Jessie Diggins raises alarm over climate conditions, calls for action.

When the American ski star retired after the World Cup finals at home in March, she stated that she would use her voice to highlight important issues.

Now, the 34-year-old is sounding the alarm. In an interview on the CNN program The Lead before the weekend, Diggins expressed her shock at the situation in Norway.

During her 15 years competing in the World Cup, she has seen firsthand how global warming and climate change increasingly affect winter sports.

“We saw it, and also we felt it, and as skiers we feel that first, right? Like I like to say we’re the canaries in the coal mine. We notice the winter changing, because that’s what our livelihood depends on, and that’s what we know, and we breathe skiing and we wanna inspire future generations and have them get to do it too,” she said, according to a post on social media.

Also Read – Jessie Diggins: portrait of an American icon in her golden final chapter

Concerned by Norway

Diggins highlights Norway and the World Championships in Trondheim as a prime example of concern.

“When we notice it changing, that’s really concerning, and that’s really scary for us. And I would say we saw it, venue to venue, across all of Scandinavia and Europe, and places that you would think would have incredible winters, like our World Championships in Trondheim was really, really rainy, and that’s really concerning, and that’s at the end of February up in Norway,” she stated.

Olympics could be a mud pit

Diggins expresses concern about what may await at the next Olympics.

“And then we were in La Clusaz, France, years ago, and I have this picture of this ribbon of snow on a grassy field where there is mud and you have to put down carpets so that the fans don’t track mud all over the trail because they’re standing on grass in a field in February in the high mountains, and this is the venue that is gonna host cross-country skiing at the next Winter Olympics,” she remarked.

Diggins emphasizes that climate change threatens not only those competing in winter sports like cross-country skiing, biathlon, and alpine skiing but also the entire culture, identity, and economic foundation of regions where winter and winter activities are a natural part of society.

Now, the ski star is calling for action—not just from winter sports athletes and their organizations, but from everyone who cares about the future of winter regions.

Watch the full interview on The Lead here (The story continues below)

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A post shared by The Lead with Jake Tapper (@theleadcnn)

Remarkable career

Jessie Diggins made her World Cup debut with the city sprint in Drammen in 2011 and has significantly contributed to putting the USA on the cross-country skiing map.

Last winter, she won Olympic bronze in the 10-kilometer event, despite starting with a rib fracture. She already had three Olympic medals: silver in the 30-kilometer and bronze in the sprint in 2022, as well as gold in the team sprint in 2018.

From the World Championships, she has seven medals, including two golds. Her first was in Val di Fiemme in 2013 when she won the team sprint alongside Kikkan Randall. The second came in Planica ten years later, in the 10-kilometer freestyle.

Overall, the American cross-country skiing star has competed in 384 World Cup races, standing on the podium in 90 of them and winning 34.

Beyond results: personality, advocacy, and influence

Jessie Diggins is known not only for her competitive fire but for her openness and humanity. One of her most impactful contributions has been her willingness to speak publicly about mental health and eating disorders, sharing her own story to reduce stigma and help younger athletes. Her two-part ProXCskiing.com interview series, “Breaking the Silence,” resonated widely and underscored her role as a leader beyond the ski tracks.

Her enthusiasm — the glitter, the face paint, the effusive celebrations — helped reshape the global perception of American skiing, making it more visible, approachable, and relatable to fans worldwide.

Read More
Breaking the Silence: Jessie Diggins Opens Up
Breaking the Silence: Jessie Diggins – Part 2

The story continues below.

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