Why brands are hitting the slopes for the 2026 Winter Games

Nothing beats the feeling of taking off ski boots after a day on the slopes. But ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Milan and ski resort town Cortina d’Ampezzo, some marketers are preparing to be in their mountain gear for a little longer.

While the Winter Games have fewer sports compared to the summer cycle and tend to draw a smaller audience, there are a number of events, from hockey and figure skating to bobsledding and luge, that get billions of viewers around the world.

Among the sports catching the eyes of major brand marketers are skiing and snowboarding. There’s an abundance of reasons why, execs told Marketing Brew, from the practical, like the sheer amount of equipment in use and events outside of Olympic years, to the vibey, like off-slope culture and athlete personalities.

“There’s definitely that element of style and personality that comes through, and then it’s much easier, as a result, for brands outside of the snow to start thinking about how they might work with [skiers and snowboarders],” said Charlie Wade, chief client officer at VML Live, which has worked with clients on Olympics campaigns. “It’s kind of a dream.”

Après-ski

In some ways, the ski and snowboard life is available even to those who don’t want to make the trek up the mountain: Base lodges are a great place for people to kick up their feet and enjoy an après-ski cocktail or hot cocoa. It’s “the ultimate lifestyle sport,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, president and CEO of US Ski & Snowboard, making it easy for brands to tap into.

As part of a three-year deal with US Ski & Snowboard, for example, J.Crew recently dropped a collection of clothes that CMO Julia Collier said was designed for everyone on the slopes, from elite athletes to people who engage with snow sports purely for the social component.

“Après is social by nature and allows us to tell stories that are true to how people actually experience ski culture, both on and off the mountain,” Collier told us in an email.

Between gear, lift tickets, and, often, travel, the cost of entry for snow sports can be high, as can the level of difficulty. For potential sponsors, that can make them aspirational sports, much like Formula 1.

“It’s a luxury sport, but…these are the brands that are trying to capture that,” said Basia Wojcik, CEO of Green Heart Sports, the agency she started after about 20 years of specializing in Olympic and other global sports sponsorships at TMA.

For J.Crew, targeting “the broader ski and snowboard community” is a driving force behind its sponsorship, according to Collier. As a fashion brand, J.Crew is aiming to do that through its product line, but given the amount of gear required for the sports, US Ski & Snowboard has plenty of other real estate to offer, even for brands that can’t create their own merch.

“I would say we’ve got more brands on our apparel than we’ve ever had,” Goldschmidt said. US Ski & Snowboard has almost tripled its number of commercial partnerships in the past few years, including brands like Dunkin’ and United Airlines. “I feel like we’re still, to a certain extent, just getting going,” she added.

Buckle up

To leverage the culture tied to snow sports, US Ski & Snowboard execs encourage brand marketers to think long-term. “We don’t sign short-term deals,” CMO Guy Slattery said.

Financial services company Stifel, for instance, has a deal with the org that’s set to last through April 2034, which includes the title sponsorship of the ski team. Val Oswalt, CEO of breakfast- and snack-food brand Kodiak, another official partner, said she sees Kodiak’s deal as a long-tail partnership that will drive brand awareness.

Long-term deals give brands access to events beyond the Olympics and Paralympics, including this season’s 10 domestic World Cup events, which Goldschmidt said help the sport and its sponsors “really cut through in the US.” Stifel has been leaning into World Cups with hospitality opportunities, broadcast integrations, and title sponsorships in the runup to Milano Cortina, according to Mark Feldstein, president and partner, studios, at Known, Stifel’s strategy and creative agency of record.

“They have this unique opportunity to really elevate brand recognition and build that emotional connection with people,” Feldstein said. “It’s not just about logo placement; it’s about the storytelling that’s going to drive an emotional connection and a business impact. They’re not just coming in and being at the podium, they’re really invested all the way through the process.”

All a-board

There’s no talking about emotional connection in sports without the athletes, and there are plenty of compelling athlete stories in skiing and snowboarding, including star alpine skier Lindsey Vonn’s post-retirement comeback, or a bitter rivalry in slalom skiing. Sponsors, especially ones looking for in-depth storytelling opportunities, have been taking note.

Team USA Sponsors like Autodesk and Michelob Ultra have multiple skiers and snowboarders on their athlete rosters, while Samsung, a worldwide Olympic and Paralympic partner, has dozens of them on its “Team Samsung Galaxy.” In addition to individual endorsement deals, Goldschmidt said that about $2.5 million in partnership deals was expected to be funneled directly to athletes in 2025.

“There are so many cool stories right now,” Oswalt said, pointing to Vonn as one narrative to watch. “It’s the values, that grittiness, and that resilience, and it’s so much of who we are as a company, that I don’t care if they win…Obviously, we want America to win, [but] I think so much of it is the journey. You have that one moment, but they’ve been working years to get there.”

For a lot of winter sports, athletes’ own audiences and personas are especially important, since their sports don’t always give sponsors “immediate reach,” Wade said. But the people who do follow mountain sports, he added, tend to be highly engaged.

“The Winter Olympics, as a result, offers a very different opportunity, and that’s how a brand should think about it,” Wade said. “They should be thinking, ‘Who’s my audience? Who do I want to hit? Are they fit for the Winter Olympics?’ If so, then it could be great property because of that concentration, because people who are into it are really into it.”