Working toward solutions to our climate crisis isn’t all that different from running a marathon in Antarctica or skiing with a toddler. All can feel like an uphill battle. Protect Our Winters’ new CEO, Erin Sprague, has experience with all of that.

POW, the Boulder, CO-based climate advocacy organization founded in 2007 by pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones, started as a grassroots idea of getting people who love snow to come together for the climate. Last January, Sprague, an avid runner and skier with a resume that includes working for Aspen Skiing Company and Specialized Bicycles, became the first female CEO of POW. After taking over the role, she took a trip to Aspen and bootpacked up Highland Bowl on a low-key powder day. She dropped into the bowl with just a few other skiers in sight. “It feels like we’re always running uphill, but in that moment, it felt like this spiritual experience that grounded me in the midst of really hard work,” she recalls. “Having those experiences reminds me why we’re doing this.”

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