Steamboat Ski Resort Spots Lean into Romance of American West

​Fortnight Collective broke its fourth year of new work for Steamboat Ski Resort that continues to build brand equity in the 'Steamboat Way,' deepening that message with a campaign that taps America’s resurgent attraction to the lure of the wide-open American West.

The integrated campaign includes a suite of all-new films and has launched in major markets across the US. The work celebrates key themes that define what makes Steamboat a unique and special destination. This is the second year of work, driven by original music, that pays homage to Steamboat’s unique mash-up of ranching and skiing culture with the free, adventurous spirit of the West.

The campaign’s music and imagery create an emotional resonance that pulls at the viewer with a mix of nostalgia, natural wonder, the allure of the Western way of life and the promise of unforgettable family moments.

Each of the films features Heavy Diamond Ring, a Denver-based group known for their twangy, Americana sound, who are shown playing onscreen over-dramatic aerial and on-slope footage that shows off the breath taking natural splendour of Steamboat’s 3,741 acres of skiable terrain, along with footage showing the town’s genuine mountain-town feel.

To make sure the songs were true to the brand, the lyrics and music for each spot were created in a unique collaboration between Fortnight’s creative team, composers at Coupe Music and the band itself to bring the ideas to life in the recording studio and on the screen.

“The idea with our second season of the musically forward ‘Steamboat Way’ campaign was to continue to build an album of what makes this place so special,” said Andy Nathan, founder/CEO of Fortnight Collective. “It kicks off with 'Ski Town, USA,' a song steeped in local heritage, that uses all-new and historical footage and puts lyrics to the Steamboat brand promise.”

In addition to the 'Ski Town, U.S.A.' film, the three other films include, 'When a Cowboy Rides a Mountain,' with a reworking of a historical Steamboat song that puts the iconic Cowboy Downhill, where professional rodeo cowboys and cowgirls flock to Steamboat, on full display; 'Git Along Little Dogies,' with a reworking of the classic cowboy tune that taps into the joys of watching your kids grow up before your eyes, learning new things and sharing amazing adventures; and 'Family Trees,' an homage to Steamboat’s celebrated glades where generations of visitors and locals have bonded in the peaceful, scenic tree runs.

“We wanted to leverage the power of local musicians to create a genuine connection with our target audiences, wherever they live across this great big country,” said Morgan Bast, director of marketing, Steamboat Ski Resort. “The emotional charge of our story as a very unique place that needs to be experienced first-hand is really amplified by having it put to music.”

The campaign broke on August 4th and will continue through the final stretch of the ski season in April 2026. The campaign and films, in both :15 and :30 versions, will be deployed across paid social, search, display, endemic, CTV, OLV, Performance Max, audio and print.

In addition, a full-length 2:30 version of the hero film, 'Ski Town, U.S.A.' will be deployed on all of Steamboat’s owned channels. Fortnight Collective has served as AOR for Steamboat Ski Resort since 2022.