Breckenridge Lodging and Breckenridge vacation rentals, Breckenridge, Colorado

Breckenridge Ski Resort

The Breckenridge Ski Resort is located in the historic mining town of Breckenridge, Colorado, approximately 90 miles west of Denver, and is one of four world class ski resorts located in Summit County. The ski area operates on over 2350 acres within the White River National Forest on four peaks of the Ten Mile Range.

With 155 ski runs serviced via 30 lifts including the highest chairlift in North America, the Imperial Express Super Chair, there is something for everyone at the Breckenridge Ski Resort. The terrain is varied providing plenty of green, blue and black diamond ski runs all within the resort's boundary.

The Imperial Express Super Chair debuted for the 2005-2006 Breckenridge ski season and provided lift service to over 400 acres of intermediate and advanced ski terrain which had formerly only been accessible by hiking to the summit of Imperial Bowl from the top of the T-Bar. The summit elevation of 12,840 feet near the top of Breckenridge's famed Peak 8 qualifies this as the highest chairlift in North America.

The Breckenridge Ski Resort opened in December 1961, the result of much hard work by Bill Rounds of the Porter and Rounds Lumber Company. With approval from the U.S. Forest Service, the ski area operated that first season on Peak 8 with one double chair and one learner's T-Bar. Attendance that first season was estimated at about 17,000 skier visits.

Fast forward 45 years and today the Breckenridge Ski Resort continually ranks as one of the most popular and frequently visited ski resorts in the country with 1.63 million visitors during the 2007-2008 ski season. In the February 2009 issue of Ski Magazine, the Breckenridge Ski Resort was honored with the People's Choice Award as America's favorite ski resort.

Each year the Breckenridge Ski Resort hosts a variety of events and activities for the whole family. Some of the most popular and longstanding traditions include the Opening Day Pancake Breakfast, the Hartford Ski Spectacular hosted by the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center, the Winter Dew Tour where some of the world's top snowboarders and skiers compete in slopestyle and superpipe competitions, Ullr Fest honoring the Norse God of Snow, the International Snow Sculpture competition, the Imperial Challenge where competitors bike, ski and hike to the summit of Peak 8 and back, and the infamous Bump Buffet where telemark skiers dressed in zany costumes tackle the bumps on High Anxiety.

When planning your next visit to the Breckenridge Ski Resort, be sure to reserve your Breckenridge lodging accommodations with Book Breck, your local resource for all things Breckenridge.