What We Do

Winter Wildlands Alliance is a national nonprofit organization working to inspire and empower people to protect America’s wild snowscapes.

Since 2000, we have been a dedicated group of members, local grassroots groups, education sites, avalanche centers, backcountry retailers, and more to keep winter wild. Protecting and preserving wild winters for generations to come is what keeps us going year-round to do our work and create a lasting legacy for winter recreation.

We represent a fast-growing community of backcountry and Nordic skiers, splitboarders, snowshoers, climbers, climate researchers, and other human-paced winter explorers from Maine to California to Alaska.

Our members, and the members of our 33 different grassroots groups in 14 states, are working together to improve climate resilience on public lands, to advocate for sustainable and equitable recreation management, to protect wildlife and watersheds, and to make stewardship and conservation the primary ethic of all backcountry users.

We deeply value ecological integrity, natural winter soundscapes, and the opportunity for refuge and respite afforded by the last remaining places across the United States where solitude, wildness, wildlife habitat, and non-motorized experiences are protected.

From the backcountry to Washington D.C., WWA works with land managers, elected officials, grassroots groups and other partners to pursue a balanced, adaptive, equitable and collaborative approach to winter recreation management for the long-term protection of the places where we recreate and seek adventure.

Policy & Advocacy

As activists, WWA builds relationships with grassroots snowsports and conservation groups, providing networking opportunities and useful resources. WWA publicizes national issues impacting human-powered snowsports and maintains a national presence by communicating regularly with Forest Service, Park Service, and Congressional representatives, commenting on draft management plans and encouraging agencies to adopt skier-friendly policies. We provide opportunities for groups and individuals alike to get engaged by issuing action alerts about issues relevant to the winter backcountry. And our work and initiatives continue to grow.

Backcountry Film Festival

In 2005 we created the Backcountry Film Festival as a way to celebrate the human-powered experience – creating an outlet for filmmakers, and uniting backcountry enthusiasts for a night of fun with a purpose. Our hand-picked selection of films tours to more than 100 cities worldwide each winter, raising money for grassroots snowsports groups, avalanche centers, SnowSchool sites and other conservation partners along the way. Look for the Backcountry Film Festival in a town near you.

SnowSchool

And in a desire to further our mission of promoting winter wildlands, we started SnowSchool – an unforgettable winter adventure for children that combines hands-on science learning with outdoor exploration. Bundled up and fitted with snowshoes, students venture out into America’s winter wildlands to discover the wonders of a snowbound ecosystem. With 28,000 annual participants at forty five sites across the United States, SnowSchool is a hands-down success with teachers, students, parents and public land managers. WWA’s SnowSchool program extends our mission of promoting winter wildlands by fostering ecological literacy and a love for outdoor exploration among K-12 students.

Ski Kind

In skiing and riding we are our best selves. In 2020, we launched the Ski Kind Backcountry Responsibility Code alongside Granite Backcountry Alliance as a way to bring a sense of community and humbleness to a ski season that seemed to be in jeopardy from every angle.

Conceived as a set of guidelines to promote responsible winter recreation, Winter Wildlands Alliance (WWA) joined forces with Granite Backcountry Alliance (GBA) to bring the Code to the backcountry community all winter long.

Backcountry participation numbers skyrocketed due to resort restrictions and people looking for COVID-safe activities, and our beloved ways of getting outdoors to enjoy nature experienced a surge that no one could have predicted as people have been taking solace in the outdoors and outdoor recreation.

David Page, previous Advocacy Director and current Executive Director at WWA, worked closely with the team at Recreate Responsibly to integrate a winter version of their efforts. With the goal to have double the impact with double the results, David worked to also launch Ski Kind in the same fashion as Recreate Responsibly with an open toolkit for users to share and learn from.

Currently, we are working to finance a Ski Kind stewardship fund that would directly impact on-the-ground kindness and maintenance projects for all types of public lands recreation in winter.