Snowstorm moves out just in time for opening day!

Breck just pulled in 4 inches of new snow yesterday in an early week storm that dropped 6 inches over the past two days. It's still cold this morning with maybe another inch expected, but opening day Friday up at Peak 8 should be balmy. Lifts open at 9 a.m. and don't forget the annual free pancake breakfast at the Bergendorf starting at 8:30 a.m.

For opening weekend lodging deals, click here

The new "Epic Pass" presented by Vail

The word “epic” is defined in the Webster’s dictionary as “extending beyond the usual or ordinary especially in size or scope. The Epic Season Pass does exactly that. It offers an epic amount of skiing and riding across five world-class mountain resorts with 17,400 acres of terrain, 128 chairlifts and 722 trails, for each moment of our season from the day we open in November until we close in April, including every holiday in between.
This pass is going to be awesome, I am hopping on this for sure! Breck, Keystone, Vail, Beaver Creek and A Basin...how could you go wrong!
I figured out if you rode 29 on this pass it would only cost you $20 a day. This compared to $75+ a day is a steal. If you paid $75 a day for 29 days you would be looking at over $2,171. That is 6 days at each resort.
Passes go on sale now and can be purchased up until November 15, 2008.
Don't delay!

The Grand Prix Lands in Breckenridge

Kicking off Dec. 14-15 at Breckenridge, the Chevy Grand Prix will mark its fourth consecutive year of opening the competition season and the seventh year Breckenridge has hosted the Chevy Grand Prix. Consistently voted as a top snowboarding resort by readers of Transworld Snowboarding magazine, pros like Steve Fisher and 2002 Olympic bronze medalist JJ Thomas call Breck home. The crowd-favorite Paul Mitchell Progression Pipe style Session will take place at night under the lights in the Superpipe at Breckenridge. At last year's event a crowd of 5,000 plus were on hand to see Breck team rider Steve Fisher earn an automatic ticket to The Arctic Challenge by landing a barrage of huge tricks on the 30-foot quarter pipe. What's going to happen this year? It's sure to be epic! Come to Breckenridge to find out why they rank our pipe as number one! Check out http://www.resortquestbreckenridge.com/ for lodging.

Mardi Gras on Main Street Breckenridge

Main Street Station announced that it will once again host a Fat Tuesday celebration on Breckenridge's premiere outdoor plaza. This event is FREE and kicks off in Breckenridge's Main Street Station, 505 South Main Street, at 3pm.

The event will be February 20th from 3 - 6 pm with an outdoor barbeque featuring authentic Cajun cuisine. The outdoor lounge will be serving beer, wine and customary Mardi Gras Hurricane.

Live music will top off Breckenridge's Mardi Gras celebrations with the likes of the Tommy Shreve Trio. Tommy Shreve is a Louisiana musician through and through. He grew up listening to rock, blues, soul, country, Cajun/ zydeco and R&B. The Tommy Trio has toured with the likes of Jimmy Buffet and has been dubbed "the Cajun Clapton."

If you are thinking about coming down for this celebration and would like to get a room give ResortQuest Breckenridge a call for some awesome lodging deals. They have over 350 units so there is bound to be something to fit your needs. ResortQuest Breckenridge phone number is 800.525.2258 or visit them on the web at www.resortquestbreckenridge.com

Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge

The Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge is stopping off in Breckenridge on Sunday February 11th on its nationwide tour. Snowboarders and skiers alike will compete for medals and other prizes in 30 different categories. All ability levels are welcome and ages ranging from under 6 to over 76 will represented. Participants and resort guests are entertained throughout the day with exciting interactive games, DJ's, music, thousands in raffle prizes and plenty of FREE Mountain Dew! If you end up going to the finals your lift tickets will be taken care of. The western finals are at Steamboat on March 31st. If you aren't from the area and are thinking about staying overnight check out the many Breckenridge Vacation Rentals in the area.

For more info check out www.mountaindewvc.com.

Jo Dee Messina comes to ResortQuest Breckenridge

The annual Lighting of Breckenridge takes place on December 2 and, in addition to the annual festivities, this year's event features a special performance by Jo Dee Messina on the ResortQuest Main Street Station Plaza stage. Messina is an award-winning, multi-platinum recording artist who has had eight #1 singles, has been honored by The Country Music Association, The Academy of Country Music and The Grammy Awards, and was the first female country artist to score three multiple-week #1 songs from the same album.
Breckenridge, Colorado.

The holiday spirit begins with a truly old-fashioned celebration complete with steaming cups of hot cocoa, voices lifting into the night skies with choruses of "Silent Night", and visits from Santa during the lighting of the Town Tree. The annual Lighting of Breckenridge takes place on December 2 and, in addition to the annual festivities, this year's event features a special performance by Jo Dee Messina on the ResortQuest Main Street Station Plaza stage. Jo Dee Messina is an award-winning, multi-platinum recording artist. She's had eight #1 singles, has been honored by The Country Music Association, The Academy of Country Music and The Grammy Awards, and was the first female country artist to score three multiple-week #1 songs from the same album. In the 1800s travelers flooded into Breckenridge with the hopes of earning their riches in gold. Today, travelers experience a Breckenridge vacation rich in activities as well as history. With four huge peaks and over 2,350 acres of skiing and riding, five terrain parks, four half-pipes, a state-of-the-art children's ski and snowboard school, unparalleled grooming, exciting Breckenridge events and a historic mining town with endless shopping, dining and nightlife, Breckenridge is the Perfect Mountain Town. New this year, the perfect mountain town gets a little more perfect with the addition of 150 acres of above tree line expert terrain, and the first Breckenridge gondola, the Breck Connect®. In December 2005, Breckenridge Ski Resort added the Imperial Express SuperChair, the highest chairlift in North America, reaching 12,840 feet. And, guests to Breckenridge will find a variety of Breckenridge vacation rentals both in historic downtown and at the mountain bases. For more information visit ResortQuest Breckenridge Vacation Rentals website or call 800-506-7813.

EXCLUSIVE DEAL FOR U.S. SKI TEAM, Denver Post, 10/19/06

The U.S. Ski Team and Keystone have reached agreement on a new relationship that will allow the team exclusive early season training privileges on North Peak. Finding training venues often has been a challenge for the team in the weeks leading up to World Cup races in Aspen and Beaver Creek. The new agreement eliminates the uncertainty of the past and allows the team to consolidate all of its training at one venue.

SILVERTON SET TO OPEN WITH 4 FEET OF NATURAL SNOW, SkiRacking.com, 10/19/06

Ski Area in Colorado is prepared to open early with four feet of natural snow. Several snowstorms have hit the area since Sept. 22 and have piled up as much as 48 inches of snow base. More than a foot of snow fell on the mountain on Tuesday. With just a bit more snow, Silverton Mountain will be able to open for the season.

SNOW HAS PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT SKI SEASON,

Montrose Daily Press, 10/20/06

People are waxing skis, sharpening edges and tightening bindings. The recent wet weather has outdoor enthusiasts “juiced” for the upcoming winter season. Jeans Westerner Service Manager Eric Barningham is excited too. He has seen a steady stream of customers recently. They are looking at new snowboards, buying jackets and dusting off old equipment.

A-BASIN WINS OPENING CONTEST

Arapahoe Basin, Colorado – October 13, 2006. Beatcha to it! For the first time in six years, a resort has managed to topple Loveland Ski Area in the opening day race. On Friday, October 13, Arapahoe Basin became the first ski resort in North America to open for the season when its Exhibition chairlift began ferrying skiers and snowboarders up the mountain at 9 a.m.. It is the earliest the 60-year-old Summit County ski area has ever opened - and the first time it has won the fierce competition with Loveland Ski Area for the opening-day champion title.

To celebrate this earlier-than-ever opening, ResortQuest Keystone has announced their “Breakin’ in the Basin” lift and lodging packages, offering lodging and FREE lift tickets to Arapahoe Basin from as low as $104 a night!* Located a short 5 mile drive from Araphahoe Basin, and offering a full selection of vacation rentals, ResortQuest Keystone is one of the premier ski destinations offered by ResortQuest, the nation’s largest vacation rental management company. For more information on ResortQuest Keystone and their A-Basin lodging package, visit
HTTP://WWW.RESORTQUEST.COM/VRP/DESTINATIONS/KEYSTONE.

ResortQuest, the leading vacation property management company in North America, provides a one-stop resource for more than 50 premier resort destinations (www.resortquest.com). ResortQuest is the largest marketer and management company of vacation condominiums and home rentals in the continental U.S., Hawaii and Canada, based on a portfolio of more than 20,000 vacation rental properties. For more information or to book accommodations, visit www.resortquest.com.

International Snow Sculpture Championships in Breckenridge

Breckenridge, January 24 - 30, 2006
Fourteen teams from around the world compete in the International Snow Sculpture Championships in Breckenridge, creating mammoth works of art from 12' tall, 20-ton blocks of snow. Well known artists act as judges, as well as the public in the People's Choice awards. Teams have come from as far away as Morocco, Belize, Japan, Canada, Scandinavia, Russia and China.

Ski Breck