The Kids Adventure Games celebrated their 15th anniversary in Vail this weekend and transformed the village into an obstacle course for children with 15 different obstacles.

The event was sold out with 126 teams for Friday and Saturday and 84 teams for Sunday. This means a total of 672 children will participate, as each team consists of two participants.

Children ages 6 to 14 navigated courses ranging from 2.5 to 4 miles long with 12 to 15 obstacles, depending on the child’s age. Courses included biking, walking and water sections with obstacles such as slippery walls, fast water crossings, blowpipe targets, cargo nets and climbing elements and more.

Helene Mattison, organizer of the Kids Adventure Games, said that in the 15 years she has run the event, this year has been the smoothest yet from an operational perspective.

“There were no glitches on any of the three days,” she said. “No weather problems, no controversies, everything went according to plan, all the volunteers were there, it was really almost perfect.”

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The Adventure Games began in Vail 15 years ago before expanding into a nationwide event. At one point before the COVID-19 pandemic, Kids Adventure Games events were held in 10 different locations across the country.

“It was a traveling circus,” Mattison said. “We had family friends with us, we just went everywhere and had a blast.”

But the pandemic hit the event hard, and after taking a break in 2020, the Kids Adventure Games returned in 2021 with just two events, neither of which took place at the original Vail Village venue.

The event’s success is due in large part to its highly visible location in the village, where visiting families see the children competing and inquire about how to register for next year. They are encouraged to join an email list at KidsAdventureGames.com/stay-informed. to find out when registration starts, as the event is often sold out and same-day registration is not possible.

The Kids Adventure Games returned to Vail Village in the summer of 2022, and Mattison said her team has slowly been building back up since then and hopes to be back next summer for five events at different locations across the country.

“We’re at the point where we’re getting it going again,” Mattison said Sunday. “And that’s what it showed for me today – we’re back, we had fun and that’s what a successful event looks like. It was a great weekend.”