Breckenridge Ski Resort
Encyclopedia
Breckenridge Ski Resort, or just Breck, is perenially one of North America's top 2 most visited ski resorts, and is located in Summit County
, Colorado
in the town of Breckenridge
. The resort is owned and operated by Vail Resorts, Inc., which also operates three other resorts in the state (Vail
, Beaver Creek
, and Keystone
), and also in California Heavenly Ski Resort
and Northstar at Tahoe
at Lake Tahoe
.
The 2011-12 ski season will be Breck's 50th Anniversary Season, with the resort implementing a year-long celebration in honor of a half-century since the resort was founded on Dec. 16, 1961.
Breck comprises four adjacent peaks of the Ten Mile mountain range. Peak 10 is the southernmost part of Breckenridge, servicing mainly difficult and a substantial amount of intermediate terrain. Formerly classified as blue-black runs, the intermediate terrain of Crystal, Centennial, and Doublejack has been reclassified as black diamond runs because Breckenridge quit using the blue-black run classification before the 2010-2011 season. Peak 9 services mostly intermediate terrain, with a significant number of beginner runs on the lower part of the mountain, though it can also access expert runs such as Devil's Crotch and the Windows hike-to terrain that leads down to E-chair on the north side of Peak 9. Peak 8 is accessed from the Colorado SuperChair, Rocky Mountain SuperChair and the Peak 8 SuperConnect. The lower part of Peak 8 accesses mostly intermediate runs with some advanced runs. The back bowl on Peak 8 can be accessed via 6 Chair or the T-Bar, both can be used to access the Imperial Express lift and the northernmost (Peak 7) and westernmost bowls (Lake Chutes), which include some very difficult terrain with slopes up to 55 degrees. The lower part of Peak 7 can also be accessed from the Independence SuperChair which accesses intermediate terrain.
Hiking from the top of the Imperial lift allows access to the peak of Breckenridge (Peak 8) and some of the best terrain on the mountain, including some cornices with very nice, soft landings. It could get very windy and cold at the top, and in poor visibility conditions the peak will usually be closed.
The Lake Chutes, a series of small chutes with an incline of up to 55 degrees is reachable from the top of Peak 8. The chutes are some of the steepest terrain in the region, running for about 400 vertical feet.
On September 13, 2006, the town and ski resort announced the name and logo of the new gondola as the BreckConnect Gondola.
The Breckenridge lift system has broken new ground over the years by implementing several new state-of-the-art engineering marvels, and the system today includes several renowned lifts such as the sole double-loading lift in North America and the highest lift in North America
.
Many of the top athletes in action sports from around the world participated in the Winter Dew Tour. Athletes such as Shaun White
, Hannah Teter
, Tanner Hall
, Andreas Wiig
, Gretchen Bleiler
, Simon Dumont
, Sarah Burke
, Tom Wallisch
, and Travis Rice
participated.
Summit County, Colorado
Summit County is the 19th most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 23,538 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Breckenridge...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
in the town of Breckenridge
Breckenridge, Colorado
Established in 1859, the historic town of Breckenridge is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Summit County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the town had a population of 4,540. The town also has many part-time residents, as many people have vacation homes in the area...
. The resort is owned and operated by Vail Resorts, Inc., which also operates three other resorts in the state (Vail
Vail Ski Resort
Vail Ski Resort is located in Eagle County, Colorado, next to the town of Vail. Vail Mountain, at , is the largest single mountain ski resort in the United States, featuring seven bowls and intermediate gladed terrain in Blue Sky Basin...
, Beaver Creek
Beaver Creek Resort
Beaver Creek Resort is a major United States ski resort near Avon, Colorado, run by Vail Resorts. The resort comprises three villages, the main Beaver Creek Village, Bachelor Gulch, and Arrowhead to the west...
, and Keystone
Keystone Resort
Keystone Resort is the largest ski resort in Summit County located in Keystone, Colorado, United States. It was founded on November 21, 1970 by Max Dercum. The resort is owned and operated by Vail Resorts which also operates three other resorts in the state and Heavenly Ski Resort and Northstar...
), and also in California Heavenly Ski Resort
Heavenly Ski Resort
Heavenly Mountain Resort is a ski resort located on the California-Nevada border in South Lake Tahoe. It has 97 runs and 30 lifts that are spread between California and Nevada and four base facilities...
and Northstar at Tahoe
Northstar at Tahoe
Northstar California is a year-round resort situated near the North Shore of Lake Tahoe in Placer County, California, approximately from the San Francisco Bay Area...
at Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
.
The 2011-12 ski season will be Breck's 50th Anniversary Season, with the resort implementing a year-long celebration in honor of a half-century since the resort was founded on Dec. 16, 1961.
Ski area information
Breck has been one of the 2 most visited ski resorts in North America for the past few years. In the 2010-11 ski season, they boasted over 1.6 million skier visits, making Breck one of the most popular ski areas in the world. In addition to its legions of fans in Colorado, Breckenridge is also highly favored among out-of-state and international travelers. Breckenridge has been named one of the top five ski locations in the world by the BBC, and is perenially ranked in the Top 10 best resorts in the U.S. by SKI Magazine.Breck comprises four adjacent peaks of the Ten Mile mountain range. Peak 10 is the southernmost part of Breckenridge, servicing mainly difficult and a substantial amount of intermediate terrain. Formerly classified as blue-black runs, the intermediate terrain of Crystal, Centennial, and Doublejack has been reclassified as black diamond runs because Breckenridge quit using the blue-black run classification before the 2010-2011 season. Peak 9 services mostly intermediate terrain, with a significant number of beginner runs on the lower part of the mountain, though it can also access expert runs such as Devil's Crotch and the Windows hike-to terrain that leads down to E-chair on the north side of Peak 9. Peak 8 is accessed from the Colorado SuperChair, Rocky Mountain SuperChair and the Peak 8 SuperConnect. The lower part of Peak 8 accesses mostly intermediate runs with some advanced runs. The back bowl on Peak 8 can be accessed via 6 Chair or the T-Bar, both can be used to access the Imperial Express lift and the northernmost (Peak 7) and westernmost bowls (Lake Chutes), which include some very difficult terrain with slopes up to 55 degrees. The lower part of Peak 7 can also be accessed from the Independence SuperChair which accesses intermediate terrain.
Imperial Lift
On August 2, 2005, construction began on the Imperial Express Superchair, which opened in time for the 2005-2006 ski season. It is the highest lift in North America, reaching a peak elevation of 12840 feet (3,913.6 m). It can be accessed from 6 Chair and the T-Bar.Hiking from the top of the Imperial lift allows access to the peak of Breckenridge (Peak 8) and some of the best terrain on the mountain, including some cornices with very nice, soft landings. It could get very windy and cold at the top, and in poor visibility conditions the peak will usually be closed.
The Lake Chutes, a series of small chutes with an incline of up to 55 degrees is reachable from the top of Peak 8. The chutes are some of the steepest terrain in the region, running for about 400 vertical feet.
Gondola
Construction of a new 8-person gondola was announced on March 12, 2006 and the grand opening was January 18, 2007. The eight passenger gondola runs from the downtown Breckenridge transportation center to a mid-station at Shock Hill, through the Cucumber Gulch Preserve, to a mid-station at the Peak 7 base area and ends at the Peak 8 base area. It serves as a base transportation system designed to reduce dependence on buses to get between the town and the northern two peaks. The lift has a maximum hourly capacity of 3,000 people and takes 7 and a half minutes to reach the Peak 7 base area from the transportation center and another 2 and a half minutes to reach the Peak 8 base area.On September 13, 2006, the town and ski resort announced the name and logo of the new gondola as the BreckConnect Gondola.
The Breckenridge lift system has broken new ground over the years by implementing several new state-of-the-art engineering marvels, and the system today includes several renowned lifts such as the sole double-loading lift in North America and the highest lift in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
- First High Speed Quad in the World (Quicksilver Quad, 1981, now runs at Owl's Head in QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
) - First (and only) double loading lift in North America (Quicksilver Six, 1999)
- Highest Lift in North America (Imperial Express SuperChair, 2005)
Lifts
- 30 total
- 2 high-speed 6-passenger SuperChairs
- Quicksilver Super 6 - Peak 9
- Independence Superchair - Peak 7
- 7 high-speed quad lifts
- Falcon Superchair - Peak 10
- Mercury Superchair - Peak 9
- Beaver Run Superchair - Peak 9
- Peak 8 Superconnect - Peaks 9 and 8
- Colorado Superchair - Peak 8
- Rocky Mountain Superchair - Peak 8
- Imperial Express Superchair - Peak 8
- 1 triple lift
- A-chair - Peak 9
- 6 double lifts
- C-Chair - Peak 9
- E-Chair - Peak 9
- Snowflake - Town and Peak 8
- Rip's Ride/7-Chair - Peak 8
- 5-Chair - Peak 8
- 6-Chair - Peak 8
- 4 surface lifts
- T-Bar - Peak 8 (Public)
- Trygve's Platter - Peak 8 (Ski School)
- Eldorado Platter - Peak 9 (Ski School)
- Camelback Platter - Peak 9 (Ski School)
- 9 carpet lifts (All ski school)
- Ski and Ride Carpets A-D - Peak 9
- Ski and Ride Carpets 1-4 - Peak 8
- (Unknown)
- 1 Gondola (finished January 2007 and operational)
- Breckconnect Gondola - Town, Shock Hill, Peak 7, Peak 8
- 2 high-speed 6-passenger SuperChairs
Winter Dew Tour
In December 2008, Breckenridge hosted the first Winter Dew Tour. It was the first action sports tour for winter sports and is owned and operated by Alli, the Alliance of Action Sports.Many of the top athletes in action sports from around the world participated in the Winter Dew Tour. Athletes such as Shaun White
Shaun White
Shaun Roger White is an American professional snowboarder and skateboarder. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He rides regular stance, twelve and negative three degrees on his board.-Early life:Shaun White is an Irish American...
, Hannah Teter
Hannah Teter
Hannah Teter is an American snowboarder from Belmont, Vermont. She is an Olympic champion, having won the gold medal in halfpipe at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy. She also won bronze at the 2005 FIS World Championships at Whistler, British Columbia, and has six World Cup victories...
, Tanner Hall
Tanner Hall
Tanner Hall , of Kalispell, Montana is a freeskier.-Biography:In 2002 Tanner Hall co-founded the freeride ski company Armada Skis with skier JP Auclair and photographer Chris O'Connell...
, Andreas Wiig
Andreas Wiig
Andreas Ygre Wiig is a professional snowboarder. He rides regular.Andreas was born in Oslo but grew up in Asker. He made a name for himself when he won two gold medals at the 2007 and 2008 Winter X Games...
, Gretchen Bleiler
Gretchen Bleiler
Gretchen Bleiler is an American professional halfpipe snowboarder. She currently resides in Aspen, Colorado and is married to Chris Hotell.-Career:...
, Simon Dumont
Simon Dumont
Simon Francis Dumont is a U.S. freestyle skier.-Skiing:Dumont is notable as one of the best freestyle skiers in the world today. He is known for his amplitude in half-pipe competitions, airing easily up to 20 feet out of the pipe, and doing superman double fronts...
, Sarah Burke
Sarah Burke
Sarah Burke is a Canadian freestyle skier who grew up in Midland, Ontario, Canada. She now resides in Whistler, British Columbia.-Skiing career:...
, Tom Wallisch
Tom Wallisch
Tom Wallisch is a professional freeskier born October 2nd, 1987 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He began skiing in 1990 and competing in the sport in 2009. After graduating highschool, Wallisch moved to Salt Lake City for post-secondary education at the University of Utah.Tom Wallisch was discovered...
, and Travis Rice
Travis Rice
Travis Rice is an American professional snowboarder. He is #13 on Snowboarder magazine’s list of the Top Twenty Most Influential Riders, He has been considered "the Paul Revere" of the big mountain freestyle movement....
participated.