Experiential Marketing Trend of the Week: Mountaintop Activations -

Temperatures are low but engagement is high this winter as brands bundle up and take their tactics to the slopes. Between the hype around the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the revamp of X Games Aspen and a particularly snowy season for much of the U.S., it’s no wonder event profs are embracing the cold weather as an opportunity for interaction with mountaintop activations that lean into the après-ski lifestyle.

Outdoor adventure sports competitions have become experiential hotspots for brands like Dunkin’, which sponsored the 2026 Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Freeski and Halfpipe Finals in Aspen, CO. Across both weekends of the event, attendees in the vendor village were welcomed into a branded space to thaw out with the aid of complimentary hot Dunkin’ beverages before heading up the mountain to watch the competition.

On their way up the incline, fans could also snap photos in a branded gondola, with the picturesque winter scene as their backdrop. Oh, and it was pretty hard to miss the big, “steaming” Dunkin’ coffee cup installation that was positioned on the mountain for maximum visibility.

Like its American counterpart, pickleball, padel has been thriving in Europe thanks to its position as a more accessible sport than tennis. But accessibility isn’t quite the vibe at upscale French ski resort Courchevel, where Lacoste has set up shop with two permanent, branded padel courts. The facility was built to withstand harsh weather conditions year-round, with features like a geothermal heating system, making padel play possible in the winter.

Lacoste is further cementing its positioning as a lifestyle brand via the partnership with an exclusive branded “corner” that will be installed at the resort’s Ineos Club House restaurant, and a forthcoming Courchevel x Lacoste clothing collection.

Kiehl’s has been leveraging mountaintop activations over the last few years, and in 2026, the brand doubled down on its efforts through a new multi-resort partnership with certain Ikon Pass destinations, and the extension of its Jackson Hole Mountain Resort sponsorship. Experiential aspects span retail and sampling programs; brand takeovers, including “Kiehl’s Weekends” featuring upscale, après-ski programming and slopeside sampling; and the brand’s insertion in cultural moments, like Jackson Hole’s Rendezvous Music Festival.

Then there’s L’Oreal, which took a group of creators on a three-day, high-brow community trip to Val-d’Isère in the French Alps for a resort takeover and “Glacier Glitch” experience that showcased products like the brand’s Glass Skin Mask.

Touchpoints on tap: a sleek, ice-themed outdoor lunch with a live dj, a product-inspired slumber party, après-themed f&b experiences, and stunts, like influencers skiing down the mountain wearing nothing but satin pajamas and the skin mask. (This also reminds us of CeraVe, which last year sent its mascots to the slopes to ride the chair lift and ski alongside consumers.)

For Coors Light, which brought its Coors Chill at the Hill experience to Canada, it was all about good vibes, with analog snowboarding simulators, places to sit and chill, a photo op, swag, and high-energy brand ambassadors sporting branded snowsuits. The brand also activated its sponsorship of the 2026 Pond Hockey Classic with a mobile sampling trailer.

Brands that aren’t afraid to take on the great outdoors year-round? Now that’s how you play it cool.

Photo credits: CNC Agency; Kiehl’s

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