Week Trip to Breckenridge

            Been to Vermont too many times to count?  Skied so many days in the Poconos that you could do it blindfolded?  It’s time to get serious.  Sit down with dad (or son) and make plans to take your father-son ski trips to the next level.  Get yourself out to American ski heaven: Colorado.

            Personally, I recommend Breckenridge as your first Colorado trip.  The skiing is, of course, unbelievable and it’s continuously ranked the best ski town in the country (it’s the only major ski resort in the U.S. that was a town first and then a ski mountain, as opposed to the town forming around the mountain).  Plan your trip easily using the Breckenridge Online Trip Planner (linked below) and get a prescription from your doctor for altitude pills.  The first time my dad and I went to Colorado, I got on the gondola at the bottom of Vail Mountain, rode up, got off, and thought I was choking because I wasn’t expecting such a drastic change in the air’s oxygen level.  Prepare to get really out of breath just from walking 20 feet but if you hydrate and take the altitude pills, you should be able to manage just fine.

            I recommend a six or seven day trip (two days for travel and the rest for skiing) because any less than that you won’t want to leave and much more gets to be real expensive.  The day you arrive, take yourself through the town (it is very much a walking town), pick up a town map with a directory for all the shops and restaurants, and head to one of the MANY delicious restaurants (my personal favorites are listed below).  There’s even an oxygen bar if you’re feeling in need of some good old O₂.

            Wake up the next day, eat a good breakfast, dress accordingly, and enter heaven.  Colorado snow is a whole different animal from East Coast snow.  It’s fluffy, forgiving, and there’s just plain more of it.  I could talk for hours about Skiing the Rockies but you’ll just have to experience it for yourself!

On the Mountain:

            Breckenridge is a GIANT mountain with four peaks (7, 8, 9, and 10 from right to left on the trail map).  Peak 7 is mainly an intermediate area, peaks 8 and 9 are both mixed with trails of all difficulties, and peak 10 is all advanced terrain, a lot of backcountry-type skiing.  Going above peak 7 and 8 brings you above the tree line (too high an altitude for trees to grow) and it's a vast playground up there.  With over 1,000 skiable acres just above the tree line, that’s where you’ll find the best skiing.  The mountain is so big and spread out that none of the peaks really get overly crowded.  "Breck" is world famous for their terrain parks (linked below is a video of multiple professional skiers and snowboarders talking about why they like to ski the Breck parks).  There are many places to eat on the mountain (the on-mountain food in Colorado is exponentially better than the on-mountain food on the East Coast) but my favorite is Ten Mile Station at the bottom of Peak 10.  The skiing at Breckenridge is great all over and you’ll be there for multiple days so take your time exploring.  It’s worth it to get a full taste of the mountain!

Off the Mountain:

            Part of what makes Breck such an amazing place to go skiing is the après ski scene (literally meaning “after skiing" in french, it is the term for nightlife in a ski town).  With a full town right at the base of the mountain, finding something to do, and possibly more importantly to eat, is not a problem whatsoever.  My personal favorite restaurants are Mountain Flying Fish (best sushi I’ve ever had, hands down), Breckenridge Brewery, Empire Burger, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, and Downstairs at Eric’s (pizza and arcade; awesome atmosphere).  BUT… perhaps the most imperative après ski aspect of your trip to Breckenridge will be your daily trips to Crepes a la Cart for the best crepes you will ever have.  Crepes a la Cart is right on Main Street and you won't be able to miss the constantly long line (it’s worth it though, trust me).  It runs out of a tiny cart (hence the ala Cart play on words) and they serve both savory and sweet crepes for breakfast, lunch and dinner (open until 3 A.M. for you night owls).  A trip to Breckenridge without multiple crepes from Crepes a la Cart would be an incomplete trip.

P.S. Breckenridge is home to the highest-altitude ski lift in North America at 12,998 feet above sea level!

Easy-to-Use Breckenridge Trip Planner

Professional skiers talking about why they love the Breckenridge terrain parks

Breckenridge Trail Map

Main Street lit up with the mountain in the background

Crepes a la Cart

A snowy Breckenridge street with the mountain in the background