In a press release, Vail Valley Foundation officials on Friday announced the GoPro Mountain Games will return to action June 10-13 after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic:
It is an announcement that mountain sports fans have been anticipating for months: The GoPro Mountain Games are officially a GO for June 10-13, 2021.
Organizers from the nonprofit Vail Valley Foundation, which hosts the event each year, said they plan to focus on athletes, music, and multimedia experiences in this iteration of the event. Spectator participation and activities are expected to be curtailed, and in some cases eliminated, due to ongoing public health restrictions.
“We are BACK, and we could not be more excited to bring some joy, vitality and positivity into people’s lives in the fresh air and sunshine of this beautiful mountain setting,” said GoPro Mountain Games Event Director Dave Dressman. “It takes months of planning and many, many key partners to make this event happen. The support we have received from our sponsors, the Town of Vail and Vail Resorts is remarkable, and it speaks to the power of the Mountain Games brand. We have looked at this from every angle and we feel confident we have a strong baseline plan to execute a safe, high-level, athlete-focused GoPro Mountain Games this June.”
The event has served as the epicenter of global mountain culture and adventure sports for nearly 20 years. After a one-year hiatus, the event will feature whitewater, mountain biking, road biking, fishing, trail running, DockDogs, disc golf, yoga, a photo competition, three nights of GoPro Mountains of Music (livestreamed and limited in-person capacity) and more from Vail, Colorado, with a wide array of additional ways to engage virtually.
Vail Valley Foundation organizers said they are going to take all the energy and excitement of the GoPro Mountain Games and concentrate it on core components of the event to ensure that both “pro and joe” athletes can get back to the water, trails, and competition after nearly a year of limited adventure sports competition opportunities.
The event will also include three nights of GoPro Mountains of Music headliner concerts (in-person and livestreamed) from the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, and a daily ‘SportsCenter-style’ live broadcast produced by Outside TV, which will open the livestream concert each evening.
Athlete registration is expected to open April 9. Learn more at mountaingames.com.
Here’s a look at what to expect from the 2021 event:
An athlete focus
The event will not be a cut-and-paste of years past, but instead will focus on the athletes, offering a core set of participatory events, substantial prize money, music, art, and a daily livestream and multi-media experience for those that are not able to attend in person.
In addition to being given a safe platform to compete in Vail for significant prizes, athletes will also receive pre-sale access to the GoPro Mountains of Music concerts and other perks throughout the event.
“We know our athletes have missed the event and the opportunity to compete together in our mountain community. Allowing a safe return for our athletes is of utmost importance to us, so we have built a plan that can take place under current public health guidelines; but we are optimistic that we will be able to adapt quickly as the situation improves and public health orders allow,” said Sarah Franke, Vice President of Marketing and Operations for the Vail Valley Foundation. “To that end, we will continue to focus on what can be done to ensure the event is as fun, energetic and celebratory as possible.’”
The Vail Valley Foundation will announce more information, updates, and details as the event draws near: stay up-to-date by signing up for the mailing list at mountaingames.com.
Athletics events will include:
Bike
- Road Bike Time Trial
- TIAA Bank XC Mountain Bike
- TIAA Bank Kids’ Bike Race
- Bosch eBike Challenge
Fly Fishing
- YETI 2 Fly X-Stream
- YETI Catch Wars
Kayak
- Pacifico Gore Creek Kayak Challenge
- GMC Down River Kayak Sprint
- GMC Kayak Freestyle
Raft
- Pacifico Down River R2 Raft Sprint
SUP
- YETI Down River SUP Sprint
Dog
- Orijen DockDogs Outdoor Big Air*
- Orijen DockDogs Extreme Vertical*
- Orijen DockDogs Speed Retrieve*
- Dueling Dogs
*This year’s DockDogs events will be classified as a National Championship, with increased prize money
Trail running
- adidas Terrex 10K Spring Runoff
- Nature Valley Après 5K
- Rocky Dog Trail Run
- Pepi’s Face-Off presented by JUNK Brands
Disc Golf
- Mountain Masters Disc Golf
Yoga
- Limited capacity, physically distanced, outdoors
Art
- GoPro Mountain Click Photo Competition
Previously held events that will not be a part of this year’s event are: Slackline; World Cup climbing competition; select whitewater events, including Steep Creek Championship; and the Ultimate Mountain Challenge.
Spectators and physical distancing
In-person spectating opportunities are likely to be limited or unavailable due to physical distancing requirements, but organizers are aware that the public health landscape may change as the event draws near.
The GoPro Mountain Games typically feature sponsor tents and activations from more than 140 sponsors, known as “Gear Town”, however that will not be the case in 2021. Additionally, some competition venues will be eliminated altogether, and others will be moved, in order to create firm boundaries where capacity and physical distancing can be managed.
Details on COVID-19 protocols at the event will be made public closer to the start of the Games. The Vail Valley Foundation is working closely and in conjunction with public health officials to ensure that the event operates within guidelines.
Confirmed changes include:
- Removing/eliminating Gear Town and sponsor activations & tents
- Elimination of all Lionshead village activations
- Moving DockDogs out of Lionshead
- Elimination of the Steep Creek venue in Red Cliff
- Elimination of climbing venue in Mountain Plaza
- Elimination of VIP area/access
Event organizers said they look forward to returning to Lionshead in 2022.
The Town of Vail and its hotels, restaurants, and miles of outdoor hiking and biking trails will still be open and active during the GoPro Mountain Games. Visitors are encouraged to come to the Town of Vail and enjoy, while still committing to state and local public health guidelines.
Music, livestreaming, and virtual events
For those who may not be able to compete but want to connect and engage with the GoPro Mountain Games, the Vail Valley Foundation is raising the bar for this year’s event in several ways:
- The introduction of a daily live show during the event in partnership with Outside TV
- A GoPro-camera livestreamed concert series from the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater
- Virtual events, contests and activities leading up to and during the event
- Additional announcements coming soon!
The Vail Valley Foundation looks forward to announcing band(s) and more details this spring.
Organizers said they recognize, even more than any other year, that this year’s event would not be possible without the support of the following partners: GoPro, Town of Vail, Vail Resorts, GMC, Go RVing, L.L.Bean, Nature Valley, Outside Magazine, YETI, Bosch, TIAA Bank, Pacifico, Mountain House, adidas Terrex, Tincup, Orijen, Lifestraw, Smartwool & JUNK Brands.
Learn more about this year’s event and register to take part as an athlete at mountaingames.com.
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