The 2024 GoPro Mountain Games wraps up with a little something for everyone

Eagle County summer’s unofficial kickoff event, the 22nd annual GoPro Mountain Games in Vail, took place this past weekend, from Thursday, June 6 through Sunday, June 9.

Athletes and artists of all ages — from two to 85-years-old — participated in athletic competitions, listened to music, admired art and learned from experts at the four-day event hosted by the Vail Valley Foundation.

“It’s about kicking off summer in the Rockies and celebrating mountain lifestyle and celebrating mountain culture,” said Dave Dressman, GoPro Mountain Games event director for the Vail Valley Foundation.

Visitors and athletes came from all over the world to compete, to soak in the start of summer in the mountains, and to collect gear from the over 100 sponsors that lined the streets of Vail Village and Lionshead.

This year’s Mountain Games may have been the biggest on record. Last year, the event reached 92,000 spectator visits, a number that is calculated by adding up the total number of spectators present each day of the Mountain Games. While this year’s final numbers have yet to come in, the count was at 90,000 spectator visits and growing on Sunday.

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The keys to success

“The beauty of the Mountain Games is every year we try to tweak and change things to keep it fresh and exciting, but the core foundational elements are what make it work,” Dressman said.

This year saw over 4,500 athletes competing in over 32 events across 11 different disciplines at the Mountain Games, a historic high that went above and beyond last year’s previous high of 4,000 athletes. Athletes competed to win over $140,000 in prize money, in addition to physical prizes, with opportunities to win in both elite and amateur events.

“Where else can you see kayakers, climbers, cyclists, fisherpeople, dogs all high fiving, hugging and hanging out? There’s nowhere else in the world, in my opinion,” Dressman said.

The event, which has 15 full-time Vail Valley Foundation staffers, as well as 300 volunteers, is constantly adapting to new challenges. “Our core team, they amaze me,” Dressman said.

The increase in athletes is likely due to two factors. This year, there were increased opportunities for participation, from elite/amateur splits in certain races, like the classic Mountain Games race Pepi’s Face-Off, to new events, like the Oakley XC short track bike race, in which racers completed several laps around a course laid around Golden Peak.

But Tom Boyd, director of public relations and communications for the Vail Valley Foundation, also credits the increase to overwhelming interest. “It is partly some more offerings but it’s also just partly events that people have been doing here for a long time. The word has gotten out and more people want to take part,” Boyd said.

As a result, “we sold out of almost every single event,” Boyd said.

Beyond sports

“This event has managed to not just grow in size but grow in spirit,” Boyd said.

For art connoisseurs, tired athletes and spectators that wanted to keep the party going all day, Mountains of Music featured nearly non-stop live music from 30 bands all day and into the night. Some artists were also on-site creating art live, including the new mural by the Vail Village parking structure by the artist Sloth.

Those wishing to learn something new could listen to a talk at the CoLab Creators Stage in the Solaris Plaza, where athletes, artists and content creators shared the secrets to their success. “It’s a really unique model for taking stories to the public, and we had some really big stars and celebs and cool influencers,” Boyd said.

In its second year, the CoLab Stage grew and changed, adding the Mountain Game Show, which pitted professional athletes and famous personalities against each other in a trivia and physical competition.

Lionshead, perhaps better known by its Mountain Games name, “Dog Town,” hosted four full days of dog athletics, from the classic DockDogs Big Air event to the K9 SuperWall, which returned this year after a hiatus. “It’s a really unique experience over there,” Dressman said, and a crowd favorite. “Dogs is usually number one on the survey.”

The Eagle County Animal Shelter brought dogs up for adoption to the Mountain Games to meet their forever families, and adopted out 22 dogs throughout the weekend.

Locals show up and out

Spectators and athletes come to the Mountain Games from all over the world — in a typical year, the crowd is roughly two-thirds Coloradans and a third from out of state. Of the Coloradans, Dressman said he estimates about half are Eagle County locals. And every year, the talent of Eagle County locals shines across events. This year was no exception.

Vail local Rob Prechtl edged out professional kayakers Dane Jackson and Nick Troutman to win the Gore IV Kayak Challenge. Local rafters Matt Norfleet and John Anicito teamed up to win the Gore IV Raft Challenge.

One especially well-known Eagle County native made an appearance on Saturday afternoon. Mikaela Shiffrin, home for a brief time, came to the Mountain Games to compete in the Mountain Game Show and chat on the CoLab Stage.

“She was really fun on stage,” Boyd said. “One of the coolest things about having the greatest ski racer of all time in your town is once in a while, she’ll stop by and give everybody high fives and have some fun.”

Shiffrin will be racing in the Birds of Prey event at Beaver Creek in December, her first World Cup race in Eagle County.

Surprise storm

While most days were clear and warm, and sunburn was usually the biggest enemy, a classic mountain storm rolled in on Saturday afternoon. Intermittent rain, hail and thunderstorms delayed, shortened and canceled some events.

“It wasn’t the rain, it was the lightning. Lightning within a mile, it’s safety first, and we’re advising everyone to shelter in place,” Dressman said.

“My theory is that Mother Nature wanted to put on as good a show as Mikaela Shiffrin does every time she hits the slopes,” Boyd said.

Most events affected by the lightning took place either later on Saturday or at some point on Sunday. “It didn’t dampen participation and attendance,” Boyd said. “The pause button was hit throughout all our venues for a 45-minute window yesterday. But that’s the mountains. People get it.”

Rain was not the only water event that impacted this year’s Mountain Games. Flows in the Eagle River and Gore Creek were forecast to peak over the weekend, causing high water levels, which also impacted certain events. The SUP Surf Cross, scheduled for Sunday, was canceled because the paddleboarders rely on the ability to turn in the river’s eddies, which were small and swift at the moment. However, the high water levels created optimal conditions for many of the other water-based events, Boyd said.

‘Best weekend yet’

Though the Mountain Games draws a wide audience, Dressman maintained an emphasis on celebrating the local lifestyle.

“For me, it’s always about the people and the community and how this event brings so many amazing groups of people together,” Dressman said. “It really is, at the end of the day, just an unbelievable celebration of mountain lifestyle and mountain culture.”

Boyd, who has been involved in the Mountain Games since it was exclusively a whitewater event prior to 2002, called this year’s event “hands down the best weekend yet.”