Picture Main Street in Park City on a Saturday afternoon: a line of skis bolted together running down the block, a crowd holding shot glasses, everybody waiting on the same 2 p.m. count. That’s the shot this whole event is built around, and it’s one of the best recurring content formats in ski towns.
On October 10, the 10th annual Park City Shot Ski put 1,430 people on the line, enough to pass Breckenridge’s record of 1,420. The organizers’ site calls it another sold-out year. Ten people. That’s the margin, and I don’t think it’s an accident.
The narrow win is the format
According to SnowBrains, the two towns deliberately beat each other by small amounts so the record, and the fundraising that comes with it, stays alive for next year. Park City took it back in October 2025 with 1,410, Breckenridge edged ahead that winter, and now Park City is back on top. Breckenridge’s answer is expected this winter.
That’s not a stunt. That’s a serialized show with a guaranteed sequel. Every edition ends on a cliffhanger, and both towns get a fresh news hook every year without spending a dime on paid media.
Why Mont-Orford’s record didn’t stick
Here’s the connection I find most useful. In April 2025, Mont-Orford in Quebec put 1,406 people on a shot ski and briefly held the record, per SnowBrains. Park City never recognized it, because the event didn’t raise money for charity.
Mont-Orford won the number and lost the story. No cause, no rival, no sequel, so the internet treated it as a footnote. Park City’s version is presented by High West Distillery and organized by the Park City Sunrise Rotary Club, with money going to the club’s Community Grants program. The organizers list $65,000 raised; SnowBrains reported $86,000. I couldn’t reconcile the two, but either way, the cause is what turns a drinking photo into a community story.
Steal the format, not the whiskey
You don’t need a shot ski to borrow this. You need four parts:
| Ingredient | Shot Ski | Your version |
|---|---|---|
| Rival | Breckenridge | A neighbor hill |
| Scoreboard | Head count | Laps, cans, vert |
| Cause | Rotary grants | Local nonprofit |
| One frame | Main Street line | Pick it now |
A few notes from the content side:
- Plan the one frame first. Everything about this event produces a single image: the long line. Decide where your hero shot comes from before you plan anything else. If it’s a drone shot, commercial use means Part 107 certification, and flying over crowds has its own FAA rules. Shooting on DJI? Read up on the FCC situation for resort drones first.
- Shoot the sequel into the content. End every post with the rival’s turn. The cliffhanger is free engagement.
- Keep it raw. The best Shot Ski content is phones in the crowd, not a polished sizzle reel. More on why in raw vs. overproduced resort content.
- Show the non-drinkers. TownLift notes there was a nonalcoholic option. Feature it. Alcohol-led content hits platform restrictions and narrows your audience fast.
What’s the rivalry your resort could start this winter? Every ski area has a neighbor it secretly wants to beat. That’s a slope-ful of content waiting to happen.
The real lesson
The Shot Ski works because nobody ever wins for good. A record you break once is a press release. A record you trade back and forth for a decade is a franchise, and the cause makes everyone want the next chapter. If you’re mapping your season, put the sequel on your content calendar before you even run the first one.
So what would your town line up for, and who would you want to beat by exactly ten?
