Vail Mountain Games Sees Boost in Participation

The 12th edition of Vail’s summer Mountain Games experienced a dramatic increase in spectators and local economic impacts, along with a substantial increase in television and media exposure, reports Vail Valley Foundation, which hosts the games. The 2013 GoPro Mountain Games, held June 6-9, enjoyed an estimated 53,579 spectators during the course of the four-day event, which represents a 22 percent increase over 2012, according to VVF.

The Games played host to three nights of free live music, 29 competitive and participatory athletic events, an outdoor lifestyle free film series and a Gear Town that included more than 83 partner brands and multiple experiential expo areas. The event also drove significant economic impact to the Town of Vail, with surveys indicating a $4.7 million infusion, representing a 23 percent increase over 2012. This figure includes approximately 5,391 room nights booked in Vail as a direct result of the event.

“Our partnership with GoPro has certainly elevated the Mountain Games to a new level,” says Mike Imhof, senior vice president of sales and operations for the Vail Valley Foundation, which organizes the annual event. “We’re already looking forward to providing an even more exciting experience for all of our athletes, spectators and partner brands in 2014.”

The 2013 GoPro Mountain Games also garnered increased national and international attention, playing host to the 2013 Slackline World Championships, the only International Federation of Sport Climbing World Cup bouldering event in the United States and a silver level Slopestyle event on the Freeride Mountain Bike World Tour. All of the action was chronicled via three separate one-hour television shows on NBC Sports Network, Universal Sports and Outside TV, as well as coverage on Spike TV, Grind TV, CNET and 9News.

In all, the 2013 GoPro Mountain Games generated over 400 editorial media stories, resulting in over 180 million impressions.