Industry News
With about two feet of new snow in the last week and great temperatures for snowmaking, Breckenridge Ski Resort is set to kick off the winter season on Friday, November 8 on Peak 8. The opening day festivities will include free donuts, live DJ music from the Rockstar DJ Cat with DJDC, and a first chair banner break on the Colorado chair.
“Opening Day is one of my favorite days of the year and it’s a huge team effort to get here and get open for the season. Winter is never far from our minds in Breck, and as soon as we close out one season we’re already thinking about and working towards the next. It’s super exciting to see all the hard work pay off and to welcome our community and our employees back to the snow again.”
— Jon Copeland, VP & COO, Breckenridge Ski Resort
Starting Friday, the resort will be open for daily operations with the BreckConnect Gondola opening at 8:30 a.m. and resort lifts opening at 9:00 a.m. Opening Day lifts and terrain will include the BreckConnect Gondola, Colorado SuperChair and Five SuperChair, with access to primarily intermediate terrain on the 4 O’Clock and Springmeier trails. In addition, two learning carpets will be available at the base of Peak 8 for beginner guests. On Saturday, the resort plans to open a small terrain park setup on Springmeier with box and rail features, plus the Rip’s Ride lift and Trygve’s trail to offer additional beginner terrain. With nearly two feet of new snow this week, Breck Ski Patrol will also be assessing trail conditions for additional potential openings on natural snow.
The resort will continue to make snow at every opportunity to expand terrain as weather and conditions permit, working towards opening more terrain on Peak 8 and connecting over to Peak 9 to open that base area next.
Remember that limited terrain and early season conditions exist, and for the safety of all skiers and riders, the resort asks guests to observe all posted signs and warnings and keep off closed trails and areas. Uphill access at Breck is currently not open due to early season mountain preparations and snowmaking. The resort will announce when uphill access is open to guests once early season operations are complete and there is adequate terrain to safely permit these activities.
Continuously Improving the Breck Experience
With 3 new chairlifts over the last 3 years, the skiing and riding experience at Breck has continually benefitted from lift upgrades designed to improve the on-mountain experience and resort flow and circulation across its Five Peaks. Starting with the addition of the brand-new Freedom SuperChair in 2021 on Peak 7, followed by the upgraded Rip’s Ride in 2022, and the completion of the resort’s Peak 8 evolution and new Five Chair in 2023, Breck has focused on improving the experience across its most popular peaks and access points, so that skiers and riders can enjoy more time on snow.
Sustainable Breck!
In addition to continual improvements to the mountain experience, Breck is also focused on sustainability through their Commitment to Zero, a bold goal to reach a zero net operating footprint by 2030. In line with this goal, Breck works together with employees, guests and the community to reduce environmental impacts and be good stewards of the mountains. This comes to life in the form of large-scale initiatives such as achieving 100% renewable electricity across Vail Resorts North American resorts for two years in a row, to operational efficiencies like upgrades to snowmaking technology and buildings, to local partnerships and efforts to help educate guests on ways to be more sustainable while visiting. At Breck, the resort continues to encourage locals and visitors to ‘Ditch the Car’ and instead take advantage of robust free local transportation, the BreckConnect Gondola, ski-to-town trails and the walkability of town and Main Street.
On mountain, and in partnership with the Town of Breckenridge’s efforts, the resort has taken the initiative to go plastic-free in guest-facing operations across all food and beverage outlets, replacing single-use plastic products with aluminum and durable reusable tumblers, plateware and silverware. The resort also takes waste sorting out of guests’ hands and into their own with dedicated staff to sort and divert waste from the landfill via recycling and composting efforts. New this year, the resort invested in 22 custom-built waste sorting stations to serve all of the resort’s on-mountain dining locations and help teams sort waste more efficiently. They are made of stainless steel for longevity, include built-in sinks, are ergonomically designed for a better employee experience, and help our teams meet local Summit County waste sorting needs.
Big Breck Energy
In addition to kicking off the season on Friday, Nov. 8, the resort is looking forward to the winter ahead, including celebrating with the community at new and signature events like Ullr Fest and Peaks & Beats, hosting in-resident DJs at the TBar at the base of Peak 8 every weekend this winter, and offering skiing and riding into May.
TBar is the Place to be for Après!
Après anyone? Boogie down Peak 8 straight to the TBar for the best après party in town. With live afternoon DJ sets on most weekends and holidays, TBar is THE spot for the turn-it-up, throw down, and jump around crowd. It’s giving wild Euro post-ski party but with Colorado mountain aesthetic. Order another round and get the good vibes flowing early!
Pray for Snow at the Annual Ullr Fest – December 12-14, 2024
Bust out your Viking helmets, grab your finest furs (faux encouraged!), and get ready to give praise and offerings to the man, the myth, the main character, the Norse God of Snow, Ullr (pronounced like “Cooler’). This wild and wacky annual community-wide celebration has been taking place on Main Street for more than 60 years, with origins rooted in the ski resort’s Norwegian founders and the idea that Breck should be all about the fun and joy of winter and sliding on snow. Today, Breck is still all about the fun and Ullr Fest continues to celebrate that with the world’s longest shotski that runs the length of Main Street, a town parade and community bonfire, all intended to praise Ullr for a snowy winter season. Learn more about Ullr on the Breck Blog.
Peaks & Beats – April 26-27, 2025
Springtime is all about good times and the high alpine at Breck and it all comes together with our new spring bash, Peaks & Beats. Double down on all your favorite spring staples – high alpine laps, live music and DJs, and the annual tradition of pond skimming, with a new two-day format for two times the fun, including two days of free concerts AND two days of pond skimming. Stay tuned for more information on the spring concert lineup coming soon and look for more details on pond skim registration in April.
Grab Your Epic Pass by Nov. 17; Use your Phone to Access the Lifts with My Epic App
Following Keystone’s opening last weekend, skiers and riders will now have access to two early season resorts on the Epic Pass, with more to follow as Vail is set to open Nov. 15, followed by Beaver Creek and Crested Butte on Nov. 27. Epic Passes are available now but only for a limited time and prices go up Nov. 17. Perfect for Pass Holders looking to make the most of their experiences, limited memberships to My Epic Gear unlock access to over 60 of the latest ski and snowboard models with the convenience of daily slopeside pick-up and drop-off. Visit EpicPass.com for more information and to purchase.
Download the My Epic app with Mobile Pass and Mobile Lift Ticket, which allows skiers and riders to use their phone as their ticket to the slopes. Mobile Pass and Mobile Lift Tickets is a hands-free option for skiers and riders that allows guests to buy their pass or lift ticket online, activate it in the new My Epic app, put their phone in their pocket and get scanned in the lift line using Bluetooth® technology designed for low energy usage. The My Epic app also offers a range of guest-favorite features, including interactive trail maps with GPS location tracking, and mountain and resort alerts, including operational information like grooming updates, terrain status, snow reports and conditions.
