When I drive into the parking lot at Homewood Mountain Resort鈥攁 small, beloved ski area on the California side of Lake Tahoe鈥攐n a recent sunny morning, the place is deserted. There鈥檚 snow on the slopes, but no skiers in sight. The parking lot is empty, save for a few storage containers and idle construction vehicles. The Madden chair, a relic installed in 1966, five years after the ski area opened, is surrounded by orange ropes with signs that read: closed.

This past October, Homewood announced that the ski resort wouldn鈥檛 be opening for this winter, a blow that devastated local skiers who鈥檝e come to call this place home. It鈥檚 not what anyone wanted. This winter鈥檚 closure is just the latest bad news in a series of bad years for Homewood鈥檚 public image. You see, a couple of years ago, word trickled out that Homewood was going to become a private resort for the rich. Think the Yellowstone Club, only with a grand view of Lake Tahoe.

鈥淗ad [Homewood鈥檚 owners] set in front of our community this member-only concept, there would have been lines out the door in protest,鈥� local resident Renee Koijane wrote in a public comment soon after Homewood鈥檚 privatization plan leaked out. 鈥淭his type of plan is the opposite of what any community should be planning for in the wake of climate change, wildfire, and affordable housing issues.鈥�

The threat of Homewood going private came as other small resorts across the country either adopted the business model or entertained it as a way to compete with the ski industry鈥檚 move toward megapasses and consolidation.

In Utah, Powder Mountain has made sections of its terrain accessible only to members of its private ski community. In New York, Windham Mountain Club bills itself as a 鈥減ublic-private mountain community鈥� with skiing for everyone and luxury amenities like access to a private lodge for dues-paying members (memberships start at $200,000). Discovery Land Company has submitted plans to turn a defunct ski area near Steamboat Springs, Colorado, into a private ski and golf resort.

These privatization plans have generated headlines and elicited grumbles in communities across the country. But at Homewood, the prospect prompted a loud and angry response. An outraged group of locals began to put up a fight. They formed a group called Keep Homewood Public and began hanging red signage all over town and holding community meetings to organize a resistance.

Their efforts worked鈥攎ostly. As of March 2025, the it will still welcome the general public when the resort reopens hopefully next winter. But there were consequences to all of the town meetings and angry signs: namely, the cancellation of the 2024-25 ski season. Losing a ski season dealt a financial blow to local businesses and was a loss for area skiers who love this place. The setback left even the most ardent activists wondering if the pushback was worth it.

But the ordeal at Homewood represents something much larger than a small ski area shutting down for one season. If feisty stalwarts can save skiing from becoming something only the rich and richer can participate in, then maybe we all still have a chance.

To understand why you should care about the closure of a small ski area that perhaps you鈥檝e never heard of before, first you need to understand the backstory and know that what is happening here could happen anywhere.

The saga of Homewood is bogged down by bureaucracy, but beneath it all is a clear theme: The world of skiing is getting privatized and you鈥檙e either in the club, or you鈥檙e out of it.

Homewood used to be the kind of place where beginners skied in starter jackets, you could score a $60 lift ticket from the gas station down the road, and passholders were given free breakfast burritos and early lift access on appreciation days. But, apparently, none of that was contributing to the financial well-being of the resort, which has allegedly been in dire straits for years now.

The resort, which sits almost entirely on private land, was purchased in 2006 by a real estate investment firm called JMA Ventures. In 2022, Discovery Land Company, known for its private resorts like Wyoming鈥檚 Yellowstone Club and other ultra-luxe private ski, beach, and golf clubs around the world, partnered with JMA. The following year, Mohari Hospitality, an investment company based in Cyprus that funds luxury properties around the world, became the main equity investor in the Homewood development. Mohari is the one that pulled out their subsidy for this winter, forcing Homewood鈥檚 hand to close.

鈥淭he notion of subsidizing another winter loss without the certainty of the project moving forward caused a lot of ripples,鈥� Andy Buckley, Homewood鈥檚 vice president of mountain experience, tells me when I pull into the parking lot. 鈥淭he closure of the mountain this season is not what we wanted.鈥�

In November 2022, JMA Ventures founder Art Chapman wrote a letter to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), the local regulatory agency, that indicated a 鈥渂alance of public and private use鈥� business model. According to JMA Ventures at that time, this exclusive model was needed for the resort to stay afloat.

The letter indicated that Homewood would open to the public several days each month (not on holidays or weekends) as well as on so-called community days, where residents could purchase tickets that would benefit local philanthropic causes. But on all other days, the resort would be exclusively open to property owners. 鈥淚n doing so, Homewood would still be available to the local community, albeit on a more limited basis,鈥� Chapman wrote at the time.

A former mountain manager at Homewood during that time told business owners in the area that things would soon be changing. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to start seeing fur coats,鈥� the resort manager said. Locals were outraged at the thought of losing access to their cherished ski hill. So, in February 2023, that prompted the formation of Keep Homewood Public, which organized quickly and fiercely.

鈥淧ublic access is our number one, number two, and number three issue,鈥� says Candice Wilmuth, a spokesperson for Keep Homewood Public. 鈥淲hen I talk to Homewood employees and they call us the opposition, I say, we are not the opposition. You have the biggest lovers of Homewood in this group. We do not want to stop the development. We want the resort to be open and thriving. All of us want to go skiing there.鈥�

Homewood鈥檚 location on the western shore of Lake Tahoe is both a blessing and a curse. When all the big, flashy ski resorts around Lake Tahoe shut due to wind and blizzards, little old Homewood would keep its eight meager lifts cranking. Some of the deepest powder turns of my life have been on storm days in the trees off Homewood鈥檚 painfully slow Ellis chair. Homewood is where old-school powder chasers, families seeking affordable adventure, and anyone who wanted a quiet, uncrowded place to ski escaped to.

But these days, unless you鈥檙e coming from the sleepy neighborhoods that dot Lake Tahoe鈥檚 west shore, on busy days, you鈥檒l sit in traffic heading to other, bigger ski areas like Palisades Tahoe or Northstar in order to get to Homewood. In recent years, skiers and riders have not been choosing to do that. Even west-shore residents have bypassed Homewood for more amenity-rich mountains. Revenues at the resort have gone down since 2010, and the number of visitors to the ski area has dropped by 70 percent since then. The rising popularity of mega passes like the Ikon Pass and Epic Pass have further driven down profits at Homewood, which is not on a collective pass.

鈥淲e saw a lot of Keep Homewood Public stickers and banners, but not a lot of people buying passes or tickets,鈥� one former Homewood employee, who asked not to be named, told me. On a deep powder day in March 2022, this employee said the total skier count at 11 a.m. was 38 people on the mountain. 鈥淲e were getting face shots after lunch,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was amazing. But you can鈥檛 run a business with that.鈥�

And as other resorts have built new lodges and faster lifts, Homewood has made few upgrades over the past two decades. The South Lodge, at the base of the Quail chair, burned down in 2016 and in its place sits a row of dilapidated structures and storage sheds. The Ellis lift, a creaky triple chair that notoriously left skiers stranded for hours, got a mechanical update in 2020, but plans to replace Ellis with a detachable quad haven鈥檛 happened yet. West Shore Inn and Caf茅, formerly a hotel and restaurant across the street from the ski area that JMA purchased in 2010, has been closed since 2023, allegedly for renovation, and will likely remain a private facility going forward.

Homewood used to offer some of the cheapest lift tickets in the Tahoe Basin, but in recent years, those ticket prices have spiked. In 2022, Homewood set the record for most expensive day lift ticket in the U.S.: $279 for a single-day ticket to a homestyle ski hill with antique chairlifts, a mid-mountain pit toilet, and on-hill dining that requires you to microwave the chili yourself. Some theorize that Homewood was trying to price out skiers ahead of time to show they needed to go private in order to stay afloat.

The resort ownership has lofty goals for a major redevelopment of the mountain and base area, but it鈥檚 taking forever for any of that to be implemented. Homewood鈥檚 original master plan, which was first passed by the TRPA in 2011, lays out plans for a much improved future Homewood. The master plan鈥攚hich includes many community improvement benefits ranging from fire protection to workforce housing鈥攈as been nearly universally supported, including by those at Keep Homewood Public. (鈥淲e want the plan. Stick to the plan,鈥� Wilmuth says.)

In late September, the TRPA regional planning committee met to discuss Homewood鈥檚 master plan, which had no real directive regarding public or private access. The KHP crew arrived at the meeting ready for a fight. Over 100 people gathered in the parking lot in red T-shirts with the words Keep Homewood Public emblazoned across their chests. The meeting room filled to capacity and public attendees were relegated to three overflow rooms to await the comment period.

After a lengthy committee discussion, the public comment period opened and one red shirt after another stood in front of the microphone to implore the committee to reject the developers鈥� application unless they add clear language about public access. Each had their own distinct point to make, but many included the same request: a hard reset on the master plan. 鈥淲hen the developers say anyone can ski at Homewood, what they really mean is anyone with a whole lot of money,鈥� one speaker said. 鈥淭his is not the general public.鈥�

Toward the end of the public comment period, a speaker named Lynne Hurst got emotional, tearing up at the mic as she said, 鈥淚鈥檝e skied at Homewood most of my life. I have Christmas pictures every year at the top of that hill that I treasure. It鈥檚 the most beautiful place in the world to ski 鈥� Come together with the developer, make it work for everyone 鈥� Don鈥檛 take it away to only let a few enjoy it.鈥�

But just like that: The chances of anyone skiing at Homewood this winter disappeared. A few weeks after that September meeting, Homewood announced on October 11 via an email to staff and the resort鈥檚 mailing list that the ski area wouldn鈥檛 be opening at all for this winter. In a statement, the resort declared, 鈥淔or many years, Homewood Mountain Resort has been subsidizing the community鈥檚 ski experience while operating at a deficit 鈥� Hypothetical fears and false rumors regarding public access to the mountain from Keep Homewood Public鈥檚 leadership have dramatically slowed the pace of the approval process 鈥� Without a clear path forward, our financial partner has withdrawn support for this ski season.鈥� It was almost like the resort was saying, you want to put up a fight? Remember who has the upper hand here.

The news of the closure was a blow, but it wasn鈥檛 all that surprising. 鈥淭he writing was on the wall,鈥� one Homewood resident told me. Season passes typically go on sale in the spring for the following winter, but by September, Homewood still hadn鈥檛 opened up season pass sales. In a presentation to a Homewood homeowner鈥檚 association last fall, resort execs said that they reserved the right to not open for the season if the approval for the new gondola didn鈥檛 come through. And in September, Homewood canceled its J-1 visa contracts, the hiring of foreign workers that the resort has relied on in past winters to perform seasonal jobs.

Around 200 people work at Homewood, with roughly 40 of those employed year-round in managerial or administrative positions. The rest are seasonal employees鈥攍ift operators, ski instructors, food and beverage staff鈥攚ho were laid off or not hired for this winter. The trickle-down impact of the closure on Tahoe鈥檚 west shore is already being felt.

鈥淥ur winter business relies heavily on Homewood being open and that day-to-day visitor, which has dwindled year after year due to their increasing rates,鈥� says Trevor Larkins, owner of West Shore Sports, a ski shop located down the road from Homewood ski area. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a progression of price increases pushing their customers away.鈥� Last year, profits at his shop were down 35 percent.

But still, after all of this, the questions remain: Who will be allowed to ski at Homewood in the near and distant future? Everyone? And for a reasonable price? Or just private members paying six-digit dues? Homewood鈥檚 execs have kept mostly mum on the subject of privatization, but that鈥檚 changing now, as they鈥檝e switched gears with more open communication and听 promises to remain committed to public access. 鈥淲e recognize that it鈥檚 been a mistake to remain silent for so long,鈥� Buckley tells me.

This winter, Homewood management unveiled a plan that represents a compromise. Under a part of its website titled Community Access, the vision lays out future day ticket and season pass offerings that ensure that anyone with a valid ski pass or ticket will be able to access the mountain during operating hours. It also lays out discounted passes for west-shore residents that will remain 35 percent below the cost of a pass or ticket to nearby Palisades Tahoe or Northstar. 鈥淧eople ask us to define public,鈥� Buckley says. 鈥淲ithout being flippant, it鈥檚 everybody.鈥�

He says public access has been there all along, it鈥檚 just changed in scope. 鈥淭here was always going to be a component of private membership in the plan, but upon really reviewing the plan documents, it became absolutely clear that the mountain had to have public access,鈥� Buckley tells me. 鈥淔rom that day forward, that is what the partners have been saying.鈥�

Residential property owners will be able to access members鈥� lounges in the base area and at mid-mountain, but the lifts and ski runs will be open to everyone. 鈥淵es, there鈥檚 going to be an HOA with member amenities like many places,鈥� Buckley says. 鈥淏ut the public component of the whole business plan is critical.鈥�

The promise to stay public is now on a banner hanging over the parking lot of the closed ski area that reads, 鈥淪mile! Homewood will always be public.鈥� But getting that in legal writing has been a long time coming. 鈥淭hey closed the resort, then they started this PR campaign around public access. But it鈥檚 still not effectively written into their documents. Without that, we鈥檙e worried it鈥檒l be public for a few years and then they鈥檒l start restricting access or pricing everyone out,鈥� Wilmuth, from KHP, says. 鈥淎 lot of people are saying, 鈥極h, we won. This is good enough.鈥� Which means people are so desperate to have this ski resort open that they鈥檙e willing to believe the developers. But we don鈥檛 think that the job is done until it鈥檚 documented.鈥�

Wilmuth says nothing was gained by having the mountain closed this winter. 鈥淲e never wanted or expected that to happen. That was Homewood鈥檚 decision. There is still nothing stopping Homewood from operating right now and season passes have yet to go on sale for next year,鈥� she says. 鈥淥ur community had to get vocal to ensure what was always part of the plan鈥攑ublic access鈥攚as followed through on.鈥�

In late January, the TRPA governing board finally voted to approve Homewood鈥檚 master plan amendments as long as the resort includes a clearly-defined community access plan. With that approval, the ski area and its new gondola could be up and running by next winter.

Dave Powell, who鈥檚 86 and skis with just sunglasses, no hat, is holding out hope that his treasured ski area will reopen鈥攆or everyone鈥攏ext year. For five decades, Powell has clicked into his skis on the deck of the cabin he built in 1974, nestled into a grove of pine trees near Homewood鈥檚 base area, and glided through the forest to the Madden lift. This mountain is deeply personal to him, just like it is to many people in Tahoe. He used to work on ski patrol with his late wife, and he taught his now-grown daughters to ski here. 鈥淚 would not be surprised if there鈥檚 some kind of deal where those who buy into the new real estate get primo access to the mountain,鈥� Powell says. 鈥淎nd that doesn鈥檛 bother me, as long as the rest of us can still enjoy the place.鈥�

Megan Michelson lives in Tahoe City, California, five miles down the road from Homewood. She鈥檚 had some incredibly deep powder days at Homewood in the past.

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Here at , we believe in supporting and partnering with nonprofit organizations who work to protect the planet and grow outdoor participation among youth and underrepresented communities. We believe that together with our audience of 80 million people per month, we can make a difference. Will you help us get more kids out on the slopes or the bike for the first time? Fund the fight for climate action? Bring yoga to those who need healing鈥攁nd seeds to community gardens?

Join us to support seven nonprofit partners from our Find Your Good that are doing this work every day.

Give to one (or more!) of your favorites by Dec. 6鈥�your tax-deductible donation goes directly to the nonprofit(s) you choose.

and help protect the places you love from climate change.

听 and kick down barriers to winter sports.

and help empower a new generation of environmental activists rooted in equity and inclusion.听

and train youth to be effective leaders at the intersection of the environment and climate justice movements.

and help bring trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness practices to incarcerated people.听

and help teach young people to lead, create, and grow a healthy, sustainable future through community gardening.听

and help increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in cycling.听

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Pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones thinks about climate change 100 times a day鈥攖hat鈥檚 no exaggeration.听As founder of , a nonprofit that focuses on legislative climate action, and , maker of boards, gear, and apparel, it鈥檚 his job. Jones also happens to be my cousin, and we鈥檝e talked about environmentalism and sustainability our entire adult lives. But how does he translate those thoughts into actual, tangible, everyday deeds? I recently spoke to Jones about how he takes听action for climate 365 days a year.

Constant Communication

Everyday actions and practices matter, but conversations, especially with people who might be in a different political camp as you, are key. A lot of people feel like they don鈥檛 belong to the climate movement because they recognize they contribute to the problem鈥搈aybe they fly a lot, raise cattle, or just love burgers, work for an oil or plastics company, or still buy bottled water by the case. This feeling of being on the outside听is a huge problem. I don鈥檛 care what you do, we need you to join the climate movement. We need people from all sectors, political parties, regions, and backgrounds working together on this one unifying thing: the planet we all live on. Because climate change impacts all of us.

When I talk to people about climate change, I try to find common ground. Your political leanings don’t matter: if you love skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, hunting, or fishing, this affects you. If you love to go mountain biking, RVing, waterskiing, or camping with your kids, it affects you, too. Everyone needs to be welcome in this movement. Whether you drive a monster truck or a Tesla, we want you to be part of the conversation and the solution.

A Greener Business

We launched Jones Snowboards in 2010, and from the start we identified a three point North star: performance, durability, and sustainability. Being part of 1% For The Planet is key because we need more people that wake up every day working on climate action and our donation helps with that.

Three years ago we took a big step by moving away from toxic traditional epoxy resins (to hold the board components together). We finally found a bio-based resin (made from tree sap) that works every bit as good as the old stuff. It took a lot of trial and error.

Next winter we鈥檒l take another big step, with a project that鈥檚 been six years in the making: turning old snowboards into new products, and keeping them out of the landfill. We developed a machine that pops the metal edges and inserts off old boards (for recycling). Then we stack boards on top of each other, press them together, and cut them into strips to create these really strong structural pieces we鈥檒l use (instead of carbon fiber) to support power spots in new boards.

Plant-Based Diet

I hate dietary titles, but I鈥檝e been embracing a vegan diet for over 10 years. I used to love a good burger, but I鈥檝e lost the taste for it and this is the best lifestyle lever I can pull for the climate. The cattle industry accounts for 14.5 percent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions [according to the UN]. As a country, we eat way too much red meat. My plant-based diet has also made me a better athlete. I feel better at 48 than I did at 28. Years ago, I thought my snowboard career was waning, but when I switched to a plant-based diet, I felt way more spry and way less achy. I noticed less inflammation in my muscles and joints.

Voting With Dollars

Change takes longer than you think it will, but once it starts, it happens faster than you thought it could. Here鈥檚 an example, going back to the food idea: I was coming back from a snowboarding trip recently. It was late and we were driving through Bakersfield, California, (north of L.A) and we were starving. We found a random burger shack that was open and as we pulled in, I thought, 鈥榳hat am I gonna eat here.鈥� Turns out that place had awesome plant-based burgers and shakes. Even Burger King and MacDonald鈥檚 have plant-based options on the menus now. You would never have seen that a few years back. But people demanded it, and are voting for plant-based food with their dollars. And it鈥檚 changing. The same applies to the outdoor industry. Consumers are rewarding companies for making cleaner products and using their power to get us on a better path.

Reducing Emissions

We only have so much CO2 to burn and I think about my carbon emissions every day. I switched to an EV a couple years ago. I carpool to the mountain and the trailhead and ride my bike around town rather than drive. I recycle and avoid plastic. I鈥檝e updated my house with solar panels, a heat pump, better insulation, more efficient appliances, all of which gave me huge energy savings. And I only get on a plane when I really have to. I take fewer, longer, slower trips now. The majority of my adventuring takes place here in the Sierra, my back yard, and I鈥檝e cut my air travel by about 90 percent over the last 15 years.. It stung a bit at first losing my frequent flier benefits, but I鈥檓 over it and now I鈥檓 happy sitting in the back of the plane and traveling less. Pro tip for others who have recently lost airline status: Board last and ask if they can bump you up to a better seat or an empty row (poor man鈥檚 first class).

Doing right by the planet can make you happier, healthier, and鈥攜es鈥攚ealthier. 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Head of Sustainability, Kristin Hostetter, explores small lifestyle tweaks that can make a big impact. Write to her at climateneutral-ish@outsideinc.com.

The post Here鈥檚 How Jeremy Jones Takes Climate Action Every Single Day appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Jeremy Jones, big-line snowboarder, splitboarding sage, and fearless-seeming founder of (笔翱奥)鈥� 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Find Your Good fundraising platform鈥攕ays he was scared to write a book. 鈥淚 was kind of nervous, but nervousness and excitement go together in my head,鈥� he says. 鈥淲henever I say, 鈥業鈥檝e never done something like that before,鈥� and the thought of that thing freaks me out,听I feel like I have to go toward it.鈥�

Fear, risk, and knowing when to commit to something scary are all big themes in his new book, (October 2022, Mountaineers Books). It鈥檚 part philosophy, part backcountry protocol, part memoir about how he鈥檚 carved out his unique path as a climate activist, founder of Jones Snowboards, and pioneering athlete. Drawn from decades of journal entries and years of experience, the book is full of stories and tangible tips about how to live and travel well in the backcountry, which we could all use as we think about our personal futures on snow. We asked Jones a few of our burning questions after reading it.

OUTSIDE: What do you hope people get from this book, especially now as backcountry is the fastest growing segment of snow sports?
There鈥檚 something terrifying about writing a book about walking into the mountains, which is this incredibly dangerous thing. In the book we tried to dumb it down to basic fundamentals and principles, and broad arching themes. Which is a hard thing to do because snow is so complex.

I see this is a complement to avalanche courses. I don鈥檛 consider myself an expert at all, but I have a lot of time in the mountains, and I鈥檝e learned a lot of lessons. I spill those in the book so hopefully people can learn from my mistakes. I think experience is something you get right after you need it.

Speaking of experience, a lot of the book is about your mindset when you鈥檙e in serious situations.听
The mental game is equally as critical as the tactical game. The tactical things are the ones you learn in an avalanche course and they鈥檙e totally part of my toolkit. But once you kind of have that toolkit the focus becomes 鈥渉ow do I get in the right mindset and figure out what tools to use?鈥� I think that鈥檚 a constant challenge. The best of the world deal with it, and I think that鈥檚 why so many of the best of the world have close calls or die. It鈥檚 not because they don鈥檛 know how to dig a snow pit.

Which tools in your box do you use the most?
I have some basic protocols I can do that immediately eliminate some really serious risk. You never eliminate it all, but I love having those personal protocols that I can lean on. For instance, with Teton Gravity Research (the film company his brothers founded), we always talk about clean terrain. We ride big lines, but they have a runout, and you know what鈥檚 below you and around you, which helps keep you safe. You can break protocol, but you have to talk about it with your partners, and once you do, you know the stakes are way up. You know you鈥檙e crossing a line.

You mentioned language. Communication sounds like an important tool, too.
I鈥檝e been thinking a lot about framing. Like, at the trailhead if you say, 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to start up toward Widowmaker,鈥� instead of 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to go ride the Widowmaker,鈥� now everyone in the crew is like, 鈥渢his is a maybe.鈥� It changes expectations.听

How did you learn all this stuff?
I鈥檓 such a product of the people I鈥檝e been in the mountains with. I鈥檝e done a lot of formal education, but a lot of it was informal mentorship, seeing someone farther down the road than me and watching and asking questions. At the root of it is this curiosity, which is crucial for all things in the mountains. As for [finding] mentors, the key is to not overreach. Find a person you admire who is a few steps higher on the rung of knowledge and then draft. You can move up the ladder, passing people along the way and finding people higher up to learn from, but if you start reaching for the top too soon, it can be overwhelming and you鈥檙e bound to fall.

You鈥檝e been a real mentor to a lot of people in the world of climate change, which feels like it鈥檚 the biggest challenge for the future of snow sports. Any advice for how we can be good advocates and stewards?
I think you just have to start. Early on, I lost a lot of sleep over getting POW started. It took me a while to be vocal about the climate stuff because unfortunately climate is politicized, and anything political you start talking about brings听conflict into your life. But we can鈥檛 avoid conflict if we鈥檙e going to avoid the most pressing issue of our generation. Adapt or Die is my new mantra.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

The post The Gospel, According to Jeremy Jones appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Earlier this month, The Conservation Alliance announced that it would end its association with Bank of America over concerns about the institution’s commitment to environmental protection, abruptly severing a partnership that has lasted for years.

“Today, we are announcing our decision to divest all assets from our longtime bank and financial partner, Bank of America, in order to align our investments with our values,” the organization wrote in a public statement on October 10.

The Conservation Alliance announced that it would transfer its business to Bank of the West immediately.

“No bank is perfect, but we are impressed with [Bank of the West’s] move away from fossil fuels and support of groups like The Conservation Alliance, 1 percent for the Planet, and Protect Our Winters. We will regularly assess the financial institutions we work with to ensure our investments support our vision of a planet where wild places, wildlife, and people thrive together,” the organization wrote.

This week, OBJ spoke with The Conservation Alliance’s executive director, Brady Robinson, about the reasoning behind the decision.

Why has The Conservation Alliance decided to sever ties with Bank of America?

Our initial concerns had to do with protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. We’ve been funding the Alaskan Wilderness League on this work for nearly 20 years, and we’ve been with Bank of America for nearly as long. A number of other banks over the years have taken public stands not to fund oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but there was one that didn’t, and it was the one we happened to bank with.

It just didn’t look or feel good. We respectfully but forcefully engaged with Bank of America, and they listened to us. I think the fact that we represent a coalition of over 200 businesses got their attention. We had discussions with them, and some of our member companies had discussions with them as well, but ultimately they elected not to change their public stance. That’s when听we decided it was time for us to leave.

Can any company truly call itself sustainable without taking a close look at its banking?

Maybe not. It’s time we all examined the issue more closely. A lot of companies have been taking a hard look at their supply chains from a sustainability and听human rights听perspective, and I think financial institutions have, for the most part, been conveniently excluded from that scrutiny. We’re interested in drawing attention to the financial sector in this way. Who you bank with should be included in your supply chain analysis, because banking with a certain institution is a tacit听endorsement of their business activities and who they’re investing with.

It’s also a good way to call attention to issues you care about. For us specifically, the decision helped us draw attention to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, apply some pressure on Bank of America, educate our membership a little bit, and generally elevate the issue.

How hard is it to change banks?

We’re relatively small, so for us it’s easier than for larger groups. But to be clear, even for us it was still a pain in the ass. Banks are sticky. You get used to your checking account and you have all your automatic withdrawals set up. You have all your credit cards tied to various expenses. Banks use that to their advantage.

Obviously, it’s a lot harder for bigger companies. If you’re a big international corporation, the number of banks that can meet your business needs is probably small. We literally could have gone to a credit union in Bend, Oregon, after leaving Bank of America. The big players in the outdoor industry can’t do that. I think it’s important to note that we’re not trying to pass judgment on our bigger member companies. We’re just encouraging them to ask themselves this question. We are not telling them what the answer is because they have to balance their business needs with their sustainability goals. We’re just calling attention to the issue. And we’re hopeful that our member companies and the industry at large will give this consideration.

Why did you choose Bank of the West as your new financial partner?

We shopped around a little, but ultimately we decided on Bank of the West because we already had a relationship with them鈥攖hey’re a Pinnacle Member of The Conservation Alliance.听They’re really sincere in their support of us and groups like 1 percent for the Planet and Protect Our Winters.

A group like Bank of the West proves that good conservation practices can also be good business practices. They’re making a big stand in this area. They’ve walked away from some lucrative business as a function of their principles. If we can support that by moving our business to them,听that’s great for us.

To be clear, we’re not saying everybody should use Bank of the West. But for us, because we already had a relationship and their commitments align with ours, it was a pretty easy choice.

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In this edition of Straight Talk, editorial director听Kristin Hostetter sits down for a free-wheeling Zoom conversation with Jeremy Jones, pro snowboarder and founder of Protect Our Winters and Jones Snowboards.

The two, who are first cousins, talk about how Jones鈥� new documentary, Purple Mountains, is so different from all his other movies, how the outdoor industry can turn the tide of the upcoming election season, how the coronavirus crisis will impact backcountry safety this winter, and they reminisce about learning to ski the trees together as kids in Stowe, Vermont.

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People are 18 percent more likely to vote if they’ve formulated a plan to do so before election day. And this year, polls show that 70 percent of Americans would rather vote by mail than in person.

That’s the basic calculus that led to the creation of Protect Our Winter’s newest political effort, a digital tool called听Make a Plan to Vote that does just that鈥攈elps people understand how they can vote safely this year, and makes it easy to do so.

“What differentiates this tool from many others is that it’s a one-stop shop,” said POW executive director Mario Molina. Rather than requesting a mail-in ballot from a government website (which, all too often, can be a clunky and arcane process), POW’s tool acts as an intermediary with a clean interface and easy-to-follow instructions.

“If you use our platform to request a mail-in ballot, POW will send you a pre-filled form and a stamped envelope so that all you have to do is sign it, seal it, and stick it in the mail” Molina said.

The tool also allows users to set reminders for important election deadlines, research information about nearby polling stations, and more. All of this functionality is delivered via POW’s characteristically clean and intuitive web design.

The project was funded by several anonymous individual donors and a group of charitable foundations across the country. Together, these supporters have provided funds for 40,000 prepaid envelopes for mail-in ballot applications, a sum of roughly $60,000.

Brands in POW’s coalition are also getting involved in the effort.

“The North Face, Burton, Jones Snowboards, New Belgium Brewing Company, Skullcandy, and others will be helping us promote the tool on their social media channels and through their networks,” Molina said. “Some of them will also include widgets on their websites that allow customers receive more information about the tool.”

Though it’s only been live for a couple of days, Molina says the tool has already attracted hundreds of users. A short promotional video will be released in the coming weeks. As for community engagement, Molina says the most important thing people can do鈥攁side from using the tool鈥攊s to get the word out.

“Follow us on Instagram, sign up for our email list, but most of all, share the tool with your network and hold them accountable,” he said. “That’s the only way we’ll make an impact鈥攊f we mobilize everybody.”

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Life and business have changed dramatically for everyone in the last few months. Like reps, retailers, and others on the for-profit side of the outdoor industry, those working in the nonprofit sector have faced new challenges almost daily since the pandemic began. This week, 国产吃瓜黑料 Business Journal spoke with three outdoor nonprofit leaders鈥擡mily Newman, executive director of Camber Outdoors; Chris Winter, executive director of Access Fund; and Sam Kilgore, communications manager for Protect Our Winters鈥攖o discuss the state of the industry from their perspective.

First of all, how is morale at your organization right now? Is everyone holding up?

鈥淥ur team is in really good spirits right now. This whole experience has really sharpened our focus on just how important it is to spend time outside and how much we miss climbing. The whole team feels so passionate about our mission. When we can鈥檛 do the thing we love, it makes our work feel really important.鈥� 鈥擟hris Winter

鈥淢y team is feeling really responsive to the emphasis everyone is placing on helping each other right now. The whole world is focused on trying to help where possible, and that has created a lot of hope, at least for us. That feeling of wanting to be supportive, to do your part, has helped us get through this.鈥� 鈥擡mily Newman

鈥淚n mid-March, when the reality of the pandemic really started to set in, we had about a week where everyone was down and nervous. That was overwhelming, but one of the things POW excels at is pivoting when we need to make changes. We were able to turn uncertainty into focus, and that has definitely been inspiring. We鈥檙e in a really good place because our community has told us they want to continue to be active, and our staff has responded to that with focus and determination.鈥� 鈥擲am Kilgore

Money is tight for everyone right now. Have you had to make any difficult staff decisions鈥攍ayoffs or furloughs鈥攖o get through this?

鈥淲e lucked out in that we haven’t had to lay anyone off or furlough our staff. We had an increased budget for this year anyway because of the election, so luckily we were operating at a higher level before this all started. We did have to scale back some of our plans to fit the budget, but we鈥檝e also saved money on things like hotels for our staff at some of our in-person events that were cancelled. I wouldn鈥檛 say we鈥檙e in great shape, budget-wise鈥攚e obviously took a hit鈥攂ut we made sure to hold onto staff. Our big goal is to show everyone that even during the pandemic, we can still crush our goals. We just have to be more creative about we do it.鈥� 鈥擲am Kilgore

鈥淭hankfully, our industry partners and the climbing community have stuck with us through this. We haven鈥檛 had to lay anybody off. Even our trail teams have been able to keep working in isolation in the field. We have three conservation teams that live on the road 10 months out of the year, doing trail work all over the country. When the pandemic hit, all three teams were able to continue working in very remote locations where they have no contact with volunteers or the public.鈥� 鈥擟hris Winter

鈥淲e are definitely making choices around budget priorities and being extremely thoughtful about how we prioritize given our immediate and long-term needs. What I听can say is that we’re being very cautious about how we use funds to best deliver on our mission.鈥� 鈥擡mily Newman

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an organization since the pandemic began?

鈥淥n the programming side, one of the biggest challenges has been to help the outdoor community understand what it means to recreate outside safely during the pandemic. Climbing, specifically, is unique because there鈥檚 a lot of shared contact. Everyone is touching the same pieces of rock. There鈥檚 been a lot of speculation about how long the virus lives on rock, but very few medical experts have spoken directly to climbers. We鈥檙e working to change that. Last week we ran an infographic about how to climb responsibly that got a lot of traction. We just announced a free webinar next Thursday that will feature the director of the Infectious and Tropical Disease Clinic at the University of Washington, Paul Pottinger, who also happens to be a climber who鈥檚 summited Everest.鈥� 鈥擟hris Winter

鈥淚t鈥檚 a big year for us because we鈥檙e working on the election. We had planned to do 150 in-person events across six battleground states leading up to November. That obviously fell apart. That was a central part of our strategy and so we needed to rethink it quickly, but the change allowed us to innovate. We started a webinar series called Outdoor State of Mind featuring athletes like Jeremy Jones and Tommy Caldwell that has gotten people really excited. To gain access to these events, you have to make a pledge to vote. Since the series launched on Earth Day, we鈥檝e already pledged more than 4,200 people.鈥� 鈥擲am Kilgore

鈥淔or us, the biggest thing has been to make sure our mission work is still front and center. We have had to sharpen our focus on the immediate resources we can offer that still further our mission. After this all began, we quickly put out learning tools focused on HR leadership and systems equity. These are important because there’s so much uncertainty in workplaces. We’re trying to ask: What are the ways to reimagine workplaces so that they uphold DEI principles and also function in this new world?鈥� 鈥擡mily Newman

How will the coronavirus affect the financial picture for nonprofits in the near future?

鈥淥ne thing nonprofits need to remember is that the next 12 to 24 months will bring a lot of uncertainty and delayed effects. Brick-and-mortar stores have seen revenue drop off right away. Because we as nonprofits rely on charitable giving, there will be delays in the monetary interruptions. To deal with this, we鈥檙e running a lot of projections on what the future could look like financially. We鈥檙e touching base with our corporate partners and trying to keep pace with the changes, but it鈥檚 a complex picture. One thing we know at Access Fund is that we鈥檙e established enough to make it through this. 2021 will be our 30th anniversary. We鈥檝e been around long enough that people know the value we add. They鈥檙e focused on supporting us.鈥� 鈥擟hris Winter

鈥淚t varies from one nonprofit to another. Some have very large foundation funders and multi-year grants, others receive dollars from individuals and smaller sources. But no matter where a nonprofit鈥檚 money comes from, I think it鈥檚 important for people to understand that there are going to be so many needs that arise in the next 12 months that we just can鈥檛 anticipate. We鈥檙e seeing a lot of large funders being flexible and generous with their giving, but because of the uncertainty, the more support anyone can give, the better. This is the time to support nonprofits if you have the ability to do so.鈥� 鈥擡mily Newman

Have you seen any unique opportunities come out of all this?

鈥淚t’s important to remember that, even though the pandemic is obviously a huge deal, climate change is still looming and we still have a very short timeline to address it. We can鈥檛 put that on hold just because of this health crisis. One thing that鈥檚 been really interesting to see is how quickly the world can change. In a matter of weeks, we totally altered the way the world works to suit our health and wellbeing. People often say we can鈥檛 change the way we use fossil fuels because our systems are so ingrained, but the pandemic has proven that wrong. It鈥檚 possible to make massive shifts quickly. A crash of the economy, while unfortunate, presents an opportunity to rebuild in a way that鈥檚 beneficial to what we鈥檙e doing.鈥� 鈥擲am Kilgore

鈥淚n the context of a global pandemic and massive economic shifts, the issue of human relationships is suddenly front and center, which is encouraging to see. Everyone is thinking about how we connect with and relate to others. I鈥檓 hopeful that, because of that, we鈥檒l see even more collaborations that come out of this focused on DEI. At Camber, we just hosted a webinar focused on return-to-work strategies that support DEI. As we go forward, I think a lot of industry leaders will be forced to reimagine what their workplaces look like. There鈥檚 great potential to come out of this with a deeper focus on relationships and value-driven leadership.鈥� 鈥擡mily Newman

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Outdoor Retailer brings together some of my favorite people in the world, people I am so grateful to call friends and colleagues. I thoroughly enjoy getting together with these fine people of the outdoor and snowsports industry. But the reality is that the thrice-annual OR shows create an enormous carbon footprint and is woefully behind in bringing an industry clamoring for change into the future. It is wasteful of our money, time, and resources, and if there is not a complete overhaul in the format, it will eventually die, and could stunt the growth of struggling brands in the process.

My experience with OR began nine years ago, when I was a marketing department of one. The heritage French outdoor and ski apparel brands I worked for, Millet and Eider, were known and respected within the industry, but failed to break through at the consumer level, largely due to the fact that 70 percent of my marketing budget and time was allocated to attending three national trade shows, leaving insufficient resources to support sell-through. It was incredibly frustrating.

Last week, as news spread of the massive layoffs at Ten鈥攍eaving many of our media friends without jobs and some beloved titles, like Powder, Transworld Snow, and 国产吃瓜黑料 Sports Network in dire straits鈥攖hat frustration with the hyper-inflated cost of OR evolved into anger. We鈥檙e spending thousands of dollars to rent a piece of cheap carpet for our booths, but don鈥檛 have enough budget to support our struggling endemic publications鈥攚ho, it should be noted, still have loyal readers (a.k.a. our customers) but no longer have our advertising dollars.

We are giving millions of dollars to an exhibit corporation that has in mind the best interests of its profits, not the outdoors, while our grassroots organizations, like POW and Conservation Alliance, work tirelessly to preserve our environment and only receive a tiny piece of our budgets. And as my pal, Andrew Gardner of Press Forward PR, pointed out, brands, organizations like the ones mentioned above, and our industry leaders are telling grandiose stories of our sustainability efforts and achievements, while shipping massive, heavy crates and printing large-scale graphics that are trashed three days later. By continuing in this manner, we are being grossly hypocritical.

There was a time where orders were written at OR and the Snow Show. That is rarely the case these days. Regional shows, buying groups, and Grassroots Outdoor Alliance have proven to be more efficient forums for the sell-in. Sure, press coverage received from OR generates welcome buzz and awareness for brands, but any PR professional will tell you that that can easily be achieved through email, press trips, and just about any setting other than the 20-minute meetings we rush through with dazed journalists at our booths. A place to showcase our marketing stories for next season? Marketers can (and ahem鈥o) create more impactful activations at a lower cost outside the confines of the convention center walls.

That leaves the argument that we 鈥渘eed a national show to gather and stay connected,鈥� and I whole-heartedly agree. The bond the people of the outdoor and snowsports industry share is special. That bond is a love and passion for outdoor sports and good times. So why are we traveling long distances and spending a ton of time and money and carbon to crowd inside a convention center? Why don鈥檛 we converge and showcase our new products in the venue they鈥檙e intended for鈥攐utside. Why don鈥檛 we utilize indoor spaces for meeting rooms, seminars, or small-scale displays and then hit the ski resorts, Nordic centers, town parks, bike paths, hiking trails, waterways, and mountains for our bonding rituals and to check out the latest gear?

This, however, will require boldness. To be true to our values and to see progress, we have to move past an antiquated model that doesn鈥檛 serve our needs or a way forward.

Many in the industry have felt hostage to Emerald Expositions events, but with attitudes shifting, it鈥檚 time for OIA and SIA to make some drastic changes and to mine for a more relevant, affordable, and sustainable format. The alternative looks a lot like Interbike.

The views expressed here are solely the author’s, and not a reflection of 国产吃瓜黑料 Business Journal or Campfire-Collective clients or affiliates.听

Maro LaBlance, of Campfire-Collective, is a marketing and PR professional in the outdoor and snowsports industries. She values accountability and good times, in that order, and seeing blatant waste gives her a category-five panic attack.

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On Election Day, Patagonia wants voters in Nevada and Montana to choose two specific U.S. Senate candidates who have vowed to protect public lands and waters.

This is the first time in the brand’s 45 years that it has publicly supported candidates and Patagonia insists the endorsements are “not born from a desire to get into partisan politics.”

Nevada is home to Patagonia’s global distribution center, more than 650 employees, and the famous Worn Wear repair center. It’s also home to the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area; Gold Butte National Monument; Basin and Range National Monument; and millions of acres of wilderness in Clark, Lincoln, White Pine, Humboldt, and Lyon counties.

Patagonia supports Democrat Jacky Rosen to represent the Silver State for her track record of fighting for the state’s outdoor recreation economy, calling for permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and urging interior secretary Ryan Zinke to reconsider shrinking efforts at Gold Butte and Basin and Range.

鈥淪he will fight to protect Nevada鈥檚 public lands and the vibrant outdoor industry that depends on them,” Patagonia CEO and president Rose Marcario said in a statement, mentioning Rosen’s strong record of defending public lands in Congress and protecting access to clean air and clean waters. “We need her leadership to protect Nevada鈥檚 economy and the basic health of its people, so the business community can thrive and so Nevadans can prosper,” Marcario said.

In Montana, Patagonia has an important outlet store and it’s where the brand created the 1% for the Planet program. The brand has given $5 million in grants to the Montana Wilderness Association, supported the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project鈥攁n effort championed by Democratic senator Jon Tester that proposes to expand a wilderness area by close to 80,000 acres. According to Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, “he gives a damn about protecting public lands.”

“He goes to work every day for the 95 percent of Montanans who believe recreation on public lands is a priority, unlike Republicans in Congress who only serve the fossil fuel industry,” Chouinard said in a statement. “He also knows something about living off the land鈥攖he only organic farmer in the Senate, and the only one bringing the beef he butchers through airport security when he has to travel to DC. Jon is a real advocate for hunters, hikers, and Montana鈥檚 thriving outdoor economy at a time when threats to clean air, clean water and public land are worse than we鈥檝e ever seen.鈥�

For more information about candidates in your state, view Outdoor Industry Association’s scorecard and Protect Our Winters’ voter guide.

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