Sierra Quitiquit: Athlete to climate activist

Words by Laura Markwardt. Photography by: Simon Almers, Meg Haywood Sullivan, Quitiquit family archive

The personal and professional trajectory of athlete-turned-activist, Sierra Quitiquit, mirrors the moves of an elite competitor on the slopes. She has zigged and zagged from downhill racing to freeskiing, and from modeling to climate activism, with a free-flowing yet technical precision that sets her apart. 

Quitiquit’s journey from ski racer to change-maker has roots in a childhood defined by resourcefulness and a respect for the outdoors.

Growing up, her family of six squeezed into a one-bedroom house, in the ski town of Park City, Utah, US. “We didn’t have a lot of resources,” Quitquit recalls, “from a young age, I was just trying to maximize life.” 

She shared the loft with her three brothers, and naturally, Quitiquit found her sanctuary outdoors. She reminisces about the halcyon powder days of her youth – the joy of spending up to ten hours a day in the snow, intimately connected with the transience of the seasons. “I had my own space outside, and spent so much time interacting with the snowpack [compressed layers of snow that doesn’t melt for months], building snow caves and leaving the house in the early hours with my ski stuff.”

Quitiquit also saw that landscape decline before her eyes, “When the snow slowly started to disappear over those years, I was devastated. It changed me. Anybody who lives closely with the snowpack is in zero denial of the urgency of this moment.”

A downturn in Quitiquit’s hometown economy followed the signs of climate change, “The melting snowpack affected my hometown immensely. We lost the World Cup and this trickled down to female athletes and the financial support we could get.” 

With encouragement from her mother, Quitiquit supplemented her income through modeling. Her life changed when she made the cut for the reality TV show, America’s Next Top Model, and her face graced billboards across Times Square. And yet, as the power of Quitiquit’s personal platform grew, she became increasingly disillusioned by the wasteful consumption associated with the fashion industry at large.

Today, at 34-years-old, Quitiquit’s childhood devastation and industry insights have evolved to shape her voice as a driver of change. A spokesperson for sustainability through her social media platforms, supporting athlete-led non-profits like Protect Our Winters, and building her climate communications agency, Time For Better, Quitiquit connects deeply with an engaged, like-minded community. Glance at her grid, and you’ll see a joyful criss-cross of skiing, surfing, and skating alongside climate-positive actions born of hope. 

“Outdoor athletes are well suited to speak on environmental issues,” Quitiquit explains, “we spend so much of our time moving through shifts within the seasons. We have an intimate relationship with nature, spending time alongside coastal and indigenous communities, who are leading on the front lines of climate change.”

Quitiquit shines light on systemic sustainability challenges, but also advocates for everyday ways to put the planet first – such as ending single-use plastic. She emphasizes that every small conscious decision is a cumulative win, “It's beautiful to feel empowered that your choices matter – all of our choices matter.” 

A self-identified “imperfect environmentalist,” Quitiquit is transparent about the legacy footprint of her global career, “Not all of us are going to be heroes across all categories. I travel a lot for work. And so that's a category where I have given myself some grace, but when it comes to fashion and first-hand consumption, I make a conscious decision to choose better.”

Innovation around new design systems and popularizing ideological constructs – such as ‘post ownership’ with the Cyclon™ program, circular consumption models and pre-loved gear with Onward™ – are steps to a more sustainable future that underline On’s partnership with Quitiquit.

Her “waste not” mindset reflects an upbringing where sustainability meant better, shared use of resources. As a child, the pre-worn market meant Quitiquit could afford better quality ski gear, and more of it. 

“Second-hand meant my parents could afford to have four growing kids who all played sports. Then, we would sell or share back our gear to other families in need. There was a free-flowing, supportive sensibility around keeping pieces in circulation for as long as possible.”

Quitiquit circles back to the theme of abundance. Her many lives have seen personal loss, a physical struggle with Lyme disease and shoulder injuries, alongside expansive growth and inner work that has strengthened her resolve to accomplish more, through teamwork and positivity.

“When you're in competitive sports, there's only one winner, right? So there's this sentiment that you're always losing. I've done a lot of internal work to understand that that sentiment of losing was deeply embedded in me.” 

“My real mission is to live a positive, optimistic life, and today, I take a different approach to challenge, celebrating every success with my team.”

Quitiquit champions a mindset shift from egocentric individualism to viewing ourselves as part of a bigger whole. By seeing ourselves as inherently interconnected, we’re more likely to act in a way that’s best for us and best for all. And while life isn’t a zero-sum game, it’s good to feel like you’re on a winning team. 

Quitiquit keeps that ‘winning mentality’ front of mind, “My advice is just to keep moving. Risk-taking is critical to progress as an athlete, as an entrepreneur, as an activist, as anyone that wants to grow or make change in this world.”

Quitiquit also advocates for getting outdoors, away from screens, and moving in nature as much as possible, “In this day and age, it’s a radical act of resistance to just go outside and be outside. I have daily outside time that's non-negotiable. Life by design is important, and we need to encourage ourselves and others to design life around being outside.”

It’s true that the most comfortable paths are the ones most traveled. That’s why we need entirely new routes to affect the direction of climate change. Quitiquit’s goal today isn’t about the “win” – far from the slopes, she’s a pure team player, with a vision for collective change that throws new light like fresh snow on where we’re at right now. 

“Every job can be a more sustainable job, and we can leverage our collective passions to help us address this massive environmental issue, together. Find your passion, and lean into it,” Quitiquit says. “At the heart of every passion, for me, has always been nature.”