Mountain Review: Breckenridge (2019-2022)
MOUNTAIN SCORE
CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
See our criteria
8
Snow:
7
Resiliency:
8
Size:
9
Terrain Diversity:
8
Challenge:
6
Lifts:
5
Crowd Flow:
8
Facilities:
4
Navigation:
9
Mountain Aesthetic:
GOOD TO KNOW
On-site Lodging: Yes
Apres-ski: Extensive
Pass Affiliation: Epic Pass
Recommended Ability Level:
+ Pros
Terrain diversity
Conveniently accessible high-alpine bowls
Well-placed mountain facilities
Top-notch terrain park experience
– Cons
Ease of navigation
High wind exposure in some areas
Altitude that can be overwhelming for some
MOUNTAIN STATS
Lifts: 31
Trails: 187
Beginner: 14%
Intermediate: 31%
Advanced/Expert: 55%
VIDEO
Mountain Review
With almost 3,000 acres of terrain and elevations of up to 13,000 feet, Breckenridge competes with the best mountains in the Rockies. Breck gets a lot of things right, with high-alpine bowls, diverse slopes, and top-tier terrain park features. However, issues with wind exposure and resort logistics keep the mountain from being best-in-class, and the high altitude isn’t for everyone.
Breckenridge consists of 5 mountains in a row—Peaks 6 through 10—and 3 distinct base areas. This setup delivers an exceptionally wide footprint and substantial acreage for a wholly front-facing resort.
The lower part of Peak 9 contains the resort’s most popular beginner terrain, including the only green trails directly serviced by express lifts. This area contains an abundance of green slopes but no blue or black alternatives for more aggressive skiers—this causes an unwelcome mix of ski traffic on all trails here and can be unsettling for those learning. People bothered by this should start at the less-trafficked Rip’s Ride or Snowflake lifts on Peak 8.
Breckenridge offers a wide array of intermediate terrain. Blue runs cover the vast majority of lift-serviced Peak 6 and 7 acreage and a sizable portion of Peaks 8 and 9. Most of this terrain consists of below-treeline cruisers, but the upper Peak 6 area provides a unique opportunity for intermediate bowl skiing.
The four sizable terrain park areas deliver a world-class experience with plenty of features for all ability types. A lot of the jumps here will pop you straight out and are well suited to corks and inverted tricks. Freestyle skiers and boarders will find the Freeway Terrain Park, with its 18-foot halfpipe, to hold its own among the best anywhere.
The vast majority of Breck’s black terrain lives in mid or upper-mountain areas. You’ll find the best below-treeline black trails and glades off the mid-mountain E Chair, 6 Chair, and Falcon SuperChair; the Peak 8 SuperConnect services some great double blacks as well, but these can get windswept at times. These runs are steep, mogully, and challenging—but short compared to hard trails at places like Keystone and Vail. On many of these trails, it’s common to get stuck on catwalks to get back to the nearest chairlift.
Advanced and expert upper mountain terrain consists of several high-alpine bowls, and those willing to hike can get to barely-tracked snow. The resort’s only extreme terrain is up these hikes—you won’t find chutes or cliffs directly off the lifts. But once you’re up here, you’ll find that the Lake Chutes and Six Senses areas hold their own against the toughest in the country.
Breckenridge’s bowls offer some of the highest lift-serviced skiing in the world and provide conveniently lappable above-treeline terrain. Bowls can often be powdery, and the unimpeded views of neighboring peaks are incredible on a nice day. But the terrain up here is heavily exposed to the elements, and wind can sometimes become intolerable. In addition, conditions at times are windswept and crunchy, and it’s hard to tell what’s ahead of you when flat light occurs. Some bowl areas, such as Imperial, tend to stay closed for significant portions of the season due to these circumstances.
The snow at Breckenridge is often best in mid-mountain areas, where the resort faces less wind exposure and sees generous accumulation throughout the season. Lower mountain areas typically see more variable conditions, but snowmaking on some trails provides resiliency and helps to lengthen the season.
Conditions can become windy or stormy anywhere on the mountain at times, and temperatures tend to be a few degrees colder than at other Colorado resorts. Luckily, plenty of lodging facilities are present around the resort. Most major mid-mountain areas have lodges or huts, meaning you never have to ski far to get inside for a break.
And don’t be surprised if you need a break, because Breckenridge’s altitude is incredibly high, even among Colorado resorts. Those not used to the elevation may find themselves struggling to exhibit energy here. Be sure to use caution before attempting anything risky.
The lift infrastructure here is mostly modern but could be better logistically. On the plus side, most areas are serviced by high-speed lifts, and the expansive base town offers lift or gondola service from free, far-away parking lots. Capacity at the crowded Peak 8 base is quite high, with two express lifts and two fixed-grip helper lifts. And some lifts here are just unique—the Snowflake lift has an unusual 45 degree turn in the middle on the uphill side (and a much more complicated turn that has to be seen to be believed on the return), and the Imperial Express SuperChair is the highest lift in North America.
But some loading areas are inconveniently placed, especially at Peak 9, causing crowd flow issues. Peak 7’s only lift, the Independence SuperChair, struggles to keep up with the demand on that part of the mountain. Two-thirds of the Peak 8 SuperConnect’s chairs load at the base station, so lines at the popular mid-station become lengthy. These logistical problems especially hurt on weekends and holidays, when the resort tends to get quite crowded. On days like this, lift lines tend to become really long, especially at the bases. If you’re looking to do laps on a busy day, Breckenridge is not the place.
The resort’s setup also makes it relatively arduous to navigate between mountain areas. From anywhere on Peak 9 or Peak 10, you have to take the Peak 8 SuperConnect lift to get to Peaks 6, 7, or 8. Skiing from Peak 8 to Peak 7 requires navigating quite a bit of flat terrain or taking a gondola between the two base areas. The only access to the Imperial Express comes from the heavily-exposed T-bar or the slow Chair 6 lift (which is confusingly actually on Peak 8). In addition, access to Peak 6’s Kensho SuperChair requires either a lengthy traverse or a ride up the slow, fixed-grip Zendo Chair.
On the plus side, getting from lower-numbered peaks to higher-numbered ones isn’t as difficult, and at least one base area is accessible from every part of the mountain. Additionally, all major lower mountain chairlifts boast helpful bar-mounted trail maps.
Breckenridge is owned by the same parent company as Vail, Beaver Creek, and Keystone, and tickets are easily exchangeable for days at those mountains for a small fee. If you get an Epic Pass, you can hit up the aforementioned neighboring mountains with no exchange needed. Many of these mountains are accessible from the Breck base by public transportation.
Lodging
Breckenridge offers a variety of lodging options both slopeside and in town. Each base area offers upscale ski-in/ski-out hotels and condos with pools and hot tubs. The bulk of lodging in town is only a short walk from the Snowflake lift or BreckConnect gondola, and some ski trails go directly downtown, offering easy ski-in access. Many hotels and condos are walking distance from attractions in town. For those looking to save money or meet people, there are two hostel options in town as well.
It’s worth noting that thanks to the BreckConnect gondola that goes into town, Breckenridge offers free lift-serviced parking. This is a significant convenience compared to the other major Colorado resorts, where it takes a shuttle bus to get between free parking lots and the lifts.
Apres-ski
You’ll find extensive apres-ski options in this former mining town—and you’ll start feeling things quickly if you’re not used to the altitude. Each base area has at least one slopeside bar, but the best ones are TBar at Peak 8 for happy hour or Maggie’s at Peak 9 for live music. In town, you’ll have access to several bars with vibes ranging from casual to lively. Many feature live music or DJs. For trivia lovers, Broken Compass Brewing offers competitions on Tuesdays while Rita’s offers them on Thursdays. The Breckenridge Distillery—the highest distillery in the world—offers a free tour with complimentary tastings.
Verdict
For most, Breckenridge’s size, terrain diversity, and conveniently accessible bowls will deliver a well-rounded package that suits its expensive lift ticket price. But the altitude here can be overwhelming for some, conditions in the heavily exposed bowls can be hit-or-miss, and navigating this wide resort can be exasperating. If you plan to come for a few days, consider staying in Breckenridge’s excellent resort town and splitting your time with other close Epic resorts.
