Posted by: Tom Boyd
For two winters in 2012-13, the Winter Mountain Games celebrated ‘athletes, art, music and mountains’ to create spectacular and memorable experiences in Vail.
The daring, grassroots event drew strong reviews, and was on a similar track to its highly-popular sibling event, the summertime GoPro Mountain Games, which take place each June on Vail’s rivers, trails, mountains, and concert stages.
After almost a decade waiting in the wings, the Winter Mountain Games are officially back.
Today, the nonprofit Vail Valley Foundation, which hosts the event, announced a “Winter Mountain Games Preview” event to take place in Vail Feb. 25-27, 2022, and the return of a full Winter Mountain Games calendar of events to take place in February of 2023.
“This year everyone will get a taste of just how awesome this event is going to be. We’ll have a great lineup of concerts and a weekend of competition, art, and lifestyle celebration that will be a very bright part of this winter in the Rockies,” said Dave Dressman, Event Director of the Mountain Games for the Vail Valley Foundation. “Then in 2023 we’ll turn it up yet another notch with additional competitions and events. We are thankful to our longstanding partners, Vail Resorts (Vail Mountain), and Town of Vail for their support towards the exciting return of the Winter Mountain Games.”
The sponsor village known as “Gear Town” at the GoPro Mountain Games is a major attraction each summer with vibrant activations from a variety of brand partners. The Winter Mountain Games Preview will offer our sponsors and vendors an amazing opportunity to reach our attractive demographic of outdoor enthusiasts during the peak winter season in Vail. Brands interested in exploring sponsorship and vendor opportunities at the Winter Mountain Games are encouraged to contact the Vail Valley Foundation at info@vvf.org or 970.777.2015.
Concerts, USA Skimo events, and more in 2022
Live music is part of the DNA of the Mountain Games events, and the 2022 Preview event will be no different. This year’s Mountains of Music concerts will be free and will take place at the Solaris Concert Stage in Vail Village. VIP ticket opportunities will be available on a limited basis.
Friday, Feb. 25, 2022
5 p.m. Low Cut Connie
7 p.m. Galactic
Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022
5 p.m. TBA
7 p.m. Moon Taxi
One of the key tenets of the winter and summer Mountain Games is that professional and amateur athletes can compete shoulder-to-shoulder on some of the same courses and terrain. This will hold true again at most of the 2022 Winter Mountain Games Preview athletic events.
Registration opens in January, 2022, at winter.mountaingames.com and competitions include:
USA Skimo Competitions
Friday, 4:30 p.m. Individual @ Vail Village start, Golden Peak finish
Saturday: 12 p.m. Sprint @ Pepi’s Face/Head First
Sunday, 7:30 a.m. Vertical @ Golden Peak
Bootlegger Hill Climb
Saturday, 4:30 p.m. @ Golden Peak
Snowshoe 10k/5k (dog friendly!)
Saturday, 1 p.m. @ Vail Nordic Center
Fat Tire Bike Challenge
Sunday, 1 p.m. @ Vail Nordic Center
Film showings, gear demos, sponsor activations, après events, and more will also be part of the 2022 Preview event. Schedule is subject to change.
Professional Ice Climbing was a major feature of the 2012 & 2013 Winter Mountain Games. Ice Climbing demos and gear will be a part of the 2022 event, and international competition will return in 2023, organizers said, along with ice-friendly activations and ancillary activities.
“We look forward to bringing international-level Ice Climbing competitions back to Vail, which is one of the best places to ice climb in the world, and we have a lot more in mind for 2023 as well,” Dressman said. “It’s all the parts and pieces of the Winter Mountain Games that, when you add them all together, create something totally unique and special for anyone who loves the mountains in wintertime.”
The Winter Mountain Games are supported by: The Town of Vail, Vail Resorts, Nature Valley, GMC, TIAA Bank, Tincup Mountain Whiskey, Pacifico, GoPro, Celsius Energy, Mountain House and Teton Gravity Research.
Share this Story:
