Looking for Breckenridge, CO info

[ScooterPie]

We are planning to celebrate the few days before Christmas in Breckenridge next year. Do you have any info/input that you can help us newbies with? Or, is there a place in CO for snow and Christmas that would be better?
Thank you!

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Are you skiers or boarders? We love Breck and go skiing every other March. Cute little town with good skiing. Easy to walk places and there are free shuttle buses to get you around.

 

[ScooterPie]

Well, we are from the South and have never skied or snowboarded. We will have children with us so we are thinking of dog sledding, snow mobiling, that kind of thing. Do you suggest a resort, if so which one, or a vrbo type thing?

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

There are plenty of VRBO units in Breckenridge, I would honestly go that direction. Then you can get groceries and not have to worry about trying to find places to eat when it's freezing cold.

Alternatively, I recommend Winter Park. Also a lot of VRBO areas (both in town and in Fraser, which is the next town, and really all one), and you can do snowmobile tours up on the Continental Divide, and sled dog tours in town. There's a skating rink in the resort center, several different tubing hills, and great lessons for skiing/snowboarding if you want to try it. It's also a bit more off the beaten path, and would be a lot less crowded than Breckenridge and the rest of Summit County.

 

[monsterkitty]

There are plenty of VRBO units in Breckenridge, I would honestly go that direction. Then you can get groceries and not have to worry about trying to find places to eat when it's freezing cold.

Alternatively, I recommend Winter Park. Also a lot of VRBO areas (both in town and in Fraser, which is the next town, and really all one), and you can do snowmobile tours up on the Continental Divide, and sled dog tours in town. There's a skating rink in the resort center, several different tubing hills, and great lessons for skiing/snowboarding if you want to try it. It's also a bit more off the beaten path, and would be a lot less crowded than Breckenridge and the rest of Summit County.

I second this!

 

[ScooterPie]

So you recommend we stay in Winter or Fraser? Hmmm....

 

[monsterkitty]

I would stay in Fraser as my first choice, Winter Park as my second. Fraser is a bit cheaper and feels more like a typical town rather than a ski resort area. It has been a few years since I've been up there, so that may have changed a bit.

 

[ScooterPie]

Well, out if Breckenridge, Winter Park or Fraser, which place is best for:
dog sledding
toboggan riding
ice skating
sleigh rides
our kids range from 13-7 months

and is anyone willing to suggest to us newbies the way to dress for the third week in December? I certainly appreciate all of your input, everyone!

 

[monsterkitty]

Fraser and Winter Park have a better chance of having snow the third week of December. I prefer to ski Winter Park because they have better snow, not as icy. On the other hand, WP and Fraser are colder than Breck.

Fraser has a great tubing hill. I've never tubed/toboggan in Breck so I can't compare.

My in-laws had a cabin outside of Breck so we used to go there frequently. I prefer WP/Fraser for some reason, probably because I grew up skiing WP and Berthoud Pass so it could be a comfort thing for me.

Ski/snow pants and coats. Warm clothing but bring swim suits for the pool after playing outside all day. I also highly suggest staying in Denver a day or so before going to the mountains to get used to the altitude. You want to avoid altitude sickness. When I worked at Berthoud Pass we saw several cases each winter.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Haven’t been to WP in about 10 years but it is a longer drive from Den and was more of a curvy mountain road that could be dicey in the winter. Breck has plenty of outdoor activities and is not far from Vail and Beavercreek that are fun to visit. Breck will be more crowded than WP but we think it is more fun and has more to do.

 

[gtpoohbear]

I live in Colorado, and in fact have a condo in Keystone ski resort (which is not far from Breckenridge) that we come to almost every weekend. So...I'm obviously a bit biased, but you should definitely add Keystone to your list of considerations! If you do want to learn to ski, it's great for begginers. But there is also snow tubing, in fact it's at the top of the mountain so you get a scenic gondola ride as part of it. You can also take a sleigh ride, and we have two outdoor ice skating rinks. The resort prides itself on being very family friendly, and has lots of kids activities every day. I haven't done snowmobiling, but I hear of lots of people staying here that have, so I can only assume it is not too far away.

As for where to stay, it just depends on personal preference. Obviously you will pay a large premium to be near the ski slopes. You may find a cheaper deal going through airbnb or VRBO, but those don't have the same dependability as the major hotels. Also consider whether you will make use of a kitchen- no use paying for one if you will eat out most days. Though at least being able to make breakfast in the mornings can save a lot of money and hassle.

For how to dress- in general expect cold. It can vary a lot though. Last week, it was in the high 20s-30s every day. Yesterday and today, we have not seen double digits. (Yesterday only barely broke 0). Snow pants, waterproof jackets and gloves, mid layers, boots, and hats are a must, at a minimum.

 

[StephPlum]

Not sure if Keystone is the same elevation as Breckenridge but pay attention to that, especially if you are flat landers like me. I stayed in Breck for 4 days in August and the altitude got to me. Headaches, couldn’t sleep. Did fine in Denver but higher Breckenridge got to me. just something to think of if you aren’t used to it.

 

[pens4821]

I can't really be a big help to your questions, but I do want to point out that they passed a new traction law this year. I believe you have to have four wheel drive or snow tires to travel on I-70 from September through May. We travel to CO every couple years (have family there), and this is something we need to pay attention to next time. We always rent a car and I don't know if rental car companies guarantee these types of things.

 

[ScooterPie]

Wow! This is all wonderful, helpful advice! We will definitely take heed of it!
Happy New Year ti

 

[monsterkitty]

If you do not want to drive from DIA to any of the ski towns, there are shuttles from DIA to WP and Breck. If you've never driven on snowy mountain roads then this might be the best way to go.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Obviously, since I've got a place in Fraser, I'm biased towards the Winter Park/Fraser area. We've done snowmobiling there, and going up to the divide is unbeatable! Of course it also depends on how much snow we have prior to your visit. We've done tubing at a couple of different hills, and it's great too.

gtpoohbear is also right about Keystone, they've got a great area, and don't get the wind that Breckenridge does (there's a reason why the locals call it the Breckenwind!). Keystone is much more compact, with all of their activities right in the same area, but I'm not sure if there's a grocery store or anything around unless you head over to Frisco.

As for the drive, Breck and Keystone are actually about 10/15 minutes further from Denver than Winter Park is, and while Berthoud pass is a mountain pass road, the speeds are slow enough that it's not a white knuckle drive like heading down after going through Eisenhower Tunnel is!

Finally, for the altitude. If you can spend a night in Denver, that would be really good, but, if not, then also remember that we're high desert. It's very, very dry here. 90% of the altitude sickness is dehydration. If you find yourself with a headache, drink a huge glass of water and sit down for a bit. Water is key.

 

[ScooterPie]

You’ve all given me excellent info and great food for thought! This will be our first time ever to do something like this and we are all looking forward to the adventure.

 

[ScooterPie]

We would really like to get a condo on property of a lodge as this is our first visit ever. You know, to have shuttle, help with info, etc...
Any suggestions?

 

[monsterkitty]

I would do a condo or villa. If you do a VRBO or something similar you have to hope that if it snows a lot that you can get in and out of the property. While I'm sure a VRBO owner would probably have a service they hire to clear the driveway, the road might not be passible if there was big snowfall. At my in-laws cabin if they would have plowed their own driveway, you wouldn't have been able to go down the road as the county didn't plow sometimes for a few days.

As for shuttles or concierge type help, it really depends on the building and who owns the building itself, not just the unit.

 

[Psychodisney]

Take a look at Frisco CO too. The area around Breck and Keystone has a ton to do. I like the village area of the Keystone resort. They have an ice skating rink in the village. They have a few sleigh ride options, snow shoeing etc. You can ride the gondola up to the top of the mountain for dinner. I believe there is a tubing hill at Keystone and in Frisco. We’ve done a dinner sleigh ride in Frisco too (Two below zero). There is also free bus service around summit county on the Summit stage. https://www.summitcountyco.gov/586/Transit-Summit-Stage