When the American Alpine Club announced it would host the 2019 UIAA World Cup Ice Climbing Finals in Denver, Colorado, it was breaking new ground. Not only would this be the first time the international competition came to U.S. soil, it would also take place in the heart of downtown Denver, in Civic Center Park. The stakes were high: the event needed to draw a strong crowd to prove its viability, but ice climbing was virtually unknown to the general public. Pre-event promotion was critical, and Purple Orange faced the challenge of generating national buzz around a niche sport few people had ever seen.

From Obscurity to Opportunity

The team recognized early that traditional outdoor media alone wouldn’t deliver the scale of awareness needed. Ice climbing had to be positioned not just as a sport, but as a spectacle worthy of mainstream attention. To succeed, Purple Orange had to craft a campaign that combined long-lead storytelling with timely news hooks, amplifying the event far beyond the climbing community.

Early Promotion

Promotion began eight months in advance, with waves of announcements and press updates designed to steadily build momentum. Long-lead outreach secured features in national outlets, while creative pitching reframed ice climbing as an engineering marvel and a cultural moment, not just a competition. This approach opened doors to broad-market media coverage that reached well outside traditional adventure channels.

As the event drew closer, coverage highlighted the massive manmade ice structure being erected in Civic Center Park—the largest ever built in the U.S.—and the drama of bringing an extreme mountain sport to an urban center. The storyline captured imaginations and positioned the World Cup as a must-see event.

Immersive Media Experience

On the ground, Purple Orange ensured that media didn’t just cover the story—they lived it. More than 60 journalists flew in from across the country, including New York City. After the competition, reporters were invited to strap on crampons and climb the competition wall themselves, guided by certified professionals. This hands-on experience deepened their connection to the event and fueled richer, more authentic coverage.

The results surpassed expectations. The finals drew more than 25,000 live spectators, making it the largest live audience for any climbing competition in world history. Media coverage was equally impressive: over 150 unique articles and television segments ran, generating an estimated ad value of $627,092 and a potential reach of more than 370 million people.

A Historic First

By turning a little-known sport into a headline-grabbing spectacle, Purple Orange helped the American Alpine Club not only host the first-ever World Cup Ice Climbing Finals in the U.S., but also make history with record-setting attendance. The campaign proved that with the right storytelling, even the most niche pursuits can capture mainstream attention and inspire audiences on a massive scale

Outcomes

• 25,000+ live attendees — the largest live audience for any climbing competition in world history.
  
• 150+ unique articles & TV segments generated across endemic and mainstream outlets.
  
• $627,092 in equivalent ad value.
  
• 370M+ estimated audience reach across media coverage.
  
• 60+ journalists recruited and hosted on-site, many traveling from major markets like New York City.

Media Highlights

• National coverage in Popular Mechanics and other mainstream recreation outlets.
• Broad-market features emphasizing the engineering feat of building the largest ice climbing wall in U.S. history.
• Strong endemic climbing and outdoor press coverage, ensuring credibility with the core community.
• Post-event experiential stories from journalists who climbed the competition wall themselves, creating authentic, first-person accounts