Born in Australia but a devoted resident of Revelstoke, Canada, Chris Rubens made a name for himself as a world-class (and world-travelling) freeskier. But a first-hand encounter with the effects of climate change forced him to reevaluate his approach to the sport his life revolves around. Could a professional ski career coexist with a newfound desire to minimise your footprint?
Freeride culture, at its purest, is a freedom to express what inspires you. Or put a different way — you’ll find your horizon by following your heart. For Chris, a filming ski trip to Greenland with a climate scientist showed him where his next big focus would fall.
The glaciers they’d travelled to ski amongst were suffering from the effects of climate change — and the signs were undeniable. Not to mention the exceptional heat the group experienced on their trip. Confronted by audiences on the film tour with questions about his own actions, Chris was ready to make a change.
“While the changes were pretty small at the start, it felt really good — and it felt like where I wanted to go. That's definitely how I've navigated my career to this day.”
The changes Chris made might have started small, but all big waves start with small ripples. From a 4,000km journey skiing volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest using just an electric car and a bicycle, to starting an organic farm with his partner Jesse, this new mindset informs almost everything he does. And the farm is where Chris feels he’s making his biggest impact — both in terms of his own footprint, and in benefitting his community.
“It's the hardest thing I've done. But it feels like I'm having the most impact. We do deliveries to restaurants and grocery stores and we're at the market every Saturday during the summertime, and the community is so supportive of us. These people are going out of their way to vote with their dollars by buying our produce instead of going to the grocery store and buying produce from California or Mexico. And in turn we’re able to bring on employees that are making a living off of our farm, too.”
For Chris, the parallels between farming and backcountry skiing are alarmingly similar. Being in touch with nature, reading her signs, and knowing when to step back, is everything. And it’s a relationship that continues to grow.
“When you’re skiing, you're always gathering as much information as possible and staying as safe as possible, and then executing on that decision. And it’s the same with the farming side of things — you're at the mercy of Mother Nature. So you gotta take all the pieces and know when to push and when to pull. Sometimes you're successful. But if you ever try to fight with Mother Nature, she will beat you every time. And I guess I love that aspect of both farming and skiing.Being at the mercy of Mother Nature and having to learn how to work with her and do the dance and listen.”
Chris’ work ethic and value system informs much of his choices. Examples set by his parents helped too, of course.
“My parents brought me up with a strong work ethic. My parents were really good at bringing us outside, but we always had to do our homework first. It was always a balance. I remember my dad bought a really expensive mountain bike when we were kids — and then he sold the family car two weeks later for less than he bought the bike. I’m not sure he meant to, but he taught us what to value more, and that experiences count. I don't value material things the same way I value experiences in the outdoors.”
Achieving so much in a sport that’s defined by giant objectives can be daunting. Especially if you get caught in the loop of ‘what’s next?’. But for Chris, he sees the end goals as motivation for digging in and doing the work.
“Cliches are cliches for a reason, and I think finding your horizon is no different in the sense that what your horizon is today might not be the same tomorrow and that's totally OK. I think that the horizon is like the thing that motivates you at the time, but it's really about the journey of getting to the horizon — that's the fun part. And if it’s a crazy enough idea or a crazy enough plan, finding that horizon is pretty damn rewarding, too.”
From cutting back on travel to dedicating his off-season to the farm, Chris has made a radical effort to reduce his carbon footprint and be accountable for his emissions. But how does this approach influence others in the skiing community?
“I personally think that seeing somebody change is way more inspiring than talking about it.I am fortunate enough that I can do both” explains Chris. “I can't think of a better place for a sustainability message to come from other than the ski industry because we need snow. If we don't have snow, we don't have much of an industry.”
It’s a message Chris has managed to seamlessly integrate into his work as a sponsored athlete, too. Working closely with the product team at Atomic, Chris was instrumental in the development of the new Atomic Backland FR 109 ski — a 10-year dream for Chris. “It was my first chance to really have a lot of influence on a ski, and I'm super proud of how it turned out. It's a really big deal when a company as big as Atomic — that manufactures so many skis and boots — can start cutting carbon emissions, because it can have a huge impact."
Through advocacy and living by example, Chris is making changes in the same way he always has — by following his heart.
“We are going to have to make changes as a society, so why not just start now and stop fighting it? Maybe you'll be surprised that these aren't sacrifices, necessarily. That it's a better life that you're creating and you'll be more fulfilled and more happy. That's certainly my experience with it. I think on the professional side I just want to keep pushing the sport towards foot-powered backcountry skiing. Trying to showcase that being more sustainable is a great way to get down — and that a lot more people can go this direction.
“In 20-30 years, when people look back, I hope they think, ‘Wow, the ski industry was way ahead of the curve and really progressive with their climate change initiatives.’ That's what I want to push. That's what I want to be a part of.”
