Skiers and climate activists: is this even possible? Julian Shooter is living proof that this constellation is very possible. Styrians have been campaigning for climate for some time. Recently, ÖSV drivers made more headlines for their commitment to climate protection than skiing. “I have no problem being known more as a climate activist rather than a skier. “But I’m continuing to work to become even more famous as a skier,” Shooter said in an interview with “laola1.at.”
In February, Julian Shooter wrote an open letter to the FIS. In this the skier called on the World Federation to take action. “One demand was to set up a sustainability department, because until recently there was no contact person for this in FIS. In May, Susanna Seiff was appointed as FIS Sustainability Director. I see this as a direct result of the open letter,” Shuter said.
ÖSV Ace only participated in the Last Generation campaign in June. They once again caused significant traffic jams in the morning traffic of Innsbruck. They blocked the busy Haller/Anton-Rauch-Straße intersection. The protesters staged a sit-in. Schutter does not hide the fact that he wants more support from the winter sports landscape: “You can’t speak too loudly on this topic. If other people also raise their voice, I would very much welcome it.
In his opinion, many athletes are afraid of negative consequences from federations and sponsors. Furthermore, many people fear being accused of double standards. “I have also heard the criticism that I should not comment on this topic when I am traveling around the world as a skier. I think a lot of people struggle with that,” explains Shuter.
Still, his critics would be mistaken in their thinking: “Why shouldn’t I be allowed to work for the survival of my sport? In general, it would be nonsense if only someone who is already expert in that field was allowed to address a topic. Nobody is perfect. Then again nothing would change if only perfect people – who don’t even exist – were allowed to say anything.
In theory, Shuter believes skiing will be around for a few more decades. However, according to the Styrian ski professional, some routes will be eliminated. Nevertheless, Shuter sees the problems facing humanity. “Projections say global warming will exceed two degrees between 2040 and 2050. Science clearly states that our adaptive capacities will no longer be sufficient. “It specifically means that there will be water shortages and famine,” Shuter made a gloomy forecast. People in Europe too are not untouched by this.
