The UK’s ski operator, Crystal Ski Holidays has partnered with outdoor sports focussed climate advocates, Protect Our Winters UK (POW UK) to enable the expansion of POW UK’s education programme.

The collaboration has education at the heart and will engage and inform Crystal Ski Holidays’ colleagues and customers about the environmental and sustainability issues that the ski industry faces, while also creating meaningful and progressive advocacy to help encourage climate action. The journey to net zero is complex and while many people want to act, they often don’t know where to begin. This is why Protect Our Winters UK encourages progress over perfection, and education is the place to start in order to create change.

The response to POW UK’s education programme to date has been hugely successful and currently the organisation requires more resource to meet demand. The joint venture will see Crystal Ski Holidays fund a new Programme Coordinator role for its education programme, enabling its expansion so that more of the mountain sports community can learn about climate change and instil meaningful change.

The partnership, which has been initially established over a three-year term will include ‘Carbon Literacy Training’ (CLT) for Crystal Ski Holidays staff, which will be delivered over an 18-month period. CLT equips the mountain sports community with knowledge of the carbon dioxide costs and impacts of everyday activities, and how emissions can be reduced, on an individual, community, and organisational basis. The eight-hour accredited course includes interactive discussions and outlines what is required to reach net zero.

Seasonal Crystal staff will also be invited to attend ‘Introduction to Climate Action’ webinars, which are designed specifically for those working within the outdoor industry, such as resort teams. The objective of all the training is to ensure that colleagues are confident and knowledgeable when talking about climate change while also normalising climate conversations and increasing engagement in climate action. In addition, the partnership will offer subsidised Carbon Literacy Training to Crystal Ski Holiday customers to help raise awareness of POW UK’s climate change effort.

Dominic Winter, Head of Programmes, POW commented: “It can be difficult for people to understand and articulate the science behind the climate crisis and why climate action is so vital. Even those who feel inspired to act are often unsure how to be effective. Education is, therefore, a hugely effective way to empower change. We’re proud to be working with Crystal Ski Holidays, and we’re confident that the expansion and delivery of our education programme will help both staff and the wider community take action.”

Ellie Eyles, Head of Marketing at Crystal Ski Holidays said: “We’re excited to be taking positive steps forward by working with Protect Our Winters UK. We recognise that as the leading ski operator, we have a responsibility to inform and inspire our colleagues and customers, as well as encourage a progressive step-change for them and the wider industry. We hope this partnership and the training we are providing our teams, demonstrates our commitment to positive social and environmental change to help shape a more sustainable future for ski and outdoor sports.”

Crystal Ski Holidays is part of the TUI Group which has committed to science-based targets. The company’s 2030 science-based targets for airline, cruises and hotels achieved validation from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in January 2023 and confirmed they are in line with the latest climate science. Detailed emission reduction roadmaps have been developed with an external partner which includes key levers to reduce emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.