For many years my roommates and I had passes to Ski Cooper, near Leadville, Colorado. Cooper is one of the smallest ski areas in Colorado, but it’s extremely family friendly. The lifts are slower, the runs are shorter, and it’s generally a more relaxing atmosphere than larger resorts.

After we married, Angie and I decided to take advantage of the Liberty Pass offered by Vail resorts. This special pass for military members offers unlimited skiing at Keystone and Arapahoe Basin for less than half of a full price season pass. I had been to Keystone and other large resorts before, so I knew what to expect. That year we hit Keystone 5 or 6 times, including one multi-day trip when we stayed in Silverthorne. We also boarded a day or two up at A-Basin, which is a really great place but has become very crowded over the past few years. Overall though, we didn’t really care for Keystone as much as other resorts, and couldn’t handle the crowds up the road at A-Basin.

Last year we bit the bullet and bought the full price Colorado Pass which included Breckenridge, A-Basin, and Keystone. We only went to Breck since we’re not big fans of the other two any more. The pass is pretty pricey (I think we paid $450 each), but if you get enough days in it can be worth it. What we realized about halfway through the season is that we really don’t like crowds. Since we can usually only hit the slopes on weekends, and we like to sleep in a little, by the time we arrive on a Saturday morning, the entire resort is usually packed.

In addition to the lift lines and crowded slopes, we really don’t like being so far from our FJ Cruiser. We like to go back to the FJ at lunch time for a sandwich, some great tunes, and a little relaxation. That’s very difficult to do at a large resort. At Breck, that entails taking a gondola, and usually a bus to get to a large parking lot and finally back to the car. It’s really not worth it. What ends up happening is that we’re stuck eating an overpriced chicken sandwich at a VERY crowded mountainside venue. In addition to our passes, we were dropping another $60-70 every time we went (gas, parking, food, etc). Our snowboarding hobby got expensive very quickly.

That’s not to say that we didn’t enjoy ourselves. The snow is usually pretty good, and the runs are nice and long. For great terrain and lots of variety, Breckenridge is hard to beat. Also, on the rare occasion that we were able to hit the slopes during the week, the resort was generally pretty quiet. With the large crowds removed, some of the other drawbacks are easily overlooked. I highly recommend a larger resort like Breck for those coming to Colorado on vacation.

This year, since Angie isn’t able to board, I chose to grab a military pass at Monarch again. The smaller resort with far less people is much better for my tastes, especially on the weekend. I’ve been able to get to the slopes very early in the morning and get some great turns before any lift lines form. Looking forward, with the new addition to our family on the way, I think we’ll be sticking with either Monarch or Ski Cooper for the foreseeable future. I don’t like the thought of teaching our little one to ski/board on a crowded resort mountain.

What are your thoughts on large resorts versus smaller ski areas? Do you prefer the ultra fast lifts and multi-mountain terrain, or smaller areas that are more cost effective and convenient? We’d love to hear about your favorite small ski areas, next season is just around the corner and we’re looking for places to check out!

Alpine views - Breckenridge, Colorado

Breckenridge, Colorado is famous for being one of the best skiing/snowboarding destinations in North America. The mountains surrounding Breckenridge offer some of the best snow in the state, and the scenery is second to none. This popular winter destination is well served by the many summer activities available in Breckenridge.

From alpine slides to real Colorado mountain biking, Breckenridge has something to offer everyone.

One of my passions is scenic off roading, so last September, we decided to head to
Breckenridge and find a few off road trails. We went with 2 FJ Cruiser’s, a Jeep Wrangler, and a Chevy Avalanche for the run. We started off simple and decided to get Boreas Pass & Georgia Pass out of the way.

View from Bross - Breckenridge, Colorado

Boreas Pass is a very easy dirt road, any car will be just fine on this pass during good weather. The south side of Georgia Pass is about the same, but once we arrived at the top we found a very challenging trail. After a quick jaunt up Glacier Ridge, we headed down the north side of Georgia Pass (Rd 355). It became exciting right away, with a rather large rock blocking the trail. The Jeep decided to take the more difficult line, but the rest of us took the easier route around the rock. We crawled our way down the mountain, trying to say on the right trail.

View from Georgia Pass - Breckenridge, Colorado

We eventually made it down to Swan River just in time for the rain to begin. We headed back to our little campsite (well off the beaten path, GPS 39.5354, -105.9006), packed up, and headed for home.

Although we didn’t get to hit all the trails in the area, it was a wonderful trip!

If you’re interested in experiencing the Breckenridge area by 4×4, I’ve put together a Google Earth layer of the major off-road trails.

Outfitters

There’s only one Jeep Rental place in the Breckenridge area: Mountain High Jeep Rentals. If you’re visiting from elsewhere in Colorado, there are many other Jeep Rental services.

Where to Stay

Breckenridge & the surrounding area is a popular tourist area, so you’ll have no problems finding a place to stay. There are dozens of great hotels, condos, and house rentals available. Make your reservations as far in advance as possible to get the best rate and
the best room.

Food in Breckenridge

Off road - Breckenridge, Colorado

While we brought most of our food to the campsite with us on this trip, Breckenridge has plenty of great places to eat. There’s a little known pizza place on the north side of town, in the City Market plaza called Windy City Pizza. If you’re on the main drag, we’ve had really good luck with the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., and Downstairs At Erics. Don’t forget the infamous Breckenridge Brewery if you’re a microbrew fan.