We spent five days in the Breckenridge area and had a wonderful time. As East Coasters, the Rocky Mountains are majestic and special to us a even if we weren’t skiing! I’m going to give an honest review of the resort from a skiing and a family resort perspective.
**Skiing at Breck is VERY expensive if you don’t have an Epic Pass. Be sure to grab Epic Passes before fall for the best deals! **
From a Skier’s Perspective
Our family skis bell to bell. So while the lifts are turning, we’re just there to ski and we don’t take breaks during the day. We eat PB and Js on the lift, haha! This part of the review is focused on skiing-the town and resort review follows.
Experience:
We were most interested in the higher altitude skiing and to get there is a mission. A lift from one of the base lodges takes you along a traverse to an incredibly long T-Bar (it does weed out beginners and prevents wind holds). This is followed by the Imperial Lift (the highest in the US) for some bowl skiing and hike to ski terrain. Getting here requires time and traversing if you’re at another peak. Once at the elevation, you can lap runs, and it’s pretty amazing. The snow quality and views are incredible. But if the visibility is low, it can be tough with kids. You may then want to keep it to mid mountain below the T-Bar. That being said, the terrain is a lot of fun and offers something for all levels and groups of families.
Layout:
As mentioned above, the mountain lifts service all types of terrain to keep any level of skier thrilled. The multiple lodges at the base of each peak are very nice, and they offer many amenities. The resort can be accessed by a free gondola (The Breck Connect) which is a treat for non skiers. Overall, it was a pleasant layout and easy to maneuver. There is also more extreme terrain that you can hike to, but keep in mind this is tough to do at elevation. Some of the black diamond runs seemed to be a little more mild than expected on mid mountain.
Crowds:
Breckenridge gets crowded. We were lucky to go during a mid April spring break, but there were still some small crowds and lots of locals on the Friday we got fresh snow. The vibes were family friendly, except from some heckling/rowdiness from locals which is to be expected on weekends and powder days. Staff was wonderful and friendly!
Overall:
We had a great time skiing, and there was more than enough terrain for everyone to fill 3 or more days of skiing. We all especially loved the high altitude terrain and the stunning views from the Imperial Bowl.
From a Family Resort Perspective
From a resort point of view, Breck is fantastic. The historic town is charming with a hippie, ski town feel. There is tons to do for all ages and it provides an awesome place to hang after skiing.
The resort itself is great for families and beginners. There’s multiple learning centers and great wide groomers to take advantage of.
The onsite lodging seemed to be beautiful and convenient, setting up your family for a resort stay. The buses around town are quick, free, and simple.
All and all it feels a little like Disney at a ski resort.
Final Thoughts:
If you’re a family going to enjoy the resort, town, and mountain and spectacular skiing, I’d say it’s a perfect fit.
Shoot for late season end of March-Mid April for low crowds and good lodging deals.
**Note: During our stay, Peaks 9 and 10 were shut down for the season. This may have changed my skier’s perspective.
Beyond The Usual Trail 