Guide to the Mountain
1/13/2019 By Christopher ErikssonBreckenridge Mountain is actually composed of five different peaks, each with its own terrain patterns. So a blue on Peak 7 is not necessarily going to be the same as a blue on peak 9. So to help find some great areas to ski, we have some guides to the different peaks, and ways that we ski the mountain.
Starting off the day on the Snowflake chair actually drops you off between peaks 8 and 9. From the top of snowflake, you can either ski down to the base area of peak 8, or the Beaver Run Chair or the Quicksilver chair on Peak 9. From the top of the snowflake chair, you are also right at the top of one of the bunny hills for the mountain. So if you are a new skier, you can take the snowflake chair up, and get right onto the bunny hill and stay on the peak 8 side of the mountain. The run down to peak 9 has a few steeper drops, and you should be capable of easy blue runs before skiing to peak 9 from the snowflake lift.
So for general overviews of the mountain, I will break it down into type of skiing/boarding that you want to do. If you are really a beginner skier, or want some easy warmups, the easiest green runs are generally off of the Quicksilver lift on peak 9. There are several very long flat runs that lead off of that chair. In peak season though, it will be busy! As I mentioned before, skiing to peak 9 from the snowflake lift will take you through a few bigger drops though, so if you want to get to Quicksilver as a beginner, I would recommend taking the complimentary BlueSky shuttle bus. It is complimentary with your stay, but they do appreciate tips! They will take you to the base area of the Quicksilver lift, and you can walk to the chair from there.
If you have mastered the basics, and are ready for some easy blues/harder greens, 4 O'Clock and Springmeyer make for some great starter runs. Just avoid them at 4:00 PM when the mountain is closing, they become a zoo! For some moderate blue runs that are a ton of fun, head over to Peak 7, where there are a lot of rolling hills that require you to carry some speed to get through, but don't require you to barrel down the mountain. ClaimJumper is a personal favorite for a faster blue on 7, and Angel's Rest is a nice easy cruising run with some ups and downs. Peak 9 also has a few great intermediate blues, like Bonanza, which is a slow skiing/learning trail, and cashier for a slightly faster one.
For some harder blues, Peak 6, 8, and 9 have you covered. Peak 6 has upper mountain terrain that actually gets up above treeline while still just being blue runs. So enjoy the bowls, without having to ski double blacks. The lower part of peak 6 has widely spread trees and many different paths you can take to all get to the same place. Peak 8 has Northstar and Dukes, which are harder blues. Peak 9 has some of my personal favorites, including Sundown and Gold King. If Volunteer is groomed, that is a great blue! If it is not groomed, expect some moguls and it will be more of a black run.
For those of you who enjoy speed, Peak 10 is the best place to be. Peak 10 is almost all black runs, which include a lot of vertical, and are almost always groomed. Cimmaron is a great race course, but with a long flat area on the bottom. Crystal and DoubleJack are two of my favorites there, with continual steep drops to get your legs working! It is hard to go wrong on Peak 10 if you like speed!
For upper mountain variable terrain, 6 Chair at the top of Peak 8, and the Imperial Chair are great places to work from. 6 Chair takes you to the top of tree line, and features many chutes and runs that play in and out of the trees. These are never really groomed, so expect either moguls and bumps, or incredible powder on a fresh snow day! The Imperial Chair is the highest chairlift in North America, and takes you to just under 13,000 ft. The Imperial bowl is a fun double black that often gives either deep powder, or some bumps to ski. Keep in mind, at 13,000 ft, there is not much air, so expect to need a break! If you ski off the side of the Imperial chair, you can access my personal favorite, Whale's Tail bowl. This bowl drops down between peaks 7 and 8, and drops you through several bowls before making it back to the lower mountain. The snow up there is often deep, and very light! The terrain is fairly steep, and is a wide bowl, so you are almost guaranteed good snow on one side or the other.
So to head back into the condo, the two best ways are Snowflake Run, and 4 O'Clock run. Snowflake is pretty flat, it is rare to be able to make it through without some walking, and trust me, we have tried every way we can find to hit the flat area as fast as we can! It is a very beautiful run though, circling the resevoir, and skiing down past all the townhomes. It also drops you at the snowflake lift. 4 O'Clock is how we often get in for the day. It is a bit steeper, only having one real flat area, and you can cruise through that one if you carry enough speed. Just make sure you stay to the right where the run splits off, and immediately after the split there is a small drop, at part way down the drop, you immediately must turn right to get to Bluesky. This takes you to just across the street from BlueSky, so a short walk and you are into the unit again. If you miss the turn, you will end up in downtown, and the BlueSky shuttle is the easiest way back up!
Breck really has terrain to suit everyone, and this was just a very short overview hitting a few of our favorite spots. You can always ask the staff at Bluesky and Charter sports for recommendations, they usually know the conditions of the day pretty well. Explore the mountain and have fun!
