Some places stay
with you.

I’m Davide Palisi, an avid skier who loves the mountains. For me, skiing is more than a sport. It is a reason to step outside, take a deep breath and feel part of something bigger.

There is something special about a day on the slopes: the cold air on your face, the sound of skis on snow, and that moment when you stop to take in the view. You don’t have to be the fastest skier or take the steepest run to understand it. Sometimes, simply being there is enough.

If you love the mountains too, you probably know that feeling. These places become part of our lives. They hold the days we look forward to, the people we spend them with, and the memories we carry home.

That is why their future feels so personal to me. The thought of shorter winters and disappearing ice is hard to separate from the places I love. I want others to have the chance to stand on a snowy slope and feel that same sense of wonder.

Our Melting Slopes begins with that love, and with the belief that caring about a place can bring people together.

I don’t have every answer. But I believe we can start by listening: to the people who work in the mountains, to the communities who call them home, and to the researchers helping us understand what is changing.

Through our annual conference initiative, I want to turn concern into conversation, and conversation into practical ideas. To protect the landscapes and forests we cherish, we also need to care about the people whose livelihoods depend on them.

Whether you ski every winter, visit the mountains in summer, or simply care about what we leave behind, there is a place for you in this story.