Since 1999, the SALOMON FOUNDATION has assisted the social and professional rehabilitation of mountain professionals who have been physically disabled because of an accident or illness. During that time, the Foundation has helped more than 400 mountain guides, professional athletes and guardians of mountain refuges (huts), for a total amount of €1.5m (€150,000 in 2023 alone).
Starting in 2023, the Salomon Foundation has extended its role by supporting local organisations across the globe that promote and make the outdoors more accessible to those who might have previously been excluded from it. In 2023, 16 associations in Europe, Mexico and the US have received a total of €350,000 via the Salomon Foundation.
The team at the company’s headquarters in the French Alps has worked with its local Salomon offices around the world to find organisations that are helping promote the outdoors to those who have not had access previously. This includes those supporting cancer victims, refugees, amputees, people of colour and those suffering from social and/or financial exclusion by providing them with outdoor gear and taking them into the outdoors.
“At Salomon, we want to connect people to the outdoors, to help them discover it, understand it and respect it,” said Marie Accambray, Director of the Salomon Foundation. “As a company, we do this by creating outdoor footwear, skis, apparel and gear, but the Salomon Foundation is a way to take this vision one step further. Indirectly, we can even better protect the environment and the outdoors by educating new people on the rewards of being in the mountains or spending time in nature.”
“The outdoors helps us to be stable as a person. We need the outdoors to feel at peace and feel good, even if we tend to forget it,” added Clélia Compas, Founder of YAMBI, an organisation that uses mountain sports to facilitate integration for refugees living in the French Alps. “When you had to leave your country, your family, when you’ve lost everything, you need to find the energy to find a job, housing, papers, to learn French.
“You need to repair yourself. We see the outdoors as a way to regain self-esteem and find energy to keep going and re-enter normal life. With a partner like Salomon, we can provide them with equipment for our outdoors projects, including climbing Mont Blanc! And we are creating real ties with the team from Salomon, who even find time to join us on hikes.”
As a brand, Salomon operates with the belief that time spent outside has countless positive effect—physically through being active and exercising; mentally by connecting with nature and with oneself; and socially by teaching individuals how to respect their natural surroundings and how to behave in a group.
Through the Salomon Foundation, Salomon also hopes to connect different organisations to create a virtuous circle of mutual help. In addition to the €350.000 in funding from Salomon, consumers will also be able to donate via the Salomon Foundation website, while purchasing in Salomon stores or on via SALOMON.COM.
