Taking the Kids: The quintessential ski town of Breckenridge, Colo.
I wish I was as fearless as the kids. It seems kids have no fear ... on ski slopes, anyway, even when it's dumping snow and the wind is howling on Breckenridge Mountain (http://www.breckenridge.com/), located two hours west of Denver. We're above the tree line at the new Peak 6 bowls, which represent the biggest ski resort terrain expansion in more than a decade.
Some of the new 543 acres of new terrain on what is a top draw for family snow sports lovers is the most extreme at the resort -- you must take off your skis and hike to reach it -- but all of the buzz here has been about the above tree line terrain for intermediate skiers. But when it's snowing hard, and you can't see much, it can be a little scary -- for grown-ups like me, anyway.
Not so for the young skiers I met.
"Awesome," declared 10-year-old Annika Erikson and her 8-year-old sister, Hailey, visiting from suburban Chicago. "It was hard at the top, but once you got in the woods, it was really cool."
"I got stuck in the trees!" Hailey's twin brother, Ty, said proudly.
"My favorite run on the whole mountain," added 16-year-old snowboarder Chris Sangiuliano, who is here with his dad from Philadelphia.
At the warming hut at the bottom of the lift, I stop to catch my breath and run into ski patroller Dave Leffler. "This is going to be more difficult for those used to groomers, especially on low visibility days," he said. "On a blue bird day, it is beautiful but the visibility can go away faster than below tree line and blue skiers may not be used to it."
Challenge is a good thing for all ages on vacation and Breckenridge offers it up in spades, whatever the kids' ages and ability -- from the Four O'clock run, which is 3.5 miles long, the terrain parks, the kids' trails through the trees and kids' terrain features with names like Rip's Ravine and Dragon Trail. (Kids can rent gear free in Breckinridge when parents rent from Black Tie Ski Rentals, www.blacktieskis.com, which brings the equipment to you.)
"It's hard but not too hard to have fun," explained Pavel Hamill, 9, visiting with his family from Boulder. That's one reason Breckenridge is the family's favorite mountain, said his dad, Paul.
"It's the perfect place for kids to explore," agreed J.H. Sava, a veteran ski instructor here with his family from Denver for a day of fun on the snow. The mountain manages to offer up plenty of challenges, he explained, without being too intimidating.
...continued
(c) 2014 DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
