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interviews

Dani Hochmuth about POW Austria

Protect our Winters!

by Lisa Amenda 12/21/2016
Our winters are changing. This is not only due to too many party-happy tourists storming the ski resorts, but also to climate change. This has an impact on our sport as we know it. Protect our Winters knows this, as does Dani Hochmuth, founder of POW Austria.

The first snow had already fallen. Until the foehn swept it off the mountain peaks. The white base was wiped out, forcing the ski resorts and us to postpone the start of the season or help it along with artificial snow. Sometimes it works, but not always. Is anthropogenic climate change the reason for this?

Climate change or dry spells?

Not always. Variability also plays a role. Very simple fluctuations in the climate: sometimes there is more snow in the northern Alps, sometimes in the southern Alps. Sometimes in Europe, sometimes in North America. It has always been like this and will remain so. However, it is impossible to say exactly how climate change will affect winters. We already know that the glaciers are losing mass and the winter seems to be getting shorter. In a way, this will change our sport. The white ribbons of artificial snow that currently characterize the Alps confirm exactly that. So is our beloved powder under threat? The powder that flies around our noses and lets us glide softly - as if on clouds - over the slopes?

Awareness-raising first and foremost

Snowboard pro Jeremy Jones wants to prevent this at all costs. That's why he founded the Protect our Winters (POW) initiative in 2007. He set himself the goal of mobilizing the winter sports community so that every winter sports enthusiast would stand up for winter and its associated passions without further endangering the climate. POW stands for an alliance of professional riders who work together to protect the climate. Supporters include riders such as Pep Fujas, Nicolas Müller, Caroline Gleich, Angel Collinson and Danny Davis. They focus on educational work and regional projects to reach people directly on the ground and raise awareness of climate change.

But it is not only internationally that POW is now an established organization. Over time, regional offshoots have been formed in a number of countries, such as France, Sweden and Austria. POW Austria has been organizing itself in Austria since 2015. Here too, POW is committed to regional climate protection projects and awareness-raising and has its own Riders Alliance, including Elias Elhardt, Aline Bock, Lena Stoffel and Lorraine Huber.

POW President and pro snowboarder Dani Hochmuth explains how POW Austria came about and what makes POW so special for her:

Lisa: Dani, how did POW Austria actually come about?

Dani: It was actually all a big coincidence. I was still working as a product manager and developer in the outdoor industry in 2014 and have always been interested in sustainable concepts. My friend Berni Mayer then asked me if I would like to work on his PROSNOW Tirol project. We wanted to advise companies on sustainability issues. I was immediately interested and when we asked POW International if they could help us with certain things and provide us with information, they asked us if we would like to set up POW Austria. They were looking for someone to look after the project in Europe anyway. Well, one thing led to another and now I'm the president of a climate protection organization.

Lisa: Isn't that a lot of work? Looking after a climate protection organization on the side?

Dani: Yes, totally. It was actually a stroke of luck that I signed the license agreement for POW Austria in Obergurgl in 2014 before the Riders Meeting of the Freeride World Tour Qualifier. I crashed heavily in the contest and was completely out of action for three months. During that time, I was able to concentrate fully on POW and build it up. That was almost 1.5 years ago and now we have just moved into our first office in the coworking space "Spinnerei" in Innsbruck.

Lisa: Why POW in particular? What is special about it for you?

Dani: The special thing about POW for me is that we deal with big issues such as transportation, nutrition or consumption as well as regional projects on the ground. We are not an organization to be afraid of. We don't pillory people if, in our eyes, they don't act in a climate-friendly way. Instead, we want to point out solutions and be a communication tool. The athletes themselves stand up for their sport. I also think it's very special that we are a large, international alliance, but that we can plan country-specific campaigns in a very targeted way thanks to the offshoots in the individual countries. For example, things like drawing attention to the presidential election or talking to Austrian ski resorts. That is rather difficult as an international organization.

Lisa: What are your next activities?

Dani: We have recently been supported by the Alp-Con-Cinema-Tour. We were there for a few screenings. We want to intensify the partnership even further next year. We're really looking forward to that. We will also have a stand at the Air & Style in Innsbruck for the first time this season. I'm not allowed to say exactly what we're planning there yet, but just this much: it's going to be pretty big! Otherwise, we will continue to focus on mobilizing the winter sports community through appearances at events and information evenings, raising awareness of climate change and highlighting solutions through dialogue.

Lisa: And what are your long-term goals?

Dani: Our long-term goal is to work directly with ski resorts in Austria. We want to support them as a partner and work with them to launch campaigns such as carpooling or help install solar systems. In Austria, a large part of the economy depends on tourism. What's more, every 14th job here is directly or indirectly dependent on winter sports. That's why you can't talk everything down, you have to show the ski resorts solutions and work with them to improve things.

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This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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