It is hard to not buy outdoor gear that the company doesn't support a group that is against backcountry snowmobiling or something(politics, etc.) that you don't agree with. To go even further a lot of the retailer's selling outdoor gear also support these groups. This is common no matter what you are buying. Best you can do is go with the lesser of the evils.
I agree 100% with you, BUT this organization is so strongly opposed to snowmobiles that it's corporate supporters should be not supported:
http://winterwildlands.org/our-partners/corporate-partners/
Some other groups are opposed to snowmobiling in general as it doesn't fit with their outdoors philosophy, but this group is specifically organized to oppose motorized access to public lands in the winter. Sort of the polar-opposite of the Blue Ribbon Coalition.
Look at some of their goals and "accomplishments":
Our Mission
Winter Wildlands Alliance is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving winter wildlands and a quality human-powered snowsports experience on public lands.
Our Successes
• In 2013 WWA secured a historic Federal Court Ruling directing the U.S. Forest Service to manage snowmobiles under the same guidelines used for all other off-road vehicles on national forest lands.
• Working with four coalition partners, WWA’s 14-year campaign to protect Yellowstone National Park resulted in a long-term winter use plan that eliminated the noisiest, most polluting vehicles, put a reasonable cap on total over-snow vehicle use and led to a remarkable recovery for the unique winter ecosystem, wildlife and visitor enjoyment in our nation’s first national park and most iconic winter sanctuary.
• WWA is founding member of the Outdoor Alliance. The five membership organizations of Outdoor Alliance have a long tradition of protecting public lands, waters and snowscapes while preserving public access to America’s Outdoors to ensure there are trails to ride, rivers to paddle, peaks to ski and crags to climb.
• Working with local partners, WWA has helped protect more than three million acres of public lands for human-powered activities and for the irreplaceable natural resource values these places provide.
• Created groundbreaking resources such as the Winter Recreation on Western National Forest Lands report and the Winter Trails and Backcountry Use Economic Impact Analysis for the Teton Region.
We exist for you, the human-powered snowsports enthusiast. And we will continue working tirelessly to ensure we all have places to play. Join Us.
Our Story
Formed in 2000, WWA grew out of the recognition that skiers, snowshoers, snowboarders, winter mountaineers and other backcountry adventurers needed a collective voice advocating on issues that impact the winter backcountry. Our work is equally focused on places as on the experiences these places provide, and equally at home in the backcountry as the halls of Congress
There should be no doubt what you are supporting when you buy from these companies. Their intention is to keep you out of the forest. You can't avoid supporting all these companies, but there are better alternatives. For socks, for example, buy something from Wigwam for example if you don't care to spend Klim money - their socks are made in Wisconsin.
*** I just noticed Smart Wool is no longer listed as their corporate sponsor, although they have been before. AND, Outdoor Research is, although they were not when I bought some gloves from them over the summer!
