Words by Hannah Bailey (@neonstash)

Back in 2005, I had never been snowboarding. In fact, I don’t even remember knowing that it existed. I had once or twice been to Aviemore with my dad and forced onto skis at the bottom of a slope, crying my eyes out. I didn’t find snowboarding until my early twenties, but it was my saviour. It didn’t take long for snowboarding to become my passion, my adventure, my learning and my community. I owe a lot to the snow. Almost 15 years later, I can sit here full of the most amazing memories from adventures. I have ridden through the trees past reindeers in Lofoten, stared out across the Portes du Soleil on a bluebird day with a baguette in hand and a board under foot and ridden backcountry for the first time with locals on the powder highway. These are memories, that we as snowboarders have, but that only exist because snow exists.

“What are we waiting for? I want to continue snowboarding, as I am sure a lot of you do”

So imagine right now that we live in a world where snow doesn’t exist – what does that erase in your life? What future possibile adventures and feelings does it erase? It may free up a load of space in your garage as snowboards dissolve into dust, it might make your winter a bit like a hibernation rather than the more active side of the year, it will definitely lower the excitement level when you hear the words “winter is coming”. It’s a scary thought, but one that could become a reality. A report released on Wednesday by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a UN body assessing the science related to climate change, is a stark reminder of this. Edinburgh based climate campaign charity, Protect Our Winters UK, warned that the findings of the report demonstrate clearly that the very existence of outdoor and winter sports – and the communities and businesses that they support – are under urgent threat from the climate crisis. So, what are we waiting for? I want to continue snowboarding, as I am sure a lot of you do.