Don’t call it a comeback. But after a two-year lull, Jeep returned to the Winter X Games last week with some extra swagger as the action-sports competition’s first-ever title sponsor. And the timing was just right. Between the property entering a new chapter, and the brand marking its 85th anniversary this year, the debut of “X Games Aspen Driven by Jeep” was as grand as it was strategic.
Equipped with more than a dozen vehicles, Jeep descended on Buttermilk Mountain from Jan. 23–25 on a mission to return to its roots as an adventure brand and push the boundaries of its 20-plus-year Winter X Games partnership. And across a heated Base Camp for fans at the foot of the mountain, athlete partnerships, ownership of the event’s slopestyle competitions, an awards program, vehicle placements throughout the course, and broadcast, linear and social extensions, Jeep was omnipresent, whether fans were on-site or watching from home.
“To say that you can’t go more than a few feet in the X Games area without seeing a Jeep logo or an actual Jeep, is not really an understatement,” says Wendy Orthman, vp-marketing at Jeep. “So the title sponsorship has gotten us to a place where we are, in a lot of ways, synonymous with the Winter X Games. And everyone who steps foot or watches a broadcast or watches on social will know that Jeep was an integral part of the event.”
The Jeep Base Camp experience featured some of the creature comforts the brand has provided in the past, given the locale, like cozy places to warm up and customized sweet treats. The activation this year included branded hot cocoa, and beignets from a small shop in town; vehicle demos; heating stations; a chance to test the heated and massaging seats featured in certain Jeep models; photo ops; and autograph signings with athletes.
What’s more, the location of the Base Camp offered fans clear views of athletes on the Half-Pipe, meaning they could still catch some of the action while taking a respite from the cold. And, naturally, swag, was rewarded to visitors who interacted with the brand, with useful items including blankets, hand-warmers, lip balm and sunglasses up for grabs.
“I think anytime you’re at an outdoor event, there’s always some level of practicality in giving people a little shelter and a place to warm up. And all event marketing is run, in some capacity, on, ‘If you feed them, they will come,’” Orthman says. “So we’re trying to make it the kind of space that people are going to want to make a base camp, where they’re going to want to hang out and grab a hot cocoa and sit for a minute and take it in.”
The strategic placement of Jeep models (and logos) across Buttermilk was another essential aspect of the presenting sponsorship, not to mention athletes’ first two tricks were captured through a Jeep cam. Vehicles like the brand-new Recon EV, Gladiator and Wrangler Whitecap were stationed across the broadcast footprint, including the top of the slope where athletes take off, and throughout the course. They were also parked next to the stage during evening concerts and located at the Base Camp for fans to check out. To boot, a Grand Wagoneer provided shuttle service around the mountain.
“One of the things we wanted to do in the interactive event spaces is give [attendees] a chance to actually see and touch and feel the vehicles that they may have now seen on the broadcast, so that it doesn’t feel like they’re only exclusive to that which the athletes can interact with, but that they can actually open the doors and engage and get their questions answered,” Orthman says. “So a combination of product sharing and interaction, with giving them some hospitality on behalf of the brand.”
On the social front, Jeep worked with ambassadors and X Games athletes Alex Hall and Jamie Anderson to create content on the slopes that amplified the brand’s sponsorship presence, and to engage fans during meet-and-greets at the Base Camp—“something exclusive they can get through Jeep and this partnership,” according to Orthman.
Rounding out the title sponsorship was the first-ever Jeep Golden Grille Awards. One female and one male athlete who were at the top of their performance at the Games, and are heavily involved in inspiring the next generation of snow sports athletes, each took home the seven-slot, gold-dipped trophy.
Ultimately, X Games Aspen 2026 Driven by Jeep was just one event on the 2026 calendar as the brand reclaims its heritage (look no further than a newly inked multiyear sponsorship of The Snow League).
“We have been coming back to our core as a brand, and with that, it just felt like it was time for us to reconnect with those roots of being part of all of the playgrounds where people can take their Jeeps, be that sand or rock or snow,” Orthman says. “So strategically, you’ll see throughout the year that the brand is really realigning with all of those places where you go to have adventures and to live your best life in your Jeep.”
