Pro sports are heating up. Some athletes are calling for climate action.

From her home in Boulder, Colorado, world champion climber Sasha DiGiulian has been watching smoke from the East Troublesome fire darken the sky — yet another reminder of the climate crisis. With 40 record-shattering climbs under her belt, DiGiulian has traveled as far as Madagascar, becoming the first woman to ascend the massive granite face of Mora Mora. But since 2015, she has also been travelling to Washington, D.C., with climbing advocacy groups like American Alpine Club to lobby Congress for conservation and clean energy legislation.

DiGiulian is part of a growing community of climbers, trail runners, skiers, and other athletes who know that global warming spells doom for their most beloved outdoor sports. In recent years, Australian Open tennis players have fainted, their shoes melting , due to extreme heat and wildfire smoke. Warmer winters are melting the ice and snow essential to sports like snowboarding and hockey.

These athletes are witnessing the consequences of a changing climate firsthand — and doing what they can to warn the rest of the world. “I’ve lost friends due to mountaineering accidents,” DiGiulian says. “Avalanches have always existed, but the warming temperatures and changing weather patterns cause less stable snowpack, which […]

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