JillDavis

Hello there! Which location do you think is best to stay in Breckinridge? I know there is the historic district, the peaks, and various other locations.

It would be great to have a ski/ski out, but not totally neccessary if it is a short walk to the lift. I also want to be near the village so that we can take a short walk to have a nice dinner, etc.

starrs

I don't know if it's the "best" but we loved staying here -
http://www.allairetimbers.com/rooms.html

It's on the free ski shuttle route. LOVED it!

BigRuss

Peak 8 may have more ski-in/ski-out condos in the area, but Peak 9 is closer to the village and has a plethora of condo options too. If you stay at a Peak 9 condo right by the Quicksilver lift or between the Quicksilver and Beaver Run Super Chair, you'll be really close to town and that part of the village has a lot of dining options.

fmpden

With the free shuttle bus, Breck is fairly easy to get around. There is not a lot of true ski in/out property. If you get something along 4 o'clock run it will be ski in. Should mention that in the property description. Peak 7 has a bunch of new develop and most will have decent access to the gondola. Peak 8 has the most ski in, little if any ski out. Look for access to Snowflake chair. Peak 8 is the original and oldest part of Breck. The peaks are numbered in order from the north to the south. Peak 10 has no condos is basically all black runs. Personally I would stay in town and use the bus.

fmpden

Should have said that most of the true ski in and out property will be around Peak 9.

JillDavis

Thank you so much everyone for the responses. I think I would like Peak 9 area since I am a beginner. (I have only been skiing once before)

fmpden

The Peaks are not separate and are all linked together so it is not a question of only skiing one peak or the other. Peak 7 has the easiest slopes. There is only one small and you have to know how to get to it that is rated above a green or beginner slope. For a beginner Peak 7 and 8 would be your best choices. Try for something along 4 o'clock run. It is a green run/trail that comes off of Peak 8 and serves a lot of condos that back to this run. The run ends in downtown Breck. A main ski school is located at Peak 8.

JillDavis

fmpden - wow! That is some good information. It sounds like peak 7, 8, or 9 would be good. You really know Breckendridge don't you?

Do you have a recommendation for a good place to stay?

BigRuss

I disagree that Peak 8 is necessarily better than peak 9 for a beginner. I'm a complete ski clod and that LONG run down the trail that's under the Quicksilver chair is a great one for neophytes and the barely competent and it's even better if you augment the run from the top of the nearby A-chair - it makes an Olympic length green trail. Peak 8 has no comparably long runs even though it is shot through with green trails, many of which get a lot of traffic from the ski-in crowd.

Peak 7's trails are listed as blues, not greens. Go check the map: http://www.breckenridge.com/~/media/...-20112012.ashx

JillDavis

BigRuss - Your information is fantastic. Thank you so much. That Olympic length green trail is off of the Quicksilver lift, right? That would be the Peak 9 area then, correct?

Also, do you have a certain recommendation for lodging on Peak 9?

starrs

Jill, consider snowmobiling too. We skiied and went for a hike on snow shoes. I wasn't really looking forward to snowmobiling but LOVED it. This isn't the company we used but their tour sounds a lot like the one we took -
http://www.coppermountainsnowmobilin...-mountain.html

We followed the guide on a trail through the woods that opened up to a large meadow. It was a blast! I didn't expect to love it that much. The Austrian ski team was along in our group and we had so much fun cutting up in the deep snow during the free riding. One of my favorite travel experiences ever!

sf7307

>>

We did this in Park City and it was so much fun!

fmpden

Since I first skied Breck in 64, I have not looked at a ski map in a decade or two. If Peak 7 is blue then it has to be the easiest blue in the world and just adds to the mystery of how slopes are classified. Peak 7 is open rolling meadow skiing that is pretty easy. There are a couple of choke points that are a little narrow and steep but most beginners can get pass it. I would have no reservations about dragging you into that area.

While you can get a long run under Quicksilver (Peak 9) it puts you into the 12 pack chair at the base with long lines. The lower third can get pretty crowded with inexperience skiers. And the A chair hasn't run for several years, if I am remembering correctly. In about the same area just above and a little south of the Mercury lift is an old two person chair lift it is used mostly by the beginning ski school. It is short and slow. But a decent practice area and keeps you from going back to the base.

Transiting from Peak 8 to 9 requires more skiing and is more complicated. A cross mountain lift will take you from 9 back to 8. The south half of 8 (left half looking at the mountain) is mostly green.

If I was going to take lessons, I would use the base at Peak 9. Easier to get off the base with the 12 pack chair.

fmpden

PS - Cannot recommended a place because we never stay there. A few times we have overnighted, it was whatever hotwire had to offer.

nlg

We stayed in the Valdoro condos-we had a two bedroom, two bath-it was very nice and we could walk to restaurants and shops.

BigRuss

Nah, we stayed in a condo on Peak 8 and a B&B three blocks from Peak 9, so I'm not familiar with the condos available at Peak 9. The trail is Silverthorne.

Last we went, the A chair was a go all the time but check with the Breck folks. Kind of daft to list it on the trail map and not run it considering how busy they can get.

I'm thinking fmpden knows what s/he is doing on a pair of skis, so saying Peak 7 is easy is . . . a matter of the skier and the trail too. After all, at Taos Ski Valley, the greens are blues or higher anywhere else.

fmpden

We are not discussing Taos, we are discussing Breck. I have taken more than one flatlander on Peak 7 and they thought it was just fine. The biggest problem I have encountered with beginners on Peak 7 is the tendency to stop in a low spot between rolling hills. No way to slide downhill. Because it is rolling terrain it is easy to control speed and takes away some the straight down hill fear, speed that some beginners get if they are not good at controlling speed.

My normal pattern is at least two or three runs on Peak 7 to start the day because that is where the gondola from the parking lots dumps you. Cross over to Peak 9 around the Mercury lift till the crowds build and then move to Peak 10 till the knees give out. Which is happening sooner each year. Ten Mile station is the nicest and least crowd of the various on slope eateries. On Peak 9 at the base of the lift to Peak 10 which is about mid mountain for 9.

I am probably confusing A Chair with another chair. I will find a map somewhere.

japw82

We satyed at Mountain Thunder Lodge and loved the location. The property was very nice. We had underground parking. It is a block from the downtown area and is across the street from the transportation center and Breck connect which is the gondola that serves peak 7 and 8. We booked through VRBO.com and it was an easy stress free process.

sksinnard

Hi there! I'm a Breckenridge local so hopefully I can help answer some of your questions... As far as location to stay - of course ski in ski out is always the popular option but I think a lot of people forget that we don't just have the mountain here in Breck, we have a great little Victorian themed downtown area with hundreds of shops and restaurants as well! Sometimes, people find it more convenient finding something in town and walking distance to all of this (thus also SAVING them $$ on lodging) then something a little farther up the mountain that is ski in ski out. The Breck Free Shuttle is really convenient and will take you to a lift every morning with usually less than a 5 minute ride. If you want both ski in ski out location and something walking distance to town, a friend of mine works at Ski Country Resorts and one of their popular condo complexes is Trails End. This has it all! Plus, it's on Peak 9 which (despite what I've read on here) is the best peak for beginners. I hope this helps! Here's Ski Country's website if you'd like to browse : www.SkiCountry.com