The US ski team unveiled new race suits at the world championships this week in an effort to raise awareness about climate change.
The blue and white suit, which features images of chunks of ice floating in the ocean, was created in collaboration with Kappa, the team’s technical sponsor, and the non-profit organization Protect Our Winters (POW). It looks like the corporate sponsors will appear on the arms and the USA Ski Team patch in the traditional red, white and blue will appear on the skier’s leg.
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Breezy Johnson competes during the women’s Super-G event of the 2023 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in Meribel, French Alps, on February 8, 2023. (FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
«From the initial vision and concept to the product in question, we at US Ski & Snowboard, POW and Kappa have created a suit that represents and calls attention to warm weather,» said US Ski & Snowboard President and CEO , Sophie Goldschmidt.
«While a race suit is not solving climate change, it is a move to continue the conversation and show that US Ski & Snowboard and its athletes are committed to being part of the future.»
The POW logo will be on the collar of the suit and a snowflake logo will be on the leg.
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Alpine Skiing: World Cup, Super G, Women: Mikaela Shiffrin, USA, on the course. (Michael Kappeler/Image Alliance via Getty Images)
«POW and US Ski & Snowboard are aligned on the urgency to unite the snow sports industry and community in meaningful climate advocacy,» said POW Executive Director Mario Molina. «This Kappa-designed World Championship suit is a statement that athletes, brands and winter enthusiasts around the world can get behind. By coming together, we can educate and mobilize our snowsports community to advance technologies and clean energy policies that will reduce emissions faster and protect the places we live and the lifestyles we love.»
Travis Ganong, who has been on Team USA since 2006, said he was «concerned» about the lack of snow and how some of the events are limited by that.
«I mean, it’s kind of scary to see how (these events) are on the edge of being possible,» he said. «Places like Kitzbuehel (Austria), there is so much history and there is so much money involved with that event that they do everything possible to organize the event.
«But that also raises another question about sustainability: is that what we should be doing?… What kind of message do we need to show to the public, to the world, about how our sport is adapting to this new world that we live in? ?»
American ski racer Travis Ganong wears the new racing suit that will be used at the ski world championships in France. US Ski & Snowboard, in collaboration with Kappa and Protect Our Winters, designed the suit to help elevate climate change as a priority in snow sports. (Kappa via AP)
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The world championships kicked off on Monday in Meribel, France, on February 19.
Associated Press contributed to this report.