I forgot to add, Keystone ski area is fantastic for famlies. The great thing about this area is you can ski a different resort each day. Do check out Keystone, it's a big mountain, and all about families.

Your time for getting to the airport is not nearly enough!! You should be checking your luggage in not less than 2 hours before your flight. THEN there is security. At any given time in the Denver airport, that maze can be packed--you absolutely never know. Go straight to security, and do any shopping you are doing--or eating on the other side of it.
Traffic could be bad, even early on that Sunday. Or weather, but you will know about that when it happens.

TTT because we got a great deal so we're going to Breckenridge for 4 days in March. (Staying at the Grand Lodge on Peak 7 -- a timeshare exchange).

I don't ski often and may not ski at all. DH and DD are good intermediate skiers. Assuming they will ski at Breckenridge (this is a Wednesday-Friday in mid-March), and noting that fmpden says its a little less "user friendly" because it's so spread out, could those who know the area give us a little advice -- where should they ski (which of the four peaks?), where to get lift ticket discounts (if there are any). They're probably going to rent equipment -- anyplace in particular that they should do that?

Second, we'd love some restaurant recommendations - 3 nights worth! We like a good friendly pub with good food, in general, we just like good food at places that won't break the bank. "nouveau" American, traditional American, southwestern, Mexican (if it's particularly good), Indian, Thai, Italian, all good. No Japanese. We love "local" and "funky".

Also need to know where the good local coffee houses are, since I will likely be nursing a latte and reading a book!

Lastly, our flight leaves for home from DIA at 6 p.m. on Saturday. What time do we have to leave Breck? (In SF, we would typically arrive at the airport about 1-1/2 to 1-1/4 before out flight). We will NOT be checking bags unless we decide to bring our equipment.

Thanks much!

I don't know what airline you are flying but remember the charge for luggage now--including boot bags and skis!! I'd guess everyone but Southwest is charging.
I fly in and out of Denver several times a year and it is just about impossible to predict what the security maze will look like. I might guess that at that time it will be pretty light so two hours might be plenty. But are you renting a car? More time there.

<<<I'd guess everyone but Southwest is charging.>>>

And we're flying Southwest (we knew about the charge, or non-charge)!

Yes, we're renting a car, so we'll add time for that.

You might ask the Grand Lodge if they have ski rentals on site. Many lodges do. If they don't, go to Blue River Sports on Park Ave. They offer a discount if you make reservations online at least 2 weeks in advance. We and our guests have used them for years. They are very friendly and service oriented.

Starbucks is located on Main St as well as Clint's - a bakery and coffee spot. My favorite 'white tablecloth' restaurant is the Hearthstone on Ridge St in a charming Victorian house. Giampetro's is a very casual, inexpensive and small Italian restaurant. Empire Burger has the best burgers in town, and Blue River Bistro is a nice mid-price restaurant.

As for skiing, the mountains are all inter-connected with trails so they can try them all. Peak 7 tends to be crowded in the mornings as the gondola from the parking lots drops everyone off there. Peak 10 is for solid intermediate/advanced skiers,, but the other peaks have a trails that are a variety of levels.

We always leave 4 hours prior to departure time and have never had a problem even with minor traffic or weather delays. If there is a big snowstorm though I would allow extra time.

If you want to avoid the chains, for coffeehouses there's the Crown, like most everything else, located on Main St. They also have light food items (their cheese plate is good) and desserts. Couches, games and puzzles on shelves. Greta's, also, but I haven't been there in a long time.

Clint's has great baked goods, but the space is quite small, so not as good a place as the Crown for hanging out. Also, I've had issues with some of their staff having an attitude, so I'll go there for croissants, but not to hang out.

There's some ethnic food in Breck, but not a lot. Haven't been to the Chinese place since I got food poisoning from there. I really like My Thai, and it is a funky local's place. Mi Casa has decent Mexican/Tex-Mex, great corn chowder, and a good bar scene. I like all the Japanese places, but you're not into that. Fiesta jalisco is more authentic Mexican, but the ambiance is not great (though the service is very fast). A new place, a little nicer, is Ember. Run by the sous chef of the previous restaurant at that space. I've never really liked the Hearthstone. It's very cute and pretty, but I've found the food to be blah.

Breckgal might have meant that Peak 8 tends to be crowded. You can also access Peak 7 from the gondola, but it's not as crowded there as Peak 8. I would guess your skiiers would enjoy sking off Peak 7, 8 or 9. Peak 7 features primarily rolling blue runs. And, as mentioned, the various peaks are all connected to each other with lifts and trails.

Don't know if Breckgal refers to someone from Breckenridge or the hair products. Lets clear up some points. There are four skiing areas or mountains if you like at Breck going from 7 at the north end to 8 and 9 in the middle and 10 at the south end. All are side by side and interconnected. It is slightly easier to move from 10 to 7 than the reverse. Peak 8 is the original base for Breck with 9 the second on much larger base. There are access point for 9 -- Beaver Run up on the hill and the base at the south end of town. Both 8 and 9 have a mix of green to black with 9 offering the most options. 10 is high mountain with all expert runs. The runs under the chair and to the right of the chair going down are generally groomed and make for fast, steep runs. The runs further to the right can be very bumpy depending on conditions.

Peak 7 is a new area opened a few years ago and now has a new base development under construction. It is designed to be a rolling terrain (sometime referred to as glade skiing) and carries an intermediate (blue) rating but IMO it is a very easy blue so not let those blue mislead you. The blues on the other part of the mountain are more difficult.

Peak 7 and your time share is a little isolated from the rest of Break. You are not within walking distance of anything. Assume that the local bus services that location but you are a couple miles from the downtown area. Unfortunately using you car is not recommended during the day because of parking problems. However, in the evening the big paid parking lots are free and available. Peak 7 is a good place to started the day because it will be less crowded than 8 as mentioned earlier.

However, mid March is the height of Spring Ski so it will be crowded everywhere. Second the traffic returning to Denver on weekend will be EXTREMELY heavy and SLOW. I would plan on leaving Breck around noon on Saturday to stay ahead of the traffic built up.

Thanks all.

fmpden, thank you for the details you gave about the skiing. As for the timeshare, I know it's isolated, BUT, there's both a gondola and a shuttle bus into town from the condo-- I don't plan to drive, at least during the day.

Again, thank you.

The gondola goes to the center of the large public parking lots which puts you several blocks from the center of downtown. I am sure the local public bus picks up there but it would be inconvenient. I assume the shuttle bus would be a better option.

Just wondering - what is the significance of the peak numbers? Where are peaks 1-6?

The mountain range that Breckenridge ski resort is located on is called the Ten-Mile Range. It's not exactly ten miles long, as I've heard, but close. Peak 1 is close to Frisco, and it's possible to climb/hike to the top of it. Peaks 2 - 6 run south from there, and the ski resort is on portions of Peaks 7 - 10. Not very imaginative names, but they do pre-date the ski resort.

Got to call them something. Dates back to the early mining days and maps. Frisco was the hub of the mining activity so it was natural to start there.

Question about preparing for the altitude. Everything I've read says to drink a ton of water, and eat a diet high in carbohydrates and low in fat. Does this mean while you're there, or before you go, and if before you go, how far in advance of the trip?

Also, I read about a drug you can take -- Diamox (Acetazolamide). Has anyone taken it? Does it do any good? How far in advance of the trip do you need to take it?

I've never suffered from altitude sickness before, but then, I don't know that I've ever been that high before (except once over the Loveland Pass, is it that high?).

Keep in mind that most people don't have altitude sickness. Most people do notice that you get short of breath more easily.

I would say that the drink lots of water advice applies to while you're at altitude. I haven't heard the carbs/fat thing (which doesn't mean that it's not true). Part of the water suggestion is that it's quite dry here, and quite sunny, so it's easy to get dehydrated.

Sometimes people take diamox prophylactically; to obtain any effects, I believe you need to start taking it a few days before you arrive. But really, I wouldn't bother unless you've had problems in the past.

Cause and prevention of altitude sickness is poorly understood. You could go to altitude four times and be really effected the fifth time. A lot depends on your personal health and activities. The problem is that you do not have enough red corpuscles to carry the oxygen The reduced atmospheric air pressure reduces the efficiency of your lung function. So if you have anything that compromises your lungs - cold, allergies, etc., - you have the potential for more problems. The average healthy person should not have an SERIOUS problem. But altitude sickness should not be taken light because it can kill you - not likely but possible. You adjust about a 1000 feet per day. We who live at altitude have about 20 percent more red corpuscles that flat landers.

The common advice is drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol while here. Never heard anything about carbs/fats and do not see how that would affect anything. Reason for the water is to keep you blood functioning well. A slight headache is not uncommon the first day or so. Have no idea what diamox would do for you but check with your doctor.

Diamox is a prescription medication. It needs to be started several days before you go. There are potential side effect, such as kidney stones, so if you haven't had a problem in the past, better to do without.

The water and carbs are while you're at altitude.

Everyone, thanks. We'll do without the Diamox due to the potential side effects, and will just keep hydrated and eat pasta while we're there!