Shaping a better “Snowmorrow” together

As the recently launched FIS Impact Programme emphasizes, FIS believes that working sustainably is a team effort. To succeed, we need the combined efforts of everyone in the snow sports family, especially the next generation. That is why the federation is introducing a new initiative to involve young athletes in our work on sustainability.

During the FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships in Planica (SLO), FIS will launch the Forum ‘Snowmorrow – Innovating Climate Action Together’. On 6th February, in the late afternoon at the Nordic Center Planica, junior athletes will come together to discuss the greatest challenge of our time, and what we can do about it. The FIS initiative is developed under the Future Food Institute "Snowmorrow" research project with the support of Viessmann and the Slovenia’s Ski Association – will start a discussion that will continue for years to come.

With input from the youth for a better future
FIS wants to give the floor to young people who are passionate about sustainability, taking their innovative ideas and weaving them into the Impact programme.

The forum is a chance to learn from and inspire each other, with one part of the session devoted to collaborative working and brainstorming new ideas to address the challenges of climate change. Together with mentors, the athletes will work in groups on the following three topics:

• Communication and Education

• Material and Equipment

• Smart Mobility and Transportation

FIS will capture the best ideas from the athlete groups to further finetune its future action plan as part of the implementation of the FIS Impact Programme.

The event in Planica will be moderated by Jernej Damjan, former FIS Ski Jumping World Cup champion and FIS Athletes’ Commission member and will feature lightning talks from Susanna Sieff (FIS Sustainability Director), Dr. Maja Zalaznik (Professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana and President of the Strategic Council of the Planica organizing committee) and Lars Einloft (Sponsoring Manager at Viessmann) to drive inspiration for the session.

In order to inspire participants – and to make it more accessible for others worldwide, FIS has teamed up with the Future Food Institute to provide online learning sessions. These short videos introduce topics such as sustainable daily living practices and eating responsibly, providing an excellent opportunity to educate a new generation of climate-conscious athletes.

#FISimpactshapers
To amplify the message and create engagement opportunities, FIS is introducing the hashtag #FISimpactshapers, inviting people to share their ideas for creating a more sustainable skiing and snowboarding ecosystem.

Dedicated bibs
To strengthen the message further, the bibs used during the FIS Nordic Junior World Championships will feature the climate stripes logo, which are a series of vertical-coloured bars, showing the progressive heating of our planet in a single, striking image.

The climate stripes were created by Professor Ed Hawkins at the University of Reading in 2018 and show clearly how global average temperatures have risen over nearly two centuries. Each stripe represents the average temperature for a single year, relative to the average temperature over the entire period. The stark band of deep red stripes on the right side of the graphic show the rapid heating of our planet in recent decades.

To view the FIS Impact Programme in its entirety, click here