The Power of Giving a F*ck

Emily Tidwell is an action sports photographer based in Reno, Nevada, who has captured some of the most powerful moments in skiing, snowboarding, and cycling. With an eye for adventure and a deep respect for the people and places she documents, her work has been featured around the globe. She’s a Senior Photographer for The Mountain Gazette and Captain of the Creative Alliance at Protect Our Winters, where she leads with heart and helps fellow creatives turn passion into climate action.

Emily has been part of the Wild Rye family since 2018, and to us, she represents what it means to show up fully—creative, outspoken, and unapologetically caring. Through her photography, advocacy, and partnerships with brands that share her values, she reminds us that it’s not just okay to give a damn—it’s actually cool to care.

It’s not always seen as cool to care. In fact, the act of not giving a f*ck had been deeply instilled into the first decade of my career in the ski industry. From the park to the party, it was more about who landed the sickest trick or pissed off the most people in a day than checking in or wondering if we could be doing more for others. Caring was not it.

The thing is, I care. I care a f*cking lot and have since I was a little girl. I mean, being “Minnesota Nice” is essentially engraved on my heart. The people, and especially the places I surround myself with, are my most important treasures. I raised and tagged butterflies for migration when I was 8, tended gardens and grew food with my mom as soon as I could walk, went to science camp at 11 to know more about the world, and only wanted to be curious and caring for everything I could see.

So when I was introduced to Protect Our Winters, I was nearly vibrating with anxiety at all the things I saw that it didn’t seem I was caring enough about. The glaciers deteriorating on Mt Hood, our forests burning, ski seasons growing shorter, and my ability to spend quality time breathing fresh air and drinking clean water slipping away. For years, I had been thinking about these things. And for years, it had felt too big and too “uncool” to speak up about. So I had sat on the sidelines while my guilt of inaction continued to rise.

Then, in 2022, I got an invitation to a Creative Gathering with POW in Denver, Colorado. My initial reaction was shooting up from my desk chair with excitement. I had done it! I had won an illustrious invitation to spend time in the midst of one of the baddest environmental non-profits in America. Some of the world’s greatest athletes were aligned with POW, talking about all the things I cared about, and now, I was going to have the chance to speak with them, too!

And then, immediate dread. Oh God, what had I gotten myself into? I was such a fraud to actually be invited at all. I’d actually done nothing to talk about the things I cared about. I wasn’t some world-renowned climber, I wasn't dropping into chutes or doing crazy feats. I sure as Hell wasn’t informed enough about the climate issues I saw. Wouldn’t be considered an expert on anything. Now what was I gonna do? Show up and be discovered as just a wanna be?

But….I kinda wanted to be a wanna be. And despite the growing anxiety of actually going to the event, I went. And what I found was amazing.

I found community. I found community in the other creatives who had come from all over to congregate in Colorado. It turns out, I wasn’t the only one questioning why they were there. It seemed like each one of us felt like a fraud or a phony for not being perfect enough or important enough to do work on what we knew was important. I found myself taking a deep exhale. Maybe I actually belonged here more than I thought?

Because the thing is, we can all care. We can care about clean air and water. We can care about our planet. We can care, and we need to, but we don’t need to be perfect every step of the way in our caring. And let’s face it, if you live and breathe on this planet, you are imperfect. We live in systems of imperfection, from the way we clothe ourselves to the way our food is delivered. And yep, we have a carbon footprint that follows us around. Even the best of us in the world cannot escape some errors in the way we do things. And Protect Our Winters knows this.

They also know that we can’t wait for perfection to do something to better our world and our future, and that fumbling along the way is okay as long as we’re always working to better ourselves and the others around us. I learned that, especially that weekend, when I realized we were tasked to actually present a project proposal to the entire ground of gathered creatives and legends like Jeremy Jones. I had–nothing to present– no clear idea of what I was going to do to save the planet, let alone save on groceries for the next week, so when I stood up in front of the group, I took a deep breath, stared out at the faces watching me, and said,

“My name is Emily Tidwell. And I give a f*ck. I give a f*ck about the trees. I give a f*ck about our snow. I give a huge f*ck about bees, and I want to keep giving a f*ck about everything else I care about in this world.”

That-uh- shocked a few people. Maybe the imperfection in my address sparked a few more ideas as well throughout the group, who is to say? But I can say that moment gave me the freedom to actually speak up about those things and know that, hey, it’s f*cking cool to care, and I know that there are other people out there, just like me, who want to care, too.

And my work with Protect Our Winters started from there. I lobbied for the IRA with the help of POW the Summer of  2022, became Creative Alliance Member of the Year in 2023, completed my first film, Saving Silence, with the help of POW in 2024, and became Captain of the Creative Alliance last Fall, where I get to steward stories and hype around the over 80 incredible Creative Alliance Members we have across all types of mediums.

My time with POW has taught me more than to be an advocate for the climate, but also an advocate for myself and the brands I associate with. I have been a proud ambassador for Wild Rye since 2018, applauding their focus on clothing made for women and created by women. Each year, I’ve watched as they’ve built their ability to source sustainable and thoughtfully assembled products has grown. And with that, I’ve seen their voice as individuals and as a brand show up in the outdoor industry and beyond.

The point is. Wild Rye cares. And they know it’s cool to care. And that is a value that you simply cannot buy. To speaking up about women's reproductive rights, to cheering on the first women's Red Bull Rampage, to opening up about the crushing reality of tariffs, and supporting our right to public lands, they've done it all. And with grit and grace at each step.

As we stand in an unstable market with the tide of tariffs rising, along with the rest of the uncertainties we face, I know with certainty that I am proud to be a member of the Wild Rye family. I’ll be dammed if I won’t support their diligent work to bring up the community that surrounds them. Because working with Wild Rye is just another way I advocate for the future I want to see. And damnit, I care.

Written by: Emily Tidwell