With the outlook for winter so dim, it is surprising, shocking even, that the ski industry and the alpine 1 percent it serves have not led the charge to slow climate change — if not to keep the climate safe for their progeny, then at least to save the snow outside their resorts and chalets. Instead, they have largely kept silent or, at most, pursued anemic, low-impact “sustainability” and “awareness” campaigns that give the appearance of advocacy but have done little to accomplish what the winter sports world, and the world at large, needs: rapid reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

So with experts urging fast action to avoid serious consequences from climate change, where is the snow lobby?

“Many ski resort executives at large resorts are focused on yearly earnings; small resorts are simply focused on staying in business,” said Mario Molina, the executive director of Protect Our Winters. “ This focus on earnings and the resulting aversion to entering politics has led to stasis. With exceptions, most of the industry and trade groups are increasingly paying lip service, but are still unwilling to make it a top priority when engaging law- and policymakers."

Protect Our Winters, founded by the professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones in 2007, is one of the few organizations fighting for snow on Capitol Hill. Using the reach of its ski industry partners and more than 60 high-profile professional athletes, the group has been lobbying Congress and the White House for laws to slow climate change.

In 2018 , Pr otect Our Winters created a separate action fund that focused on midterm elections in Colorado, Montana, Nevada and California’s Fourth Congressional District, offering climate-change education, get-out-the-vote programs and support for climate-friendly candidates. As for P.O.W. itself, so far the group has managed to rally support to its cause from only 20 ski resorts and more than a dozen corporate sponsors willing to contribute at least $25,000 each , though dozens more give more than $5,000.

Recalcitrance to engage in hard-hitting advocacy, unfortunately, is common in the ski industry. The National Ski Areas Association deserves credit for planting the seeds of sustainability and awareness among skiers as far back as 2000. But its subsequent efforts, like programs to encourage the purchase of carbon credits to offset emissions and signing open letters urging elected officials to support the Paris climate accord and President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan, do more to make them look environmentally responsible than to reduce emissions.

“We take a highroad, proactive approach and not a divisive approach when we work with members of Congress, and we’re going to continue to do that,” said Geraldine Link, the association’s director of public policy. “We don’t use ‘doom and gloom’ or ‘sky is falling’ messaging.”