SNEWS Qs: SeasonFive's Mike Fischer discusses inaugural Summit Games

We’ve chatted with SeasonFive Founder Mike Fischer before, but he’s got news: The company is launching a new industry event where people can do all the activities they love.

The inaugural Summit Games, for which registration just opened, will take place on June 1 and 2 at Lake Dillon Frisco Bay Marina in Frisco, Colo. The Summit Games will feature adventure and water sports, from yoga to stand-up paddleboarding, in addition to mountain activities. All proceeds will benefit the Denver, Colo.-based nonprofit First Descents.

We had a question-and-answer session with Fischer, who told us about the history of the games and why First Descents is important to his company. He said he’s hoping industry folks will get involved by displaying their products, volunteering or even participating. Further information can be found on Facebook.

“Come out, register online for events, get out on a board for the first time on the Dillon Reservoir and get muddy with us in the new coastline of the reservoir,” Fischer said. “Come enjoy a day in the mountains!”

How did the idea for the Games come about?
The idea for the SeasonFive Summit Games came with permission to stand-up paddleboard on the Dillon Reservoir. We’re so excited to now be able to use this majestic body of water to explore the inlets and the environment in the high country. With the number of river paddle events that we participate in during the summer in Colorado, there has been a lack of flatwater paddle events, so we thought if no one else was going to do it, then we sure wouldn’t want to pass on the opportunity to spearhead and claim this event.

At the SeasonFive Summit Games, we will have standup paddle and flatwater kayak races — from long-distance endurance to shorter spring race to a team relay race — and even a kid’s race. We will also host a fly-casting competition, mud run and mud tug of war. We’ll have live music, companies demoing their new products for the summer and, a very important and exciting aspect, is the number of clinics we’ll be hosting. We will have clinics for all the events, including introductory through advanced SUP and SUP yoga.

What are some of the causes the Games will benefit?
The event will be promoting and donating all profits to the nonprofit organization First Descents, which is a brand we work with a lot to help their cause.

First Descents shares a lot of our values in the outdoors, plus we strongly believe in their cause and applaud what they are out doing.

What are the opportunities for the industry to get involved?
We would love to have industry partners at this event to demo or showcase their outdoor products and help support this event as we try and kick off the summer outdoor season as big as we can.

What are your goals for this first Summit Games?
We want more users to enjoy the Dillon Reservoir, come enjoy Summit County, and get on a standup paddleboard and learn something new. Of course we also want everyone to have an amazing weekend in the mountains to kick off the summer, and check out some fun races and events.

How do these games compare to the Mountain Games and other events?
The Summit Games differ in that it is a flatwater event versus a river event, and although they’re similar complementary events, they should have a different twist.