Breckenridge Ski Resort’s Peak 6 is now open for business. The new lifts opened for the first time on Wednesday December 25, to skiers and snowboarders at the Colorado resort. Talk about a great Christmas present!
Peak 6, the latest expansion from Breckenridge Ski Resort, has added 187 trails and 3,000 acres to the already impressive resort. This includes more than 1,000 acres of above-tree-line bowls and two brand new chairlifts: the Zendo Chair and Kensho Super chair. This is the first expansion to the resort since Peak 7 was added in 2002.
Rachel Zerowin of the town’s visitor’s bureau said, “It’s a huge deal, and everyone here has been very excited. There’s a feeling that so many people are so excited to ski Peak 6 that it will leave great powder stashes across other parts of the mountain.”
Breckenridge Ski Resort, located just 90 minutes west of Denver, was the second most popular U.S. ski destination in 2012, right behind Vail. While the glamorous destination of Vail, Colorado is popular amongst international jetsetters, Breckenridge receives most of its business from American families. They also have a very high rate of repeat visitors from locals.
One local who has already explored the terrain is X Games silver medalist Eric Willett. “You can tell everyone is excited in town,” says Willett. “Peak 6 adds a lot of diverse terrain, really something for everyone.” Willett is also a member of the U.S. Snowboard Team and will likely compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Peak 6 has added 540 skiable acres to Breckenridge to the resort. This includes 143 acres of hike-to terrain and 400 acres of lift-served terrain, an increase in skiable acres of 23 percent. But the quality of terrain is what skiers are most excited for.
Breckenridge has always divided its ski mountains into persona types, with a mountain for almost every type of skier. Peak 7 is for cruisers with long intermediate runs. Peak 8 is for thrill seekers and “adrenaline junkies” offering a variety of the most difficult black and double black (expert) runs. Peak 9 features the resort’s beginner and leaning slopes. Peak 10 is for traditional below-tree-line skiers. Peak 6 is described as a mixed slope with sections for both intermediate and advanced skiers. The terrain is divided into a mix of blue (intermediate) terrain and extremely advanced chutes in two high bowls.
“The intermediate bowl will be especially cool for all the skiers and snowboarders who have always looked up at the big expert bowls but haven’t gone because they were too steep,” said Willett.
For more information about Breakenridge Ski Resort, visit www.breckenridge.com. You can also visit the Breckenridge YouTube channel to watch a GoPro video series titled “Inside the Creation of Peak 6”.
