The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) has released a new sustainability guide aimed at helping athletes reduce their environmental impact and become advocates for climate action within winter sports. On June 2, FIS released its 60-page Athlete Sustainability Guide, outlining how its athletes can “become leaders in protecting the winters, landscapes, and sports they love.” This new guide comes amidst a multitude of initiatives implemented by FIS to fight climate change, reduce its carbon footprint, and become a more sustainable organization.
With nearly 40,000 licensed and active athletes, FIS believes that its skiers and snowboarders can help be a voice for promoting sustainability. Declaring governments, systems, and regulations as the biggest barrier for change, the guide acts as a toolkit for athletes who want to facilitate action within their sport. The initiative comes as winter sports organizations face increasing scrutiny over the environmental impact of global competition calendars, international travel, and energy-intensive resort operations.
“Sport has the power to influence culture, communities, and global conversations, and athletes are at the heart of that influence,” FIS wrote in the press release.
The guide also outlines different strategies athletes can use for reducing their own carbon footprints. Emphasizing the environmental impact of traveling to, from, and around ski resorts, the guide offers alternatives such as carpooling, choosing trains over flights, and taking public transport.
Athletes were informed about the environmental impacts of the gear they use in the guide. While travel remains by far the largest source of emissions for most athletes, FIS argues that equipment manufacturing and disposal also represent meaningful opportunities for reducing the sport’s environmental footprint. One pair of skis can generate around 45 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions, with around 263,000 pairs of skis being discarded each year in France alone. Using these figures, FIS hopes to reveal the impact that ski gear has on the environment, and to encourage athletes to use only “the essentials” and to push their sponsors to act sustainably.
Other topics, such as nutrition, pollution, and water usage, are included. The guide wraps up by providing athletes with resources and people they can connect with to further their sustainability goals.
The new Athlete Sustainability Guide coincides with FIS’s recent sustainability push. In 2024, the IMPACT Programme was launched, outlining the organization’s long-term strategy regarding its sustainability, inclusivity, and responsible governance goals. Some actions include investing in nature-based carbon dioxide removal projects, choosing partners that guarantee human rights protection, and producing annual reports on sustainability projects.
“We are undergoing a period of great change at FIS – driven by concerns for environmental, social and economic sustainability – and the IMPACT Programme is a roadmap to guide our way. Directors from all areas have fed in their thoughts and vision, making this a whole-team plan,” said Michel Vion, FIS’s Secretary General.
Some of those efforts are already being tested across FIS-affiliated events. During the 2025-26 Freeride World Tour (FWT) season, the “Take the Train” campaign saw 230 fans opting for railways, eliminating a total of 20,000 km of travel and avoiding 6.5 tons of CO₂ emissions. 2025 and 2026 also saw a total of 70 FWT athletes opting for lower-emission travel options.
Moving forward, FIS hopes to keep building upon its sustainability initiatives and hopes its athletes will follow suit. “For meaningful success, we need to involve the entire winter community,” Susanna Sieff, FIS Sustainability Director, said.
Whether initiatives like the Athlete Sustainability Guide lead to measurable emissions reductions remains to be seen. But as warming winters continue to challenge ski resorts and competition venues worldwide, sustainability is rapidly becoming a central issue for the future of snow sports.
