The snow-down on secret ski business in Breckenridge resort, Colorado

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This was published 9 years ago

The snow-down on secret ski business in Breckenridge resort, Colorado

By Brian Johnston
Going on a downhill adventure at Breckenridge, Colorado.

Going on a downhill adventure at Breckenridge, Colorado.

Somewhere in the night, every skier's dream has come true. Snow has fallen and fallen and when I fling back my hotel curtains, 40 centimetres of powder sits on my window ledges, on street lamps and car roofs. And it hasn't stopped yet. The road onwards to Vail is closed and the airport is shut down, according to the news. I can't help hoping the highway from Denver is closed too, leaving Breckenridge's powder dump to the lucky few.

I'm already here and in no hurry to leave, so let it snow. After a hasty breakfast, I haul on my ski gear and step out, rewarded in minutes with epaulettes of snow. The thick, fat flakes are so close together that, when I stick out an arm, my hand is just a white blur.

I couldn't have chosen a better morning for my Breck Guides experience. It's still only 8.20am when I join the ski patrol in its staff room below the on-slope Vista Haus restaurant. The walls are plastered with training schedules and information about a Red Cross blood drive. In between hang mugs on hooks and red ski jackets with distinctive white crosses. It's a little intimidating to be here among so many youthful ski guides: every one of them is a considerably better skier than I am. Still, we all share an equal excitement for the dense snowflakes that tumble beyond the windowpanes.

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Snow safety supervisor Will Barrett quickly calms the excited chatter as he gives his morning briefing. "Tons of snow with no wind makes the avalanche problem easy," he says. "We have warm, thick snow in a lower layer and light, fluffy snow on top like the perfect wedding cake, and good temperatures for bonding the new snow to the old."

There'll be no snow bombing today, he explains. The patrol will be ski cutting, or traversing the upper slopes just to slough off some of the loose snow. He quickly assigns patrol members to different areas. "Strap on your helmets, it's going to be an awesome two or three days."

Barrett helped develop the Breck Guides program that I've signed up for this morning. It was only tentatively rolled out last ski season, and gets into full swing this season. Skiers sign up to sit in on the early morning patrol meeting, getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the ski resort's operations. Then participants head off with an instructor on an individualised program, during which they can learn about avalanche awareness, snow science, or basics of using search tools, such as beacons and probes.

Off piste in Breckenridge, Colorado.

Off piste in Breckenridge, Colorado.Credit: Jack Affleck

In all truth, however, the biggest attraction is that you're taken to the secret stashes of Breckenridge, and can ski off-piste safe in the knowledge that you're in the good hands of someone who has insight into the best ski conditions on the day.

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The program starts early, giving participants an hour on the slopes before the lifts have opened. We duck under the rope that still closes the T-bar to the general p

Shrieking with glee and high-fiving each other with our ski poles, we're off into powder that sometimes seems up to our eyebrows. There's no one around but our little group and the odd patrol member hauling piste markers. After a few warm-up runs, we're ready to go beyond the markers and into the trees. Everyone checks their avalanche beacon is working, but Guilbert reiterates that snow conditions are close to perfect and the avalanche risk low.

Breckenridge come alight at night.

Breckenridge come alight at night.

"Even better, wind speeds have dropped," he adds with glee. "There's almost no wind even at the summit."

That's particularly good news in Breckenridge. It may be one of America's top ski resorts, but it does have its downsides. Among them, it's higher, colder and more exposed to wind than other Colorado resorts, such as Vail or Beaver Creek. That makes getting used to the altitude a challenge (a first few days' skiing in Vail would be sensible) and also means that the resort's top lifts are often closed because of wind.

"Though on the plus side," says Guilbert, "the wind can often provide fresh powder even when it isn't actually snowing, especially around Imperial Chairlift on Peak 8."

Relaxing with a drink after a day off-piste.

Relaxing with a drink after a day off-piste. Credit: Sean Boggs

We spend the morning on Peak 8, skiing off-piste through the trees in areas that few but locals know about. Imperial Chairlift finishes just shy of the summit at 3914 metres; it's the highest chairlift in North America. At the top, it's like being trapped in a snow dome. I can hardly see beyond a few metres; just enough to keep up with Guilbert as he skis downwards with impeccable elegance.

Peak 8 probably has the toughest skiing in Breckenridge, with over half the runs black, and many double diamond. I wallow in the instructor's wake but, with several doonas-worth of soft snow to land on, there's nothing to be hesitant about. The conditions are enough to keep us all screeching in delight. At my best, I float across powder snow with all the airiness of a paper airplane caught in an updraught. At my worst, I end up face forward in a snowdrift and feel I'm being suffocated. The snow is so dry I can't even press it together: friends are attacked with confetti handfuls of flakes rather than snowballs. Off piste, there's glee in knocking dumps of snow from fir trees onto unsuspecting heads.

At lunchtime we're at the foot of Peak 8, tucking into hot soup. Guilbert demonstrates the avalanche beacons, but I think he knows our hearts aren't in it. Tracking each other around the restaurant to increasingly urgent beeps is amusing, but we all want to get back on the slopes. After all, these snow conditions may only come around once in a season.

The view from up high at Breckenridge, in Colorado.

The view from up high at Breckenridge, in Colorado.

There are also few better places to indulge. We've been all morning on Peak 8 and there are another nine to explore. Breckenridge, founded in 1859, was a mining town long before it was a ski resort, and prosaic miners simply assigned the surrounding mountains numbers rather than names. There are 10 in all, but the terrain of each (bar some on Peak 9) runs down the same town-facing slopes with a sunny, north-facing aspect. Some of the skiing is above the tree line, with wide-open views of the Rockies, including summits topping 4000 metres. If there's a downside, it's that the high starting altitude of Breckenridge itself means it lacks the super-long runs of other Rocky Mountain resorts.

The skiing is subtly different from rounded peak to peak: nice lower greens on 9 and 10, great blues on upper Peak 9, high snow bowls on 7 and 8, groomed pistes through the trees for speed-loving intermediates on Peak 10. Many reckon Peak 6 is the best; no wonder two of its runs are called Delirium and Euphoria. The terrain here has recently been substantially expanded, increasing Breckenridge's skiable area by 25 per cent.

Although on-slope signs have improved quite a bit over the past two seasons, it's still a bit confusing. There are more than 30 lifts and some 155 runs, though getting lost is nearly always a pleasure. The benefit of the Breck Guides program is that I can spend a day and not think about where I'm going. Guilbert simply leads us around and, what's more, knows exactly where we need to be that afternoon to make the most of the sensational snow.

We head off to Peak 9. The double black diamond runs, sporting names liked Hades and Inferno, are quiet and knee-deep in snow, and there are no queues at the E Chairlift, which hauls us back up for more. Somewhere through the trees we hear the occasional whoop of sheer pleasure and long, drawn-out yes, yes, yes-ing.

"All those big-city folk in Denver get real sick with too much office work," comments Patrick as we sit on a chairlift, snow heaping in our laps. "I reckon they come up to Breckenridge to ski and get healed."

Amen to that. The world is a big white wonderland, and I reckon I've gone to heaven.

The writer travelled courtesy Vail Resorts.

TRIP NOTES

MORE INFORMATION

breckenridge.com

GETTING THERE

United Airlines flies to Los Angeles (13hr) with onward connections to Denver (2hr). Phone 131 777, see united.com.

Colorado Mountain Express runs an airport shuttle to Breckenridge from US$66 a person, with savings for three or more. Phone +1 970 754 7433, see coloradomountainexpress.com.

SKIING THERE

The Breck Guides experience is US$450 for a half-day or US$675 for a full day for up to six people, who should have similar skiing ability. See breckenridge.com/guides.

STAYING THERE

Mountain Thunder Lodge is a walk from downtown and across the road from the gondola, and features self-catering apartments of various sizes ideal for families. Phone +1 888 400 9590, see breckresorts.com.

EATING THERE

Well-cooked beef and game matched with a choice of 220-odd wines will leave you very satisfied at Hearthstone. Phone +1 970 453 1148, see hearthstonerestaurant.biz.

Tuck into Colorado lamb or buffalo with truffle fries at Relish, where you can choose from formal dining or a laidback bar area. Phone +1 970 453 0989, see relishbreckenridge.com.

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