Breckenridge History, a ski town with an historic past

Today, downtown Breckenridge boasts one of Colorado’s largest historical districts with approximately 250 buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The historic district is about 12 square blocks and there are 171 buildings with points of historic interest. Information about the district is available at the Summit Historical Society which conducts walking tours that take you past many prominent structures, from simple log cabins to Victorians with lacy gingerbread trim.

The town of Breckenridge, Colorado was founded in 1859 by a small group of

gold prospectors and General George E. Spencer. It was Spencer who proposed the name “Breckenridge”, after the Vice President at the time, in hopes of getting a post office. He was rewarded with the post office and the town of Breckenridge was born.

Two years later, as the Civil War broke out and the former Vice President sided with the Confederates, the residents of the town decided to change the spelling and the “i” was changed to an “e”. The town has been known as Breckenridge ever since.

During the period between the late 1850’s and the mid 1860’s prospectors came to Breckenridge in droves at the height of the Gold Rush era. Placer mining, the process of mining for gold in the stream and river beds, was the original method of mining in the area, but prospectors soon followed the gold to its source in larger veins in the mountains surrounding Breckenridge. As the gold supplies began to diminish, many miners and businesses moved on. By 1870 the population had dwindled to 51.

With the advent of hydraulic mining technologies and the discovery of silver and lead, Breckenridge saw its second boom era. In the late 1880’s the population grew to nearly 1700 inhabitants and the town was home to many saloons, dancehalls and hotels. In 1887 the largest gold nugget discovered to date in the state of Colorado was found by Tom Groves. Coined “Tom’s Baby” the 13 pound nugget again put Breckenridge on the map.

With the turn of the century came the gold dredging boats which scoured the creeks and riverbeds for gold. Employing fewer people than placer mining, the dredge boats eventually led to a waning population in Breckenridge once again. One of the longest standing traditions in historic Breckenridge, surviving booms and busts alike, is the Gold Pan Saloon on north Main Street. This saloon is the longest continuously operated bar west of the Mississippi River.

Breck is a Year-Round Destination!

When speaking with a Breckenridge local, it’s all too common to hear the phrase “I came for the winters but stayed for the summers”, but no one ever mentions the shoulder seasons! They just might be the local’s special secret.

After the ski resort closes through spring, and again after school is back in session in the fall and before the resort reopens, are amazing times of year to be
in the high country. The Town quiets down and the weather is perfection. It’s the ideal time to enjoy a snowy hike or a cool bike ride.

As an added bonus most of the restaurants run delicious specials including two-for-one entrees or half off bottles of wine. And, the need to make reservations at your favorite Breckenridge restaurants weeks in advance vanishes. With less people in town, not only are your favorite trails empty, but so are your favorite restaurants!

If perfect weather, empty trails and great discounts at the best restaurants aren’t enough to motivate you to visit Breck in the spring or fall.

We can’t wait for you to experience Breckenridge like never before! The Town transforms during the shoulder seasons and becomes a whole other experience.

A Brief History of Snowshoeing

As you might imagine, the history of snowshoeing goes back a long, long way. It is believed that snowshoes were originally developed in Central Asia over 4,000 years ago. They were developed out of the need to travel and hunt for food in the winter when the ground was covered in snow. The first snowshoe designs were modeled after the tracks of animals that could easily maneuver in the snow, such as the snowshoe hare. There are also bear paw shaped snowshoes, as well as many other designs that have evolved over the years.

Early Snowshoes

In Europe, historians discovered snowshoes that were made from pieces of leather attached to wooden blocks. Eventually, this design led to the invention of the nordic ski as tribes moved into what is now Scandinavia. Later on in history, when tribes crossed the Bering Strait and settled in North America, snowshoe designs evolved further. The tribes of the American Northeast such as the Huron and Algonquin introduced snowshoes to European hunters, trappers and surveyors. They were sometimes very long (up to 7 ft) and made from ash timber and untanned rawhide webbing. However, even though most tribes had some type of snowshoe they used, shapes and length varied widely among tribes. The Inuit of the far north used almost round snowshoes, while tribes in the south tended to have longer, narrower snowshoes. Some snowshoes were shorter for maneuverability in the woods.

Snowshoeing Evolves

Around 1900, recreational snowshoeing was born as people began exploring the wilderness for leisure and exercise. The earliest recreational snowshoes resembled a tennis racquet. They were originally developed for military use by the Canadians, but recreational clubs were eventually formed that held races and led hikes. The older styles of wooden and rawhide are mostly appreciated today as objects of craftsmanship and art. There are however some snowshoe enthusiasts who still use wooden snowshoes because they are quieter and have a lower freezing point. Mostly though, modern snowshoes are made from aluminum tubing and a nylon decking. Being quite light, they are often used for sporting purposes.

Modern Snowshoes

Modern snowshoes began to move away from the traditional designs in the 1950s as new materials began to be used. Aluminum replaced the wooden frames, and solid nylon decking took the place of the rawhide webbing. The modern snowshoe was first developed in 1972 and included cleats on the bottom to assist in their use on icy surfaces. These were developed by Gene and Bill Prater in the Cascade mountains of the Pacific Northwest. They were originally know as the “western” snowshoe but eventually moved east and were adopted universally.

Snowshoeing Today

Today, recreational and sport snowshoeing is enjoying immense popularity. Indeed, snowshoe participation tripled in the 1990s. Many ski resorts have opened snowshoe trails through the woods. There are 3 types of snowshoe in use today: aerobic/running, which are lightweight; recreational, which are a bit larger and designed for walking; and mountaineering, which are the largest and designed for hill climbing and backcountry use. If you decide to give snowshoeing a try, you now know you’ll be participating in a sport with a long, rich history.

Skiing Breck during the week....

The benefits of weekday skiing might not be as clear to visitors as they are to Breck regulars. From driving to and from Denver on i70 to a deeper appreciation of the peaceful mountain ambiance, what it all boils down to is more of what you came for – time on the slopes. Here’s why:
– Interstate 70 is a clear shot
Nothing kills a ski day buzz like bumper-to-bumper creeping between Denver and Breck. Spending the entirety of the a.m. on Saturday or all afternoon and evening Sunday in the parking lot that is I-70 on the weekends can all by avoided by skiing on week days.
– Parking spots available
Rather than wasting the time you could be ripping untouched snow weaving

through rows of cars and praying for an opening, there are plenty of spots available on the week days, most likely within quick and easy walking distance of the gondola.
– No lift lines
You’d better make sure you’re legs are up for it, because they’re going to get a lot more runs in. Whereas a full day on the mountain might amount to about 10 runs if you’re lucky on a Saturday or Sunday, you can expect to double that on a weekday. Depending where you are, with the light weekday lift crowds, you could even do non-stop laps from the top of the lift to the bottom.
– Slopes to yourself
There’s nothing more euphoric than getting to the top of Peak 6 or one of Breck’s most magical, top-of-the-world spots, looking down over the tip of your board(s) and knowing that the entire white line is all yours.
– It snows more during the week
There is no actual science or evidence to back this up, but it certainly feels this way when you’re working all week and watching the snow report in Breckenridge tally four, seven, … 12 inches on a Tuesday or a Wednesday. Wouldn’t it be great to not have to wait until Saturday to get out in it?
– Breaking trail/powder turns at mid-day after new snow
If it there is fresh snow to be slaughtered from an overnight storm, it disappears almost instantly on a weekend, but during the week, you might be finding fresh lines and getting face shots until noon or later.
– No jockeying for free tables at the lodge
Not only does skiing during the week spare you the stress of swooping awkwardly onto a table as soon as you see previous patrons are vacating it, but you can typically find a spot front-and-center. Enjoy the table with the best view for lunch or the bench in a radiant sun beam for prime people-watching on the patio at the end of the day.

Seasonal Rentals - Worth the money???

In my opinion, nothing makes getting the family on snow easier than renting ski and snowboard equipment, just one time, for the entire season.
Here’s why.

Ease and Convenience

As you’ve probably discovered, it takes a lot of gear to outfit just one skier, let alone a family.
Starting with clothing, here’s what each person needs:
• Long underwear/base layers
• Ski socks
• Fleece/medium weight sweater
• Ski pants
• Ski coat
• Mittens/gloves
• Helmet
• Goggles
And while you may have some of these items already, chances are you don’t

have extra skis or snowboards lying around.
That’s where season rentals come in.
Season rentals are equipment packages that you rent in the fall and return in the spring.
Rather than taking time to rent skis or a snowboard each time you ski or ride, you go through the process just one time and you’re done. The ski and snowboard equipment is yours to use, as many times as you want, all ski season long.
Ski packages include skis, bindings, boots and poles, while snowboard packages include a board, bindings and boots. All gear is professionally fit by experienced ski techs, so you get exactly what you need, in the appropriate size. It couldn’t be easier.

Quality and Service

Sure, you may have a friend or relative with some skis you can borrow. Or, maybe you’ve got plans to peruse yard sales until you find snowboards to fit your kids.
But both of these strategies are risky.
Skis and boots, like snowboards and boots, wear out over time. Buying used equipment isn’t a bad idea if you know what you’re looking for and looking at, but most of us don’t have that level of expertise, especially when it comes to evaluating bindings.
With season rentals, you and your family get professionally tuned and maintained equipment from reputable brands.
This season Elevation is renting Salomon, Rossignol, Fischer and K2 skis, along with Burton, Salomon & Rossi snowboards. For boots, you’re looking at Salomon and Tecnica.
This is important because skis and snowboards work best with well-maintained bases and sharpened edges. Each time you ski or ride, some base wax wears off and the edges dull. Having the skis or board tuned mid-season makes riding that much more fun, and easier, for the rest of the season.

Value and Flexibility

In addition to ease and quality, season ski and snowboard rentals make good financial sense, especially if you’re outfitting kids or you are new to either sport.
Kids grow and they don’t always grow at convenient times. With season rentals you can trade in any item that is suddenly too small.
This means if your son’s feet grow two sizes between October and March, you can trade in his rental boots for a bigger size, at no additional cost.
This also means that if your daughter is progressing quickly, racing right past the green beginner slopes and ripping up the blues (or blacks), you can trade in her short beginner skis for something more suited to her growing abilities.
You can even switch your kids from skiing to snowboarding or snowboarding to skiing, if they suddenly decide they want to try the other sport.
Even more importantly, kids can be fickle. While we all hope our kids will love skiing or snowboarding, there is no guarantee. Junior ski and snowboard rentals starting at $99 for kids are a great value, whether your kids end up riding five days, or fifty.
Finally, if you ever have any concerns with the equipment you’ve rented, stop into any Elevation and they will take care of the issue at no additional cost.

Not Just For Kids

For all the reasons season rentals make sense for kids, they also make sense for adults. If you’re an adult who is new to snow sports, Christy Sports has you covered with season rentals as well. Expect the same professional fitting and service that’s extended to kids. Look for the same top equipment brands, and enjoy the same ease and flexibility.
Whether you’re 6 or 60, if you’re not 100% ready to commit to buying all of your ski or snowboard gear, season rentals will save you money and give you a solid foundation upon which to learn and build new skills.

New Orleans brought to Breck

Breckenridge’s 2016 carnival features a Fat Tuesday (February 9) parade on Main Street. We’re bringing out the best of the 2015 party — fire dancers and larger-than-life puppets — for a full evening of fun.

February 9, 2016: Mardi Gras in the Mountains

Hang out on Main Street to see floats and colorful characters handing out trinkets to the crowd. Post-parade parties will be held at restaurants and bars around town; celebrate the night with drink specials, music and more. Want to put together a costume? Check out Summit Thrift and Treasure at 1745 Airport Rd. in Breckenridge.

Mardi Gras in Breckenridge event website: http://www.gobreck.com/events/mardi-gras

Getting around Breck

Getting around Breck is one of the easiest things. There are a couple of options.

Ride free on the Summit Stage

Skiing, hiking, biking, shopping, eating, live music – it’s all just a short stroll away once you reach the streets of Breckenridge. If you want to explore further, take the Summit Stage, a vast network of free shuttle buses that deliver you to all four
ski areas with other stops at local shopping centers, medical centers, and other residential areas.
Download the Summit Stage app for bus schedules.

Bike Breck

Breckenridge is not just a ski town, in the summer it transforms into a bike town. Summit County features more than 100 miles of paved bike paths connecting the towns of Breckenridge, Frisco, Copper Mountain, Dillon, and Keystone. Plus, you’ll see cruiser and townie bikes everywhere from locals and visitors alike.
For mountain bikers, the off-road options are virtually endless, making this one of Elevation Ski and Bike rents bikes year round.  They have FatBikes for your winter fun.  With the wide (4"-4.5") tires, the adventure can be so much fun.
the premier biking destinations in the World.

One of the most popular and most easily accessed rides for recreational riders is the bike path along Lake Dillon. From Breckenridge, the loop around Lake Dillon is 31 miles round trip with 1,600 feet of vertical climb. And don’t worry if you tucker out. The Summit Stage buses have bike racks so you can always catch a free ride back to Breckenridge. Find more information on local rides and clubs at Summit Biking