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U.S. athletes , , and Jessie Diggins, along with international racing stars like (Norway) and Federica Brignone (Italy,) are among hundreds of FIS athletes who signed their names to written by Austrian alpine skier and Ambassador Julian Sch眉tter. The letter, which centers on the viability of the alpine World Cup season, calls into question FIS鈥� current sustainability efforts, or lack thereof, citing them as 鈥渋nsufficient鈥� in the face of existential threat.

鈥淧ublic opinion about skiing is shifting towards unjustifiability,鈥� wrote Sch眉tter. 鈥淭his will also bring the industry into trouble. That鈥檚 why we as a winter sports community must take the lead in the fight against climate change and make our sports climate neutral as soon as possible.鈥�

In defense of their claims, the athletes鈥� letter outlined how climate change has already had a significant impact on winter sports, particularly alpine skiing.

in recent years than ever before due to extreme weather and lack of snow, particularly in October and early November when the ski racing season traditionally kicks off. The threatened classic World Cup venues鈥� ability to host races as winter temperatures rose to far above average at low-altitude ski resorts. And as glaciers around the globe shrink, fewer options are available for off-season training in preparation for the World Cup season.

On top of changing conditions and a growing reliance on artificial snow, athletes question FIS鈥� scheduling decisions as they contribute to carbon emissions.

Nations competing in the men鈥檚 alpine World Cup circuit, for example, will make the trip to , from the European Alps for a short tech series over the weekend of Feb.25-26, traveling over 5,000 miles from the World Championships venue in Courchevel-Meribel, France, they competed at just weeks before. The following weekend, in Colorado will host the men鈥檚 speed circuit for a downhill and super-G race, just months after the United States hosted a speed series at ., a resort about 30 miles northeast, as the crow flies.

According to the athlete鈥檚 letter, scheduling these races one after the other would have reduced the tour鈥檚 carbon emissions by approximately 1,500 tons.

The asks of the athletes are simple. Commit to a sustainability strategy that aims for net-zero emissions by 2035 or prior and reduces emissions by 50 percent by 2030, backed by a sustainability department that oversees the plan鈥檚 execution and holds FIS officials accountable.

The letter goes as far as to list practical solutions FIS could employ to reach these goals, including shifting the season鈥檚 schedule from October to March to November to April to better align with changing weather patterns, reconsidering race venues to reduce travel, using their political stature to influence government policy, encouraging national federations to take internal action, and more.

鈥淚t鈥檚 about time to address a really important topic,鈥� Kilde commented after winning a silver medal in the World Championships downhill on Sunday in France, which has experienced historic low snowpack this season. 鈥淲e see that the world is changing. We also see the impact on our sport. I want the future generations to experience winter and to be able to do what I do.鈥�

At the time of writing, 57 athletes from the United States have shown their support, including , , , Tommy Ford, Alice Merryweather, Bella Wright, Kyle Negomir, Jett Seymour, and Katie Hensien, in addition to Shiffrin and Ganong.

At this time, the letter remains open to FIS athletes competing on an international level, with no comment from FIS.

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