X Games is staying put at Aspen Snowmass' Buttermilk for at least the next three winters, after organizers inked a fresh host agreement this week. The deal locks in Aspen as the winter stop through the 2028-29 season, even as the event shifts toward a year-round, team-based league format. Local leaders say the extension protects a marquee weekend that reliably pulls athletes, media, and visitors into the Roaring Fork Valley.
John Rigney, chief business development officer for Aspen One, called the renewed commitment “a major new chapter” in the long-running partnership, while X Games CEO Jeremy Bloom said Aspen remains the brand’s “crown jewel,” according to CBS Colorado. Officials told the outlet that exact dates and details for the 2027 stop at Buttermilk will be released in the coming months, underscoring Aspen’s role as the long-standing home of Winter X Games while the franchise builds out its new league model.
A League, Not Just a Weekend
This year, X Games rolled out the MoonPay X Games League (XGL), a three-year title partnership that steers the brand toward season-long, region-based competition with franchise rosters. MoonPay’s release explains that the new setup includes summer and winter seasons, drafts and club ownership, along with increased compensation and benefits for athletes as league play ramps up. The MoonPay deal helps explain why X Games chose to lock in Aspen even as the organization eyes additional host cities, according to MoonPay.
What It Means for Aspen
For hotels, restaurants, and local vendors, the three-year agreement offers a clearer runway to plan for the winter surge that arrives with the event. Aspen Snowmass notes that X Games packs daytime competition, ticketed evening events, live music, sponsor activations, and fan programming into a multi-day festival atmosphere at Buttermilk, according to Aspen Snowmass. The city also operates dedicated X Games shuttles and event transit to move crowds between downtown Aspen, Snowmass Village, and the mountain, according to the City of Aspen.
Dates, Draft and the Road to 2027
Organizers say the exact dates for X Games Aspen 2027 at Buttermilk will be announced in the coming months, though the stop has traditionally landed in late January. The XGL winter draft is scheduled for Sept. 16, 2026, at Cosm Los Angeles, where club rosters will be set ahead of the inaugural XGL winter season in January 2027, per X Games. How frequently and where additional winter stops will appear remains part of the broader league rollout, but Aspen’s multi-year deal keeps it firmly at the center of the calendar for now.
Athletes and locals alike are backing the extension. Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris called Aspen “a special place to compete” in the release, and local coverage notes that the agreement keeps the contest at Buttermilk through the 2028-29 season and that Aspen has hosted Winter X Games since 2002, cementing the valley’s long-running ties to the event. For residents and businesses, the deal buys time to prepare for the seasonal spike in demand and the logistical lift that comes with a global sports weekend, according to the Post Independent.
