Breckenridge Ski Resort

Breckenridge is a very polished ski resort. From good customer service to manicured slopes, a stunning backdrop, and well developed infrastructure, everything is top notch! Breckenridge Colorado also finds the perfect balance between being a world class ski resort and maintaining a very casual laidback culture.

Part of the background of this ethos may be related to the snowboarding history of the Breckenridge Ski Resort. Breck was the first ski resort in Colorado to permit snowboarders and they hosted the World Snowboard Championships way back in 1986. Breckenridge Resort continues to demonstrate their commitment to snowboarding and freestyle riding, and as such Breckenridge is now a mecca for terrain park junkies.

The town of Breckenridge Colorado is also a huge drawcard. Breckenridge is arguably the best Colorado ski town! Rather than being a purpose built ski village, Breckenridge is a genuine old western town that was founded in the 1850s to serve the gold miners. These wild west roots ensure that the town has plenty of character and color (literally considering the many colorful Victorian buildings), and the local folks are renowned for being super friendly.

Pros and Cons of Breckenridge Colorado

Pros 

• The historic mining town is great. You can enjoy the shopping, the restaurants, and the really vibrant après and nightlife.
• The layout of the town against the Breckenridge ski resort is very good, so there’s lots of ski-in ski-out lodging.
• Breck has excellent beginner terrain and very good intermediate terrain.
• The resort is well renowned for its terrain parks.
• Breckenridge is in close proximity to various other ski resorts.

Cons

• Lots of folks descend upon Breckenridge Colorado. You’ll need lots of patience (or a few shots of schnapps) to deal with the humungous lift lines that can develop. The slopes are commonly congested and worn out from excessive traffic. Restaurants are crowded and traffic jams are commonplace.
• The Breckenridge Ski Resort has a lot of lifts, but too many of them are dawdlingly slow and/or are surface lifts.

Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective

• Breckenridge is one of the most popular (aka crowded) ski resorts in North America. This degree of popularity screams volumes for the quality of the ski resort, and it’s also the result of its proximity to Denver and the good value Epic passes.
• Single day lift passes at Breckenridge Colorado are not particularly cheap, whilst a multi-day or season Epic Pass provides good value and you can also use it at nearby Vail, Beaver Creek or Keystone.
• Breckenridge Resort is proud to have the highest chair lift in North America. The high elevation is good for snow quality (when the wind isn’t howling) and the killer views, but the thin air is also a killer for those not acclimatized to the altitude.

Breckenridge Ski and Snowboard Terrain

The terrain at Breckenridge is spread across multiple mountain peaks providing 187 trails and 2,908 acres of skiing and snowboarding. The terrain is serviced by an extensive lift system (34 in total) including some fast lifts.

Breckenridge has varied terrain for all ability levels. Lots of the trails are rated as green and blue, so beginners and intermediates are kept incredibly happy. Some of the black runs are groomed, so they’re also fine for confident intermediates. Overall 48% of the skiable terrain consists of groomed trails, which gives you an idea of why it’s well suited to beginners and intermediates. Other terrain includes moguls, fun tree skiing, and alpine bowls for advanced and expert riders.

Breckenridge is world renowned for its sick terrain parks! There are separate terrain parks for different ability levels, enabling easier progression from novice to pro level. Be warned though, if you hit the expert terrain park and pipe, you may feel completely demoralised once you watch the pro jibbers at work!

Breckenridge Snow

The Breckenridge ski resort receives an average of 353 inches (8.9 metres) of fantastic Colorado snow per season. To help Mother Nature along, there are hundreds of snowmaking guns that cover an amazing 22.5% of the mountain!

The snow quality is enhanced by the elevation of the ski resort. The base of the ski resort is pretty high at 9,600ft, but the top of the ski area will get you really high! The Imperial Express Super Chair, Breck’s pride and joy, drops skiers and boarders off super high and if you’re keen you can hike up to 12,998 feet!

The views afforded from the top are breathtaking – literally! The obvious con of the elevation is the potential for altitude sickness, but the upside is that you won’t need to spend much money on booze to feel tiddly!

Where is Breckenridge Colorado?

Breckenridge is located 80 miles (129km) west of Denver in Summit County. The area has a high concentration of ski resorts including Arapahoe Basin, Copper Mountain, Keystone, Vail and Beaver Creek.

The Denver International Airport is the main gateway airport which is 104 miles (166km) away, a road trip that takes about 2 hours depending on how many skiers are driving along the I-70 route. You don’t need a car at Breckenridge, so the best way to get there from the airport is to use one of the many transport shuttle services.

Much of Breckenridge is within easy walking distance, and free buses provide transport around town and to nearby ski resorts. The BreckConnect gondola also helps with connecting part of the town to the base areas of Peak 7 and 8.

Breckenridge Lodging

Breckenridge has a really broad range of accommodations for different budgets, and unlike some of the nearby ski resorts, there are lots of Breckenridge lodging options that fall into the economical or moderate category. Accommodation types include luxury vacation homes, condos, hotels, and bed and breakfasts. See the Breckenridge lodging page for more information.

Accommodations in the town of Breckenridge tend to sit very close to one of the free bus stops. There’s also lodging a little further up the mountain that has the convenience of being ski-in ski-out. There’s no on-mountain village per se, just these large accommodation complexes, whilst the real hub of activity is down in the town.

Breckenridge Accommodations Listings

Other Breckenridge Activities

Breckenridge is well recognised for the impressive dining, happy hour après ski bars, and nightlife options. You can definitely party your arse off in Breck! The delightful town of Breckenridge also has lots of shops, and for a day off the slopes, other activities include snowmobiling, dog sledding, sleigh rides, and gold mine tours.