Los Angeles, CA – A number of qualified cities were named last week by ESPN, which owns the X Games franchise, as potential venues for the Winter X Games once the current contract with Aspen, Colo., expires. Two finalists will be determined by April and host cities will be announced by the end of the year.
The Aspen Skiing Company, host of the event through 2015, is one of the potential host cities, along with Park City, Tahoe, and Quebec City and nearby Le Massif de Charlevoix in Canada. A statement issued by ESPN only lists those venues that have chosen to be identified; it is not known if there are other potential venues in the running that have not elected to be revealed.
“We have a long history and great partnership with ESPN and the X Games franchise, and we feel strongly that we’d like to keep it here and continue that partnership,” says Jeff Hanle, director of public relations for the Aspen Skiing Company. “It’s been a great run for us, and the X Games have become almost synonymous with our brand in some ways, so we’re always happy to have them back.”
Park City has plenty of experience hosting some of the biggest winter sports events in the world, including the 2002 Winter Olympics, the Freestyle World Championships and World Cup, and the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix. The Park City Chamber/Bureau has organized Park City’s efforts to host the Games, and details surrounding Park City’s bid have not been discussed publicly. One potential hitch is that the dates upon which the X Games take place coincide with Park City’s hosting of the annual Sundance Film Festival.
The X Games bid is being sponsored by the Lake Tahoe Sports Organizing Committee, a new entity created to bring marquee events to the area and generate overnight stays while promoting Lake Tahoe to a global audience. Committee partners include the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, North Lake Tahoe Chamber/Convention & Visitors Bureau/Resort Association, Heavenly Mountain Resort and Squaw Valley amongst others. Competitions would be conducted at Heavenly and Squaw.
According to ESPN, past X Games winter events have yielded substantial results for host cities. Aspen estimates that the X Games generates up to $10 million in identifiable benefits. The event, historically held in January or February, has attracted 20,000 to 25,000 spectators per day. The broadcast distribution alone for the X Games Aspen 2012 reached 232 million homes in 192 countries and territories. Exposure included 3.6 million (and growing) Facebook fans. Social media mavens have also boosted the grassroots popularity of the event by capturing and sharing breathtaking photos, high-energy videos and real-time updates on athletes that demonstrate the appeal of the game.
“Hosting an event of this caliber would provide significant economic impact for the destination,” said Carol Chaplin, Executive Director of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. “The demographics of the X Games align perfectly with attractions and appeal of Lake Tahoe and its combination of outdoor recreation, spectacular natural beauty and 24-hour lifestyle.”
The inaugural X Games was held in Newport, R.I. in 1995 and the winter edition, which began in 1997 at Big Bear in California, includes extreme sports (hence the name) ranging from Snowboarder-X (Boarder Cross), Slopestyle, Superpipe, Big Air/Best Trick, Snocross and Freestyle Snowmobiling. It was also held in Crested Butte, Colo. and Mount Snow, Vt. before moving to Aspen in 2002.
This year’s edition of the Winter X Games will be held this week at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen for the 11th consecutive year.