Free for All: Dispatch from the 2024 Dew Tour

In its 20^th year, Dew Tour highlights were plenty: There was snowboarder Lucas Foster landing the first-ever alley-oop double McTwist in the men’s halfpipe and free skier Alex Ferreira winning seven out of seven halfpipe events, a feat never before accomplished. There was a fresh four inches of snow on the first day of competition, which put everyone in a good mood. Altogether, the tour—held this year at Copper Mountain—went down as an energizing sneak peek at what to expect among the competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, and a blast for fans and athletes alike.

The Dew Tour is beloved for its unabashed accessibility. For 20 years, it’s given spectators a closeup look at some of snow sports’ best, including Shaun White, Chloe Kim and Ryan Sheckler. Admission is free—from the competition events to the musical performance nightcaps—and the perspective is unbeatable. Viewing areas along the whole of the halfpipe get fans so close that they can see the scratches along the bottom of an athlete’s board as it soars high (as high as a record-breaking 19 feet, 9 inches, in the case of Foster) above them. Insiders—who this year included a Marriott Bonvoy member who bid on and won a complete VIP Dew Tour experience as part of the brand’s Marriott Bonvoy rewards program—watched from a prime spot at the base of the pipe, where they rubbed shoulders with athlete-spectators like tour legend Danny Davis, who won the first-ever Dew Tour Superpipe contest back in 2008.

There was a lot to take in, from the thousands who turned up for electronic duo Snakehips’ Saturday night set (which culminated in a yeti dressed in a Mountain Dew jersey surfing the crowd) to the bluebird conditions on Sunday that served to remind even those itching for spring what they loved so much about mountain life. But maybe the most gratifying moment was catching a glimpse of the Marriott Bonvoy member and his two friends, completely novice riders, enjoying their won experience, which was about as novel as they come. The trio’s VIP ride down the mountain with Davis, already somewhat priceless, turned out to be more like small group instruction with a (very patient) Olympian. Unforgettable is, of course, the whole point of the Moments program, which also gives members access to experiences like watching from the pit at the Miami Grand Prix, tickets to catch the Eras Tour in Hamburg and the opportunity to announce a pick at the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit.

The warm welcome was not entirely unexpected. Because while exclusivity may often be considered the arbiter of a great experience, the coolest part of the Dew Tour is and always has been how very community-oriented and laid back it is. And really, a bit of friendly competition aside, that’s what ski and riding culture is all about. A most excellent cap to the 2023-2024 season, indeed.

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