Nike sign on for Winter Dew Tour

14 September 2010 | Posted in Sponsorship, Skiing / Snowboarding, North America | By Tom Love

The action sports division of sports apparel brand Nike, Nike 6.0, has been confirmed as the new event title sponsor of the Winter Dew Tour's season-opener, the Nike 6.0 Open.

Nike 6.0 originally signed on as an associate-level partner for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 Winter Dew Tour seasons and have now become fully committed title sponsors. The new deal means as event title sponsor, Nike 6.0 will receive exclusivity in the footwear, athletic and casual apparel and outerwear categories. The deal also sees Nike 6.0 receive fully integrated marketing benefits such as television advertisements on NBC, online and on-site exposure at the tour as well as inclusion in the tour's multi-million dollar marketing campaign.

Chris Prybylo, general manager of the Winter Dew Tour, said: "Entering its third season, the Winter Dew Tour has established itself as a strong platform for growing winter action sports at all levels. Having an esteemed brand like Nike 6.0 extend their relationship with us to event title sponsor demonstrates the strength of the property and their brand's shared commitment to this industry."

The Winter Dew Tour is an action sports tour that spans the United States, consisting of three multi-sport events with a prize purse of US$1.5 million. The event, which is now in its third year, will be hosted at Breckenridge Ski Resort, December 16th - 19th, 2010. Breckenridge boasts a newly-elevated 22-foot Olympic standard-sized superpipe for competing athletes following an old controversial 18-foot superpipe season. Master Pipe builder Nick Simon is assigned with building the new pipe and said: “This is like a dream come true. We’ve worked hard to make our parks top-notch and I’m stoked to take it to the next level.”

JJ Thomas, 2010 Dew Tour Cup Champion and Breckenridge Team Rider, said: "Breckenridge has been known for having the best park and pipe for as long as I can remember, and now with a 22-foot halfpipe on site, it's going to be amazing."

In addition, Nike 6.0 has also recently welcomed professional snowboarder, Mason Aguirre to their newly launched outerwear line. Aguirre won the final snowboard superpipe event of the Winter Dew Tour's inaugural 2008–09 season, finishing with 181 points, placing him in 4th overall in the seasons rankings. Aguirre said of his sponsorship with Nike 6.0: "I'm stoked to be a part of the Nike 6.0 team and to have such a great brand backing me. It will be awesome to start off the Winter Dew Tour season with a Nike 6.0-sponsored event and the fact that Breck is going to a 22-foot pipe will make the contest that much better."