What if you asked your teen how he liked his family vacation and he answered: “Breckenridge has to be the best ski mountain I have ever been to in my life. It has everything I would look for in a good ski resort, a big mountain with plenty of different trails, a variety of terrain parks with different size features, a good ski/riding school program, nice places to stay, and a nice town." That’s the review we got about our winter 2005 trip to Breckenridge, Colorado.

When my husband and I took our 13-year-old son, Regan, and his 14-year-old buddy to Breck, little did we know that we would uncover a friendly mountain town that turned away from silver mining to go for the gold – as a major ski and snowboard resort.

Breckenridge: The Mountain

Regan notes, “Breckenridge has over 155 trails (this might not seem like that many, but each trail is extremely long, some going for over three miles) on four peaks. Each trail had a different feeling, yet all were well groomed and fun to ride.” As skiers, my husband and I enjoyed the variety of trails, especially the “classic” terrain on Peak 7.  The boys thought it was very Old School to leave slopes in a more natural state, with powder drifts, rolls and bumps.

We also liked the fact that Breckenridge had fewer chair lifts crossing its 2,208 acres, giving it a more open, less crowded feel than most Eastern resorts. Yet we learn that the tippy-top of Peak 8 at this high-altitude resort, where we used to squint at the silhouettes of experts hiking up to powdery back bowls, double black diamond and extreme terrain, will have its own new chairlift. Breckenridge Ski Resort's newest chairlift, Imperial Express, a high-speed quad is one of the highest chairlifts in North America, reaching 12,840 feet. A new gondola also links Peak 7 and 8 to base camp.

Regan really appreciated the four terrain parks, ranging from the beginner park, El Dorado, to the Freeway and Gold King Parks, said to be among the most challenging parks in the world.  Everyone seems genuinely proud that a visit by Jake Burton (of Burton Snowboards’ fame) more than 20 years ago led Breckenridge to become one of the first slopes to welcome the new sport.

“The Intro to Terrain Park class I took was very well taught,” Regan commented, as his friend nodded. “In one day I learned to 'nose-slide a fun box' and a variety of grabs.”  We were all impressed with the friendly Ski & Ride School but from other vacations, our family has found that excellent instruction is a hallmark of all the Vail Resorts.

Breckenridge’s school operates from mid-December to mid-April with a wide variety of programs for ages 3-12 years, broken down by ages 3-6 and 7-12 and by ski or snowboard interest. Helmets are recommended and available for rent. Making these programs even more fun is Ripperoo, the costumed "dog" who skis and snowboards around the resort each day, in addition to making appearances in the very cute, gladed Enchanted Forest beginner area and at the base villages. He fits in well with Breckenridge’s laid-back style.

Breckenridge's other very impressive instructional programs include private lessons, K2's Learn to Ski and Burton's Learn to Ride programs for beginners, women's clinics, terrain park lessons and camps for over-50s. The active and popular adaptive skiing program is run by the Breckeridge Outdoors Education Center (970/453-5633) and it’s very inspiring to watch.

Breckenridge: The Village

Breckenridge’s strongest appeal for us was the village itself: a hip, picturesque, former mining town. The boys appreciated that Breckenridge actually felt like a real town with, in their opinion, “wonderful restaurants and decent shopping.” Public transportation, free mountain shuttle and town buses, is on eco-friendly hybrids, and lots of citizens have waist-length hair. The vibe is friendly and forgiving, sort of: “I’ll put up with ski crowds blocking my sidewalk cause I know visitors support my great lifestyle.”

Within a couple of miles’ stretch of Main Street – a real “Wild West” town, at least to anyone who’s not from the West – are dozens of restaurants, snow wear boutiques, T-shirt stores, bars and fun places to hang out.  It’s so small and so safe that we let the boys roam on their own at sundown, and meet up with us later for dinner.

Downstairs at Eric’s (111 S. Main St, 970/453-1401) is a below-street-level arcade fronting a very good restaurant where chili cheese fries, large draft beers and juicy burgers are the main fare.  Everything is cooked fresh, including the staff; in fact, you probably skied by your waitress that afternoon. Eric himself, judging by the tons of neat sports memorabilia hanging from the ceiling and lining the walls, is a hockey player. This was our kind of après ski place, because while parents stretch out in the comfortable booths, talk or watch one of the 34 TVs, kids can roam over to the arcade and sample an array of video games (many vintage editions.) When we went at 7pm there was a 90-minute wait, so we returned for lunch on our last day. Good for that, too.
 
Where do you dine when Eric’s is packed?  For breakfast or lunch, it’s The Blue Moose (540 S. Main St, 970/453-4859) for huevos rancheros, whole wheat pancakes, burritos and smoothies, with a side of Altitude Adjustment, a homeopathic remedy for altitude sickness.  More on that later.

At night, go to Giampietro (on Lincoln St. just off Main, 970/453-3838), an excellent pasta and pizza parlor serving “East Coast Italian fare,” whose lighting and small tables made it a step up in the luxe category.  If the teens are still looking for a party, head to the basement level music club Sherpa & Yeti's at 320 South Main Street (970/547-9299). 

By the way, many condos offer Gourmet Cabby (970/453-7788), a local delivery service connected to Subway and most of the other Main Street restaurants.

Off The Mountain, Around The Town

The Mountain Top Children’s Museum (970/453-7878) is at 605 S. Park Avenue at the edge of the Village at Breckenridge (mountain base camp).  This small and charming museum has taken lessons from the big city guys in helping children understand their world, and provides water play, a dress up area filled with costumes and puppets, Kidstruction Zone for budding builders, a Sendak-inspired Where the Wild Things Are exhibit and many mini-tables and chairs so grandmas can play. New parents will appreciate the special Tot Spot where under-2s can safely roam and toss toys around.  Admission $4/adult, $6/child, under-1s and seniors free. From December to April and June to September, it’s open daily except Monday; Mud Season hours are more limited. During summer, the museum runs a full-day weekday camp for ages 6-12, as well as occasional drop-in programs for ages 2-5 in separate groups.

Just outside this area is the reservoir used for ice skating in winter, but the ice wasn’t thick enough at our visit. Families staying at ski in/ski out housing will find the not-too-fascinating base village a 5 to 10-minute walk from the main part of town, so a stroller or backpack may come in handy with little ones, particularly if you get short of breath (like I did) from the altitude.

The Breckenridge Recreation Center (880 Airport Road, 970/453-1734) or, more commonly, The Rec Center, is amazing. In the interest of full disclosure, we’re from New York City where municipal works tend to be bridges or public baths dating from the 19th century. In Breckenridge, the village anyone would prefer to live in, the Rec Center is a contemporary palace of healthy fun, with great gyms, yoga, Pilates and aquarobics classes, a climbing wall, sauna and steam room, huge pool with a really fun waterslide called the Summit Plummet, jacuzzis indoors and out, and a Bearly Big Daycare (970/453-1734) center for ages 2-months through 6-years. (Reservations are required, and the center charges $5/HR for two-hour periods while parents are working out.)

There’s more; climbing and movement classes for ages 4+ and a Li’l Artists Exploration series for ages 2-5 years. Best yet, the Rec Center welcomes visitors by the day, at a rate of $10/adult 18-59; $6 ages 13-17 or 60+; $5 ages 3-12. If your family is staying awhile, consider the Four Pack ($25/adult or $12/child), which grants you three admissions plus entry to the West Ice Arena (full-size indoor skating facility where recruits for The Colorado Avalanche must be groomed), or the Gold Run Nordic Center, a lovely setting for cross-country skiing.

By the way, the Breckenridge region also offers myriad activities and adventures in summer. Possibilities include hiking, horseback riding, hot air balloon rides, the alpine slide, kayaking at the Breckinridge Whitewater Park, fly fishing and golfing at five area courses, including a 27-hole course designed by Jack Nicklaus. The base village or several shops in town can provide information about these excursions.

Regan sums up our winter stay: “Despite having altitude sickness and vomiting multiple times, Breckenridge is still the best ski resort I have ever been to.”

High Altitude! Caution!

As noted earlier, the town of Breckenridge is at a high altitude of about 9,000-feet above sea level. Our family suffered from headaches and insomnia for three days after arrival. AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) is pretty rare, but a general headache, shortness of breath, irritability, and/or sleeplessness related to the altitude is said to affect about 25 percent of visitors to Colorado. We later learned that repeat visitors often spend a night in Denver, or another high altitude town en route, to get acclimated.

Altitude discomfort is something to discuss with a pediatrician and to watch for, particularly in young children. Be prepared to keep them very hydrated (at least four 8 oz. glasses of water per day for adults; less for kids). Home remedies suggested by locals included taking aspirin, as a blood thinner, for a few days prior to arrival. Others recommend “Altitude Adjustment,” a popular homeopathic remedy based on ginseng that is widely sold.  The Breckenridge resort website also provides a helpful Planning Your Trip Tips Page with preventive measures.