For the second consecutive year, Atomic has taken the lead in driving sustainability efforts across the ski and snowboard industry by organizing the Ski Industry Climate Summit. Held on December 2–3 at ISPO Munich, this year’s summit gathered more than 180 participants, including global brands, manufacturers, retailers, suppliers, associations, and NGOs.
Building on the success of last year’s first summit in Salzburg, this year’s event highlighted the power of collaboration, trust, and shared goals. It demonstrated how competitors can come together to tackle common challenges, underscoring the industry’s united commitment to sustainability.
A shared vision for the future
Participants included well-known names such as Salomon, Rossignol, Burton, Decathlon, and Intersport, as well as smaller emerging brands like 1000 Skis and VAN DEER-Red Bull Sports, alongside partners like Protect Our Winters (POW) and the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI).
The summit featured an extensive program of presentations, workshops, and discussions led by industry leaders, sustainability experts, and innovators. Topics ranged from scaling supply chain decarbonization and lifecycle assessments (LCAs) to ski recycling and circular economy practices.
Collaboration emerged as a central theme. The summit emphasized the value of working together to establish common standards and frameworks, particularly for lifecycle assessments (LCAs). High-quality, comparable data is essential to measuring progress and enabling meaningful action.
Expanding collaboration
This year’s summit welcomed new participants, including stakeholders such as retailers and suppliers, broadening the scope of collaboration. This expanded participation enabled valuable discussions about consumer demands, business innovation, and the role of services like rental and repair in reducing the industry’s environmental footprint.
The summit also addressed the need to anticipate upcoming regulations. Participants agreed that sharing information about new requirements helps everyone prepare more effectively. However, there was a shared understanding that regulations provide only a baseline; the collective aspiration is to go further.
The ski industry is under immense pressure, with shorter seasons, melting glaciers, and rising costs affecting accessibility. Despite these challenges, the summit reinforced a clear message: it’s our collective responsibility to protect the future of this beautiful sport.
“We are deeply grateful for the success of the second Ski Climate Summit. Huge credit goes to Atomic for their leadership, as well as to all the companies involved, for their unwavering commitment to driving progress year after year. Protect Our Winters is proud to play a key role in advancing this critical mission. We look forward to seeing the next steps on this journey from commitment to action,” said Jonas Schneider, Executive Director POW Europe.
As emphasized during the summit, the message is clear: collaboration and action are the only ways forward. By working together, the industry is taking significant steps to protect the environment and ensure the future of winter sports for generations to come.
