Some might say, the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are a long way off. But, the participants have already started pulling up their socks. And among the eager anticipators is a teenage phenom, who has recently lifted her first snowboarding World Cup but is already chasing the snowy slopes of Milan. However, it turns out the 17-year-old American is just as responsible as ambitious, with her initiatives toward climate change.

We’re talking about Bea Kim, the young prodigy who is officially entering her second season as a pro on the American team. And oh what a successful stint she’s had in her debut year. Besides winning the World Cup at Laax Open, the halfpipe snowboarded has finished her season third on the overall standings. But besides performing exceptionally in the sport, she’s also turned into an ardent advocate for the need to address climate change.

Snowboarding star Bea Kim joins Protect Our Winters

As per Olympics.com, Bea Kim has joined Protect Our Winters, a non-profit where people are united by their shared love for the outdoors and they strive to achieve systemic solutions that can prevent climate change and save land. You reckon Kim must be one of the youngest on the team? Well, she is. However, she’s also among the most vocal ones and thus won the Alliance Member of the Year award recently. All of this is because she has been deeply connected to the outdoor world ever since she went camping, and climbing with her family as a kid. And while her passion for snowboarding has stemmed from this, so has her need to be a climate advocate.

She believes, through her sport, she started to see the effects of climate change on the world. Well, snow sports have been increasingly affected by aspects like warmer temperatures caused by climate change. But, she believes she can contribute towards bringing a change, “I slowly realized that our stories are enough and they’re very meaningful as athletes and especially as young people to protect the places that we love and to advocate for clean air and to advocate for public lands.” 

Imagine, she’s so invested in the same that she left for Washington D.C. As an athlete, she had the honor of putting her points forward at the UN, on the occasion of the United Nations International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. This gave her a chance to share her thoughts on the urgency of the matter and urge people to join the change. Earlier, she’d been to the Arctic to first-hand witness the impact of climate change too. But, there’s a lot on her to-do list for for the coming years.

Bea Kim has lofty future plans

Currently, Kim is the only teenager in the USA snowboarding pro team with experts like Chloe Kim, a double Olympic gold medal winner, Maddie Mastro, a 2x Olympian, Maddy Schaffrick and even Sonora Alba. She’s the youngest one on the team but has mighty plans for the future. For a while, she put the possibility of being at the Olympics out of her mind, for she thought it was beyond her reach for now. But now, she feels its crazy to be in conversations that are leading up to the Winter Games.

And Bea Kim also wants to walk the walk. “I’m 100 percent hoping to be on the team that goes to Italy,” she said. It’s her aim to represent her country and line up as one of the rides. The excitement is already through the roof as she says, “I can’t wait.” But that’ll require her to stay focused in the 2024-25 season and hone her skills. While ‘landing runs’ are going to be her focus, she is planning to do what she can control. And not worry about the tricks that her competitors are pulling. With this strategy, do you think Kim can shine among the other snowboarding pros this season? Share what you think below!