Long weekend in Breckenridge
Jan 31st, 2011, 06:16 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Long weekend in Breckenridge
My husband and I just got back from a wonderful 3 day weekend in Colorado. The main purpose of the trip was for my husband to get to snowboard, which he doesn't get to do often in Chicago where we live!
We left Chicago at 8pm on a Thursday and arrived in Denver at around 9:30pm. We got an amazing deal on Southwest... FYI, there 2 free bags includes snowboards and skis! We picked up a rental car and hit the road to Breckenridge. It is around a 100 mile drive. Although route 70 is a major highway, the road is quite windy and steep and it was slow going at times. It was late when we finally arrived in Breckenridge. We checked in to our room at the Village Hotel and passed out.
After our late night arrival, we were a little slow to get up and going on Friday morning. My husband brought his snowboard gear. However, I have only tried snowboarding once or twice before so we had to rent all of my equipment. We wandered out or hotel and were quickly at the base of Peak 9. There is a rental place right there. Due to time constraints, we ended up renting my equipment there. I think it was around $40 for a one day snowboard rental. I was kicking myself the next day when I found a coupon in a magazine for 25% off from the same rental location. So if you have time, there are some deals to be had. Then we made our way to the ticket office, also at the base of Peak 9. Again, I was kicking myself. If you order online, lift passes are approximately 10-15% cheaper. BUT, you have to order the pass at least 7 business days before your trip so that they will arrive in the mail before you depart. For January, our lift tickets were $100/day. If you get a 3 of more day pass, there is a discount. There are also half day passes that can be bought day of only, but I was told they are only about $20 cheaper than the full day pass! The lift ticket we got was good at Breckenridge, Keystone, and A-basin.
As I am a beginner, I spent the morning on the bunny slopes with a lesson from my very patient husband. I spend most of the morning on my butt and was really struggling with the altitude. I took a very long lunch break so that my husband could enjoy the advanced trails, then we met up again on the greens in the afternoon. Breckenridge is known for having a lot of green runs and being a great mountain for beginners! Unfortunately, I just can't seem to get the hang of it. It is tough to learn as an adult!
We left Chicago at 8pm on a Thursday and arrived in Denver at around 9:30pm. We got an amazing deal on Southwest... FYI, there 2 free bags includes snowboards and skis! We picked up a rental car and hit the road to Breckenridge. It is around a 100 mile drive. Although route 70 is a major highway, the road is quite windy and steep and it was slow going at times. It was late when we finally arrived in Breckenridge. We checked in to our room at the Village Hotel and passed out.
After our late night arrival, we were a little slow to get up and going on Friday morning. My husband brought his snowboard gear. However, I have only tried snowboarding once or twice before so we had to rent all of my equipment. We wandered out or hotel and were quickly at the base of Peak 9. There is a rental place right there. Due to time constraints, we ended up renting my equipment there. I think it was around $40 for a one day snowboard rental. I was kicking myself the next day when I found a coupon in a magazine for 25% off from the same rental location. So if you have time, there are some deals to be had. Then we made our way to the ticket office, also at the base of Peak 9. Again, I was kicking myself. If you order online, lift passes are approximately 10-15% cheaper. BUT, you have to order the pass at least 7 business days before your trip so that they will arrive in the mail before you depart. For January, our lift tickets were $100/day. If you get a 3 of more day pass, there is a discount. There are also half day passes that can be bought day of only, but I was told they are only about $20 cheaper than the full day pass! The lift ticket we got was good at Breckenridge, Keystone, and A-basin.
As I am a beginner, I spent the morning on the bunny slopes with a lesson from my very patient husband. I spend most of the morning on my butt and was really struggling with the altitude. I took a very long lunch break so that my husband could enjoy the advanced trails, then we met up again on the greens in the afternoon. Breckenridge is known for having a lot of green runs and being a great mountain for beginners! Unfortunately, I just can't seem to get the hang of it. It is tough to learn as an adult!
Jan 31st, 2011, 06:33 PM
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The first night I was in a world of pain. We spent some time in the hot tubs, followed by take out in the hotel room.
The next day I decided to explore the town and let my husband make the most of his time on the mountain. The town of Breckenridge is exactly what you would expect from a ski village. There is a good mix of restaurants, bars, art galleries, and boutiques. The mountains in the background are definitely We couldn't have had better weather. It was sunny and 40 both days! While I was shopping and curly up with my book, my husband was riding up the highest lift in the US, the imperial chair lift. That was high enough, however, he then proceeded to hike up even further. Here is a video taken at the top... really unbelievable. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHXfu...ayer_embedded#
We then met up at Maggies, a bar/restaurant at the base of Peak 9 for some drinks. Overpriced beer and food but fun atmosphere with lots of indoor and outdoor seating. That night for dinner we went to the Hearthstone... can't recommend it enough! Be sure to try the elk!
The next day I decided to explore the town and let my husband make the most of his time on the mountain. The town of Breckenridge is exactly what you would expect from a ski village. There is a good mix of restaurants, bars, art galleries, and boutiques. The mountains in the background are definitely We couldn't have had better weather. It was sunny and 40 both days! While I was shopping and curly up with my book, my husband was riding up the highest lift in the US, the imperial chair lift. That was high enough, however, he then proceeded to hike up even further. Here is a video taken at the top... really unbelievable. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHXfu...ayer_embedded#
We then met up at Maggies, a bar/restaurant at the base of Peak 9 for some drinks. Overpriced beer and food but fun atmosphere with lots of indoor and outdoor seating. That night for dinner we went to the Hearthstone... can't recommend it enough! Be sure to try the elk!
Jan 31st, 2011, 06:47 PM
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We got a late start Sunday morning. A shared bottle of wine hits a little harder than usual at 2 miles above sea level! Our flight out of Denver wasn't until 6pm. However, we had heard that there is often a lot of traffic from the ski areas to Denver on Sundays and the drive can take 4+ hours. We decided to play things safe and left Breckenridge at 11am. The traffic was a little heavy, but we made decent time. We decided to spend the afternoon in Boulder. The drive from Breckenridge to Boulder was stunning and took about 2 hours. Boulder is a very cute college town. We had a delicious brunch at Salt then spent an hour or so walking along Boulder creek and exploring some of the downtown shops.
We then had a quick 35mile drive from Boulder to the airport. We arrived with plenty of time to spare. I was glad we left early after overhearing others in the airport comment on their 4.5 hour drive and their missed flights.
Just a quick description of the Village Hotel in Breckenridge.
Pros: great location! Very close to the slopes and also within walking distance of all the shops and restaurants on main street. Also really enjoyed the outdoor hot tubs.
Cons: Would have liked a bit more of a "lodge" feel. Particularly on my non-skiing day. There is a fireplace in the lobby, but the area isn't very inviting (cold, noisy). House keeping also leaves something to be desired. Our room wasn't cleaned at all on the first day, and the second day no one had been by when we returned to our room at 4pm so we finally called.
All in all a wonderful trip! I would love to come back and explore the area in the summer!
We then had a quick 35mile drive from Boulder to the airport. We arrived with plenty of time to spare. I was glad we left early after overhearing others in the airport comment on their 4.5 hour drive and their missed flights.
Just a quick description of the Village Hotel in Breckenridge.
Pros: great location! Very close to the slopes and also within walking distance of all the shops and restaurants on main street. Also really enjoyed the outdoor hot tubs.
Cons: Would have liked a bit more of a "lodge" feel. Particularly on my non-skiing day. There is a fireplace in the lobby, but the area isn't very inviting (cold, noisy). House keeping also leaves something to be desired. Our room wasn't cleaned at all on the first day, and the second day no one had been by when we returned to our room at 4pm so we finally called.
All in all a wonderful trip! I would love to come back and explore the area in the summer!
Feb 1st, 2011, 04:16 AM
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,876
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ski lodge/resort is fun fun fun. I might suggest that you try skiing instead of boarding for one thing. And if you come again for a longer time, DO DO take a day of lessons. It is always nice (supposedly) to have a teacher in the family, but an instructor can really take you further, in my opinion.
