Dew Tour

Dew Tour
Name	Dew Tour
Status	Active
Genre	Action sports competition
Frequency	Annual (seasonal)
Country	United States
First	2005
Organizer	Live Nation (formerly NBC Sports)

Dew Tour is a multi-discipline action sports series featuring skateboarding, BMX, and snowboard events that has been held primarily in the United States since 2005. The series became a central stop on the calendars of athletes who also compete in X Games, Olympic Games, Street League Skateboarding, and Red Bull Rampage, and it has influenced the development of competitive formats used by International Olympic Committee-sanctioned qualifiers and by national federations such as USA Skateboarding and USA BMX. The event has been promoted and broadcast by major media organizations including NBC Sports, Peacock (streaming service), and ESPN.

History

The series launched in 2005 amid rising mainstream interest in skateboarding and BMX driven by crossover exposure from Tony Hawk-era tours and the expansion of Action sports franchises. Early editions featured collaboration between corporate partners like PepsiCo (through the Mountain Dew brand), promoters such as Live Nation, and broadcast partners including NBC Universal. Over the 2000s and 2010s the tour evolved alongside changes in international competition embodied by the International Olympic Committee's recognition of street and park formats, and it intersected with calendared events such as the X Games and the World Skate championship circuit. The tour’s operational control shifted through ownership and broadcast realignments involving entities such as NBC Sports Group and later private promoters, reflecting broader consolidation trends seen with organizations like Red Bull. Renovations to competitive structures mirrored rule changes adopted by World Skate and national bodies including British Skateboarding and Australian Skateboarding.

Events and Disciplines

Competitions have included street skateboarding and park skateboarding, with disciplines mirroring those contested at the Olympic Games and at Street League Skateboarding events. BMX categories have spanned BMX park and BMX vert, aligning with formats used in UCI BMX series and FISE World Series. Winter editions incorporated snowboard slopestyle and big air elements comparable to those staged at the X Games Aspen and at FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup stops. Exhibition formats have featured rollerblading and adaptive competitions linked to organizations such as Adaptive Sports USA and national paralympic committees. The tour served as a proving ground for trick innovation that influenced scoring conventions in World Skateboarding Championships and adoption pathways to the Olympic qualifying system.

Venues and Schedule

Events have been hosted at urban and resort locations including Long Beach, California, Las Vegas, Breckenridge, Colorado, Providence, Rhode Island, and Chicago. Summer series sites often paralleled urban action-sport hubs used by Street League Skateboarding and X Games Chiba, while winter stops aligned with resorts that host FIS events and Winter X Games. The schedule historically featured multiple stops per season with summer and winter editions, coordinated to sit between international fixtures such as the World Skate calendar and national championships staged by USA Cycling and USA Snowboard.

Format and Scoring

Competition formats have included jam sessions, timed runs, single-run finals, and multi-heat elimination brackets similar to those used by Street League Skateboarding and FIS disciplines. Judges drawn from industry figures and former champions—people affiliated with organizations like Tony Hawk Foundation and national bodies such as British Cycling in BMX contexts—apply criteria comparable to World Skate and FIS point systems. Scoring blends technical difficulty, amplitude, execution, and creativity; point allocations have been calibrated to align with qualification metrics used by the International Olympic Committee and by national federations for Olympic selection.

Notable Competitors and Champions

Prominent athletes who have competed include skateboarders and BMX riders linked to major franchises and national teams: Nyjah Huston, Ryan Sheckler, Tony Hawk, Leticia Bufoni, Paul Rodriguez (skateboarder), Bobby Worrest, Shaun White, Jamie Bestwick, Mat Hoffman, Ethen Roberts, Chad Kerley, and Logan Martin. Snowboard competitors with ties to X Games and FIS circuits—such as Mark McMorris and Anna Gasser—have participated in winter-format events. Many winners went on to medal at the Olympic Games, secure titles at X Games editions, or headline international tours run by promoters such as Red Bull.

Media Coverage and Broadcasts

Broadcast arrangements have included deals with NBC Sports, cable partners, and streaming on platforms such as Peacock (streaming service). Coverage strategies mirrored crossover approaches used by X Games broadcasts and by action-sports productions from Red Bull Media House and VICE Media. Media packages combined live competition feeds, athlete profiles, and branded content linked to sponsors including Mountain Dew and lifestyle outlets like Thrasher (magazine) and TransWorld Skateboarding.

Sponsorship and Economic Impact

Title and presenting sponsorships have involved corporations like PepsiCo (via Mountain Dew), equipment manufacturers such as Nike SB, Adidas Skateboarding, Vans, and bicycle brands tied to GT Bicycles and Diamondback Bicycles. Economic effects on host cities echoed impacts studied for events like X Games and Super Bowl—including tourism revenue, venue contracts with entities such as ASM Global, and promotional synergies with local business improvement districts and sport commissions. The tour’s commercial model influenced sponsorship activation practices used by federations like USA Skateboarding and by global brands engaging with youth and lifestyle markets.

Category:Action sports competitions