The non-profit organization Protect Our Winters (POW) has officially unveiled its 2024-2025 seasonal collaboration lineup, featuring a diverse array of technical gear, apparel, and lifestyle products developed in partnership with leading outdoor brands. This initiative represents a strategic intersection of retail commerce and climate activism, aiming to convert consumer spending into direct funding for environmental policy advocacy. By leveraging its Brand Alliance Partners and Creative Alliance members, POW has curated a collection that emphasizes sustainable manufacturing, artistic expression, and financial support for systemic climate solutions.
Since its inception in 2007, founded by professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones, Protect Our Winters has transitioned from a grassroots movement into a formidable political force. The organization focuses on mobilizing the "Outdoor State"—a demographic of approximately 50 million outdoor enthusiasts in the United States—to influence climate policy at the federal and state levels. The newly released product collaborations serve as a primary vehicle for this mobilization, utilizing a "give-back" model where a significant percentage of retail proceeds are funneled into POW’s non-partisan advocacy campaigns.
The Evolution of the POW Brand Alliance Model
The 2024-2025 collection is built upon a decade of refining the partnership between non-profit advocacy and corporate social responsibility. The Brand Alliance program involves rigorous vetting of partner companies to ensure their internal sustainability goals align with POW’s mission. This year’s participants include established industry giants like Burton and Yeti, alongside specialized innovators such as Fishpond, Skida, and Best Day Brewing.
A critical component of this season’s launch is the involvement of the POW Creative Alliance. This group of artists and designers provides the visual identity for the collaborations, ensuring that the products serve as "conversation starters" in outdoor environments. Artists such as Max Romey, Joseph Toney, and Hannah Eddy have contributed original works that reflect the specific landscapes POW seeks to protect, ranging from the glaciers of Alaska to the alpine ridges of the Intermountain West.
Technical Gear and Equipment Collaborations
One of the most technically significant entries in the seasonal lineup is the POW x Fishpond Thunderhead Grande Submersible Duffel. Fishpond, a certified B Corp, has engineered this 100-liter duffel to withstand extreme maritime and mountain environments. The product is constructed from recycled 900D TPU-coated NewStream fabric, emphasizing the circular economy. Notably, 50% of the proceeds from this specific collaboration are donated to POW, marking one of the highest contribution margins in the outdoor industry.
In the realm of hydration and backcountry utility, the POW x HydraPak Stow Bottle and the POW x Yeti Flask represent a shift toward reducing single-use plastics. The HydraPak collaboration includes a $2 donation per unit sold, while the Yeti Flask is constructed from 18/8 stainless steel, designed for lifelong durability. These items are positioned as essential tools for the "human-powered" recreation community, which includes ski tourers and splitboarders who are often at the front lines of observing receding snowlines.
For winter sports enthusiasts, the Stoke Tracks Ski Pole Baskets offer a unique environmental solution. These baskets are manufactured without microplastics, addressing a growing concern regarding the degradation of synthetic materials in sensitive alpine ecosystems. The designs are inspired by animal tracks, serving as a reminder of the biodiversity at risk due to warming winters.
Apparel and Footwear: Merging Performance with Purpose
The apparel segment of the collection is led by the Burton Reserve 2L Pant, which highlights the progress made in sustainable textile manufacturing. These pants are crafted with DRYRIDE 2-layer 100% recycled polyester and are bluesign® approved. The bluesign® system ensures that the manufacturing process meets the highest environmental standards, specifically regarding chemical management and water usage. Burton’s 13-year partnership with bluesign® serves as a case study for how major outdoor retailers can mitigate their industrial footprint.
Footwear is represented by the POW x KEEN Whyser, a slip-on shoe featuring artwork by Max Romey. Romey’s design process involved the use of actual Alaskan snowflakes to create watercolor patterns, a technique that highlights the ephemeral nature of winter precipitation. KEEN, known for its "Effect" program, uses this collaboration to support POW’s efforts in protecting public lands from fossil fuel extraction.
Regional manufacturing is also a theme, evidenced by the Skida x POW Alpine Hat. Skida, based in Vermont, utilized a cyanotype printing process with plants gathered by athlete Noah Dines on local trails. This "place-based" design approach aims to connect consumers directly to the specific geographies they are helping to preserve through their purchase.
Lifestyle, Nutrition, and Digital Integration
The 2024-2025 collection extends beyond traditional gear into the lifestyle and nutrition sectors. The partnership with Best Day Brewing has produced the Dark Diamond NA, a limited-edition non-alcoholic beer. This collaboration reflects a broader trend in the outdoor community toward "sober-curious" lifestyle choices, prioritizing performance and recovery over traditional alcohol consumption. The product features artwork by Hannah Eddy and is championed by Jeremy Jones, bridging the gap between apres-ski culture and climate awareness.
In the nutrition category, the POW x Gnarly Nutrition Mint Mocha Whey provides a high-protein supplement designed for athlete recovery. Gnarly Nutrition has committed to using plastic-free packaging for this collaboration, further aligning with POW’s goal of systemic waste reduction.
Digital tools also play a role in this year’s strategy. The AllTrails Annual Plus Membership is included as a featured gift, emphasizing the importance of responsible trail navigation and the democratization of outdoor access. By encouraging users to explore offline and utilize 3D trail previews, AllTrails supports POW’s mission of fostering a deep, informed connection between the public and the natural world.
Economic Context and the "Outdoor State" Data
The financial implications of these collaborations are rooted in the massive scale of the outdoor recreation economy. According to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), the outdoor recreation economy accounts for approximately 2.2% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), generating $1.1 trillion in gross economic output. This sector grew by 4.8% in the most recent fiscal year, outpacing the growth of the overall U.S. economy.
Protect Our Winters leverages this economic weight to argue that climate change is not only an environmental crisis but a direct threat to a multi-billion dollar industry that supports millions of jobs. In states like Colorado, Utah, and Vermont, the winter sports industry is a primary economic driver. POW’s internal data suggests that for every degree of temperature increase, the ski season in the Northeast could shorten by up to two weeks, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue for mountain communities.
Analysis of Implications: Consumerism as Advocacy
The strategic release of this collection during the peak holiday shopping season is a calculated move to redirect "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" spending toward mission-driven organizations. Critics of "green consumerism" often argue that purchasing new products is inherently antithetical to environmentalism. However, POW’s leadership maintains that since consumers will inevitably purchase gear, providing an option that funds legislative lobbying is a pragmatic approach to systemic change.
The funds generated from these collaborations are directed toward four primary "levers of change" identified by POW:
- Clean Energy Transition: Advocating for the expansion of renewable energy infrastructure on public and private lands.
- Public Lands Protection: Opposing new oil and gas leasing on federal lands, specifically in the Arctic and the Sagebrush Sea.
- Carbon Pricing: Supporting legislative efforts to hold large-scale emitters financially accountable for their carbon footprint.
- Voter Turnout: Non-partisan campaigns to increase voter participation among outdoor enthusiasts in key "purple" districts where climate policy is a deciding factor.
Statements and Organizational Philosophy
While the products themselves are tangible, the intangible goal is the "cultural shift" within the outdoor industry. Statements from POW’s Athlete Alliance members, such as Olympic gold medalist Jessie Diggins, emphasize the dual nature of these collaborations. Diggins, who launched a jewelry line with Larissa Loden as part of the POW collection, noted that these pieces serve as symbols of commitment. With 50% of the jewelry proceeds going to POW, the collaboration allows athletes to use their personal brands to provide a consistent revenue stream for climate work outside of traditional donation cycles.
Ollie Bowen, POW’s Digital Marketing Coordinator and a former internal communications specialist at Burton, highlighted the importance of durability in this year’s merch, such as the 100% cotton heavyweight POW Cord Button Up. "Workwear-inspired staples are designed for seasons of wear, not just a single winter," Bowen stated in the release documentation. This focus on "slow fashion" within a non-profit’s merch line is intended to mitigate the environmental impact of the apparel industry itself.
Conclusion: The Path Toward 2025
As the 2024-2025 winter season begins, Protect Our Winters is positioning its seasonal collection as more than a gift guide; it is a portfolio of the outdoor industry’s commitment to survival. By integrating high-performance technical specifications with transparent donation models, POW and its partners are attempting to prove that the "Outdoor State" can be as effective in the halls of Congress as it is on the slopes.
The success of these collaborations will be measured not just in units sold, but in the legislative victories they fund. As snowpacks become increasingly unpredictable, the urgency of this model is clear. For the gearheads and enthusiasts targeted by this collection, the message is straightforward: the gear they use to enjoy the winter must now play a role in ensuring that winter continues to exist.