Founded in 1859 and virtually abandoned at the end of the Gold Rush, Breckenridge has now maintained much of its 'Old West' charm of the gold mining era, thanks to the arrival of the ski industry in the early Sixties. The total ski area is serviced by 30 lifts and can be reached by foot or a short shuttle bus ride from all parts of the town. Having said that the majority of the available accommodation is located in good ski-out/ski-in slope side positions.
With a vertical drop of just over 1,000m it may not seem that Breckenridge will compare with the good European resorts but the key thing to bear in mind is that the resort itself is located at almost 3,000m with the highest lift reaching runs at nearly 4,000m. All this means that visitors to Breckenridge are staying in accommodation at an altitude that is more than 1,000m higher than almost anywhere they would normally stay at in Europe. Some visitors may find that altitude sickness is a problem in Breckenridge, especially within the first few days of arrival until they acclimatise to this new environment. The best and most effective way to combat the effects of altitude is also perhaps the easiest. It has been found that drinking large quantities of water is the most effective antidote.
Your lift ticket for Breckenridge is also valid for use at Vail, Beaver Creek and Keystone. Day trips to these other resorts are easily arranged and can be simply accessed via a scheduled bus service. The shortest of these trips is to neighbouring Keystone which is open until 9pm most nights of the week with perhaps the biggest floodlit skiing operation in the US.
