Long gone are the mining days that once occupied the town of Breckenridge in the 1800’s, however true to its roots the town has many subtle reminders of the gold rush boom years.  As you wander the streets and cruise the mountain of Breckenridge, gentle reminders of the mining days soon start to jump out at you.  Gold King, Cashier and Brian Rose are all piste names with a story behind them; in town you will find the Gold Pan Saloon – the bar with the longest running liquor license west of the Mississippi.  Walk through the swing doors, warm up by the pot belly stove, order your whiskey at the original bar and you can almost expect Clint Eastwood to join you for a drink! Breckenridge as we know it today opened its doors to the public on the 16 December 1961.  With one double chairlift and T-Bar in place, 17,000 visitors enjoyed skiing on Peak 8 that winter.  Fifty years on, Breckenridge now has one of the most advanced lift systems in America.  With 31 lifts capable of transporting 37,880 people per hour, 1.63 million people enjoyed the mountain during the 2010/11 winter. The 2011/12 season kicked off on the 11 November (11.11.11) and since opening it’s been one birthday celebration after another!  To help us celebrate, our kind friends at Breckenridge have given us 3 fantastic rucksacks to give away.  For an opportunity to win one (pictured below) you will need to follow this link to our Facebook page, click ‘like’ and answer the question.  Between today (Monday) and Friday we will post a new question everyday (giving you 5 chances to win!).  All those who get the questions correct will be entered into a draw and the winners will be announced on Friday…Good Luck! [caption id="attachment_3217" align="aligncenter" width="224"] For your chance to win a Breckenridge rucksack visit the Ski Independence Facebook page.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3218" align="aligncenter" width="224"] Competition finished on Friday 10 February[/caption]   To send you on your way here are some interesting facts from the first 50 years of skiing in Breckenridge;
  • The resort has received approximately 44,450cm of snow, that’s 445 metres!
  • In 1961 17,000 skiers visited the resort, in 2010/11 1.63 million visited!
  • 39 million skiers/boarders have visited the resort since opening in 1961.
  • Breckenridge was the first resort in Colorado to allow snowboarding in 1984.
  • In 1996 the first high speed chair lift in North America was installed in Breckenridge.
  • The coldest temperature ever recorded was -43 degree C in 1926.
  • The most snowfall ever in one season was 13.1m in 2010/11
For anyone travelling to Breckenridge this season make sure you pay a visit to the ‘Breck 50 Wishes Campaign’.  Throughout the season guests can submit a wish that they would like to see fulfilled in resort.  To send the team your wish, simply visit the Breckenridge Facebook page. Ski Independence feature 10 properties in Breckenridge ranging from luxury hotels to self catering condos.  These properties can be viewed on our website or for a tailor made quote you can call the Ski Independence team on 0131 243 8097.  
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