to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 65% by 2030. We’re also actively committed to shifting away from coal in our supply chain, shifting towards renewable energy in our stores, offices, and Design Centre and working towards creating a more circular lifecycle for our products through ReBird™ — an initiative that includes up-cycling, resale, care, and repair.
Nature is signalling for us to think bigger, act faster, and connect more deeply. Let’s answer her call.