Britain's most successful male Winter Olympian, Matt Weston, has joined the climate advocacy group Protect Our Winters (POW) after witnessing firsthand the impact of rising temperatures on his sport. The 29-year-old skeleton athlete, who won two gold medals at the Milano Cortina Olympics in February, is using his elevated profile to campaign for environmental action.
From Olympic Glory to Climate Advocacy
Weston broke the track record at the Cortina Sliding Centre four times en route to winning Britain's first medal of the 2026 Winter Games. Two days later, he became the first GB athlete to win multiple golds at a single Winter Olympics, taking the mixed team event with Tabitha Stoecker. Since then, life has changed dramatically. 'Skeleton is very small; you don't get media attention normally. So coming away from the Olympics and getting recognised on the tube, and people leaving messages on Instagram has been absolutely amazing,' he said.
In early July, he spent a day in the royal box at Wimbledon with other sporting legends, followed by a day at Silverstone. Shortly after, he got married. But the past six months also marked a pivotal decision: after seeing winter landscapes change before his eyes, Weston decided to become an athlete advocate for POW.
Protect Our Winters: Mobilising the Outdoor Community
POW was founded by professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones in 2007 when he realised the resorts he loved were starting to disappear. The organisation aims to mobilise the entire outdoor community—skiers, climbers, hillwalkers, mountain bikers, paddleboarders, surfers, and snowboarders—to make a difference on climate. 'We might be dirtbags,' says the website, 'but we're dirtbags making a difference.'
Weston, originally from near Tunbridge Wells in Kent—a county of marshes, chalkland, and beaches—grew up surrounded by natural beauty. 'I'm very fortunate. There's so much natural beauty around there. I think growing up, walking the dog, playing sports and generally being outside in nature massively impacted me,' he said.
The Changing Face of Winter Sports
After a decade of hurtling down ice tracks and spending half the year in the coldest parts of the world, Weston has had time to reflect on the changes. 'I remember when I first started skeleton training in St Moritz, it was -27C—that was a cold year—but we haven't been near those temperatures in quite a long time,' he said. St Moritz is home to the last natural ice track in the world, and 'now they're having conversations about whether they need to be getting refrigeration—that's a pretty decent red flag.'
Artificial tracks rely on refrigeration to supplement natural cold, but 'when the temperature is getting close to the teens they can't warrant having the refrigeration on—you're basically fighting a losing battle. So, we've missed days of pre-season training.' The impact is tangible: 'Our sport is won and lost by hundredths of a second. And when instead of being on a completely flat shiny surface, these little bits of frost come up that act like a break as you're going down—it's as if you left the door open on your freezer. I love the fast tracks, that's the adrenaline junkie side of me. I want to be able to watch future guys go and race. If the changing environment is the thing that's stopping them, that is pretty sad.'
Snow Disappearing from the Alps
The Alps are warming at twice the global average, and snow that was once guaranteed is disappearing. 'A lot of the time that beautiful whiteout scenery is becoming a rarity. It's sad because you go to some of these places and it is almost like a British winter, raining and horrible,' Weston said.
The existential threat to winter sports can be overwhelming, but Weston finds hope in action. 'Sometimes the more you think about it, the more depressing it can be—oh God, is this really the situation we're in? But on the flip side, there are things we can do and a lot of Protect Our Winters' messages are solution based.'
POW UK's Clean Miles Campaign
POW UK focuses on mobilising the UK's outdoor community. Their Clean Miles campaign addresses the carbon footprint of travel in outdoor sports, advocating for more affordable, better connected, and more reliable public transport with space for equipment. 'At the moment, the way things are, I have to drive across Europe with my kit because the sleds themselves are about 30-40 kilos,' said Weston. 'When I'm in the UK, training is more accessible by public transport. I live in London, I use public transport all the time. It is a great example of a way that we can have a society where public transport is really great and efficient.'
In November, Weston will return to the World Cup circuit as a double Olympic champion and an advocate for the winters melting under his feet.
