US Ski Team Advocates

This past February at the Skiing World Championships in France the US Ski Team wore cool looking, state of the art, literally art, blue and white racing suits with the images of ice chucks floating in the ocean. The suit was designed jointly by the non-profit organization, Protect Our Winters (POW), which advocates for systemic solutions to climate change, and the team’s technical apparel sponsor, Kappa.

The US ski team had good intentions by showing their commitment to stopping climate change by reducing fossil fuels. The team is concerned about a lack of snow in the future which means no skiing. The team is also sending a letter to the International Ski Federation (FIS) asking the FIS to take a stronger stance on climate change and sustainability.

After doing a little research I was only able to find out the racing suits were made in Italy by Kappa of 100% Italian fabrics made in a factory certified in terms of environmental sustainability. Why not use an American factory? Most of the sporting outerwear is made of 85-90% polyurethane and 10-15% polyester because of its durability, comfort, and light weightiness. Also, the fabric reduces wind resistance by up to 50%. This product is not recyclable and made mostly from non-renewable fossil fuel derived resources.

While the team is pushing for clean energy, they are wearing racing suits made of the product they are fighting against. Is the US Ski Team willing to give up a high-performance ski racing suit to truly fight for the cause?