Breckenridge Tips & Tricks

Grab your winter gear and head the historic mining town of Breckenridge. Breckenridge has everything from amazing slopes, top notch food, and a walkable downtown. You can’t go wrong with a day trip or weekend vacation to Breckenridge.

*This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.

Get There Early

Let’s face it, skiing and snowboarding are expensive sports, so you definitely want to make the most out of your day in Breckenridge! Make sure to leave early if you are driving up from Denver. No one wants to spend your precious shredding time sitting in bumper to bumper traffic. Another bonus is the lift lines are way shorter when the resort first opens, we had the slopes almost to ourselves for the first hour.

Park Close

Planning on skiing Peak 7 or Peak 8? There is a small parking garage in between these two peaks that is literally right across from both peaks, labeled on Google Maps as “Breck Park Stables Parking Garage.” It was $25 per day when we went, which was only $9 (weekend rate) more than Breck Connect Gondola Station. This was totally worth the extra $9 to be so close and not have to haul our stuff so far. It is a very small garage, so you will have to get there early, and make sure to look up coupon codes for the garage to save a little money!

Planning on skiing Peak 9? The Beaver Run Ski Lot (pictured above) is your answer. You can literally ski in and out from the parking lot. This parking lot is also $25 per day, but you save so much time being able to literally begin your day from the parking lot. This lot is slightly bigger than the Breck Stables, so make sure to go early and look up coupon codes!

Get Your Tickets Ahead of Time

Nothing is more annoying than finally getting to your destination and then having to wait in line to begin your adventure! So make sure you grab your tickets ahead of time. We highly recommend planning ahead and getting Epic Day Pass Tickets, you can save serious money if you get these at the beginning of the season. The best part is once you get the tickets in the mail, you don’t have to wait in any lines and can head straight to the lifts. You can also get tickets from Breckenridge online and then you can go to an express counter to get your day pass and avoid a long line.

Got your Epic Pass? Look for photographers on the top of the mountain with Epic Pass Signs, they will take your photo for free, so you can remember your epic time!

Lockers

If we aren’t wearing a backpack, we generally grab a locker to throw snacks and drinks in. Renting a locker will be significantly cheaper than buying a drink or food from the resort restaurants. Make sure to use the lockers at Peak 8 as they have codes, which allow you to get things in and out for the full day. Peak 9 lockers are one time use only, so they are not ideal for storing drinks and snacks.

Altitude Sickness

Altitude sickness is a real thing that affects everyone differently. There are lots of things you can do to prepare ahead of time to minimize your symptoms. Make sure to drink lots of water, like more than you have ever had. Nuun tablets were our lifesavers and could be tossed in any water bottle or cup, we really like the fruit punch flavor.

Lunch With A View

Breckenridge has lots of on mountain dining options, that offer amazing views of the mountains while taking a rest. Ten Mile Station on Peak 9 and Vista Haus on Peak 8 are awesome places to take a break with an incredible view. Food and Drinks will be as expensive as at the base of the mountain, but the views cannot be beat.

Peak Vibes

Looking for an easy place to begin skiing? Peak 9 is definitely your place. There are lots of green run options and definitely more beginner friendly. This also seemed to be where most of the kids and families were at. This was our friends first time skiing and this was definitely where they felt most comfortable. We also really enjoyed the blue runs on Peak 9 and loved that we all had a lot of options and could meet up easily. We loved the ski in ski out parking lot, but the main resort area isn’t as nice as Peak 8.

Peak 8 is definitely the main hub and the recently redone resort area is really nice. These are definitely the nicest restrooms, outdoor seating, and locker areas. The runs on Peak 8 are a lot longer here for both green and blue, which is perfect once you feel comfortable. Do you have kids? Make sure to check out the awesome ski through parks for kids only, located on Peak 8 and Peak 9.

Looking for a more adult vibe? Peak 9 is definitely where the party is at. There are only advanced runs on this peak, so no beginners. The resort area is more of a clubby vibe with a DJ and lots of alcohol stations.

We spent a day at each peak and really loved that even though the peaks are really close, they all have a very different vibe. If you are a blue skier it is also really easy to go from peak to peak which was nice!

Après Downtown

Downtown Breckenridge is a historic mining town full of local restaurants, bars, and shopping. After shredding some fresh pow, we highly recommend hitting up downtown for some amazing après options. Our favorite burger was definitely Empire Burger, also their loaded tots are everything! We also loved our food at Breckenridge Brewery and their beer is some of our favorite, so make sure to grab a pint or get a flight. The food and beer in Breckenridge is all top notch, so it is hard to go wrong. If you are visiting on the weekend make sure to go early or grab a reservation, otherwise you will be waiting an hour or so to eat.

Stay in Breckenridge

One of the cool things about Breckenridge is the large amount of ski in ski out lodging options. So if you can afford to stay for a night, we highly recommend it. You will save money and time on parking in the morning. Not to mention you can really enjoy the amazing downtown without having to worry about driving back. Almost everything is within walking distance and there is a free bus system that will shuttle you all around downtown.