Headliner concerts, Skimo, Fat Tire Bike Challenge, and more to be part of “Preview” event Feb. 25-27, 2022; complete Winter Mountain Games event launches in 2023
Vail, Colo., Nov. 23, 2021 – 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 owns and organizes 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 summertime GoPro Mountain Games is a major attraction, with vibrant activations from a variety of brand partners. The Winter Mountain Games Preview will offer sponsors and vendors an amazing opportunity to reach an 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 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.”
For more, visit winter.mountaingames.com.
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About the Winter Mountain Games
The nonprofit Vail Valley Foundation’s Winter Mountain Games brings athletes, art, music and mountains together in Vail, Colorado, to create the best all-around winter mountain experience available anywhere in the world. The event is the winter version of the summertime GoPro Mountain Games, which were founded in 2002 and which take place in Vail each June. The Winter Mountain Games had a 2-year run in 20012 & 2013, and return to Vail in 2022 with the Preview edition.
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.
For more information about the Mountain Games, visit mountaingames.com.
About the Vail Valley Foundation
The Vail Valley Foundation is a 501c3 Colorado nonprofit corporation with a mission to enhance the quality of life in the Vail Valley and showcase our community to a global audience through arts, athletics and education.
The organization’s work in education is through YouthPower365, a 501c3 Colorado nonprofit corporation with a mission to provide year-round extended learning opportunities that empower and educate the youth and families of Eagle County from cradle-to-career readiness. The Vail Valley Foundation also provides the Vail Valley with several of its most treasured annual events, such as the GoPro Mountain Games, the Xfinity Birds of Prey Audi FIS Ski World Cup races, the Vail Dance Festival, and the Hot Summer Nights and ShowDown Town free concert series. The Vail Valley Foundation also manages and operates two performing arts centers, the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek Village and the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail, providing more than 100 Broadway, dance, comedy, classical, rock, pop, jazz, community and family events per year.
Vail Valley Foundation activities and events are in part made possible by cornerstone partners: the Town of Vail, Vail Resorts, Beaver Creek Resort Company, GMC, and TIAA Bank.
To learn more about the Vail Valley Foundation visit vvf.org.