Delta Renews With U.S. Ski & Snowboard

Delta Air Lines will become an exclusive category partner of The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association's new U.S. Freeskiing brand while continuing its sponsorship of the U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding, which dates back to 2007. The renewal will run through 2014.

The U.S. Freeskiing brand was launched by the USSA in January and includes the events of skicross plus halfpipe and slopestyle skiing. Last week freeskiing got a major boost when the International Olympic Committee added halfpipe skiing to the 2014 Olympic program in Sochi.

"Delta has had success in partnering with us on the use of our U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding brands," said USSA Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer Andrew Judelson. "U.S. Freeskiing offers Delta even greater scale and relevance through the ability to connect with the millions of skiers and riders who are actively participating in the sport at resorts around the world."

The partnership offers Delta exposure at USSA events and connectivity to athletes across all USSA sports. To promote the partnership, Delta has carried USSA-themed content on seatback video and inflight entertainment screens on Delta aircraft worldwide.

"Delta is excited to extend and strengthen our partnership with USSA to include the new Freeskiing brand,” said Tim Mapes, Delta Senior Vice President Marketing. “We’re proud to help these top-tier athletes travel to compete in some of the most exciting action sports around the globe."

Delta also plays a role in transporting hundreds of U.S. Ski Team, U.S. Snowboarding and U.S. Freeskiing athletes to events each year.

"The logistics of moving our athletes and gear from camps to World Cup competitions around the world is an immense task," said USSA's Executive Vice President, Athletics Luke Bodensteiner. "Delta plays an integral role in the success of our athletes." < The partnership between Delta and the USSA extends through 2014. #newstag