Cross-country skier Gus Schumacher has been gliding across the snow almost as long as he’s been able to walk. He began skiing as a child in Alaska. Now 22, he’s part of the U.S. ski team and a Beijing Olympian.
But Schumacher worries about the future of his sport. He says global warming is making snow conditions more unpredictable.
“Nowadays, we have to use different courses and maybe even entirely different venues because of a lack of snow in some places,” he says.
So he’s using his status as an Olympian to push for climate action. As a member of the Protect Our Winters Athlete Alliance, Schumacher recently traveled to Capitol Hill. There, he and other Olympians shared their concerns with members of Congress.
“And the goal was to convince them to push policy and solutions that will help us reduce emissions,” Schumacher says.
He says he’s pleased with the climate and clean energy investments in the Inflation Reduction Act. And he hopes his activism helps lead to continued action on climate — not only to protect the sport he loves, but the world.
“As professional athletes and athletes in general, we see changing winters early,” he says. “But those problems are going to cascade to literally everybody on the planet.”
Read: ‘How is climate change affecting winter in my region?’
Reporting credit: ChavoBart Digital Media