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!

For your chance to win a Breckenridge rucksack visit the Ski Independence Facebook page.

Competition finished on Friday 10 February

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.

It always amazes me that people can be so organised but I guess I don’t have a family/school holiday to think of – oh and I can imagine the reaction if I asked for two weeks off over Christmas!  But we have been getting requests for quotes for the Christmas and New Year period in 2012/13 since the turn of the year (yes, 53 weeks before travel!) and we’re now at a stage where we have secured some of the best deals in our most popular hotels and we can now quote for many resorts and properties.

It’ll take us a little while to get back to everyone that has requested a quote for next season but we’re on to that just now (as well as booking lots of late bookings for 2011/12 as the snow is amazing all over the world!!) and will be back to you in the next week to 10 days.

Some reasons to book early:

• Up to 45% off the best hotels in Whistler.  We make sure that these deals will be the cheapest rates available all season! But you MUST book before the end of this winter season to take advantage of these rates.

• The very best flight availability.  It seems a little hard to believe but the cheapest flights on the busy dates, those around school holidays usually, will fill up very quickly.  We can usually hold flights around 11 months before departure date with a small deposit to secure them.

• Get your pick of resort, property, hotel room – booking early gives you the very best choice.

Whistler Blackcomb - 26 January 2012. Total snowfall this season: 707cm. Photo: Patrick Hui

Remember we tailor make every single holiday we book for our clients so you tell us what you want and we’ll do it! If we think you’re doing too much or can think of a way to make your holiday better (or cheaper – although that’s not always possible!) we’ll tell you. We have skied the resorts, slept in the beds, taken the transfers, flown the flights and hired the cars – our experience in North American skiing is unrivalled. Go on – test us!

So let us know what you want to do by calling us on 0131 243 8097 or filling out an online form, we’ll get back to you shortly after with some suggestions and if you like what we get for you we’ll book it all with just a 15% deposit.

PS – Quoting and booking for Europe isn’t too far off either…watch this space.

Austria

The resort of Solden reported the most new snow across Austria last week.  Following an impressive 1.1m of fresh snowfall, the clouds parted giving way to some great on and off piste conditions.  St Anton also has some fantastic conditions with an upper snow depth of 298cm and has a further 65cm forecast this week. Lech despite having slightly less snow is still in great condition with 240cm lying on the upper slopes.

>>>  More information on ski holidays in Austria

The picturesque resort of Lech

Switzerland

If you are looking to find the deepest snow in Europe, head to the the traditional village of Saas Fee in the Swiss Alps.  The resort currently has an on piste snow depth of 340cm and another 20cm forecast for the end of the week.   Not far behind, and forecast for another 40cm of snow this week, is Verbier where you will find a piste depth of 300cm.

>>>  More information on ski holidays in Switzerland

A recent powder day in Verbier.

France

Following some truly incredible snowfall in the past month, France is undoubtedly the place to ski in Europe.  As the forecast predicted; the snow has continued this week with a further 20 – 30cm falling and a further 50cm forecast tomorrow (Thursday).  Many resorts around France including Chamonix, Les Arcs and Tignes are already reporting snow bases of over 3m with both fantastic on and off piste conditions.

>>>  More information on ski holidays in France

125cm of fresh snow at the top of the Funicular in Tignes!

Canada

Conditions also remain good in Canada where most resorts in Alberta and British Columbia are sitting on snow bases of well over 2m.  Following an incredible November with over 11ft of snow in areas it looks like the slight dry spell in December has come to an end.  In the past 7 days Whistler welcomed 125cm of fresh snow, taking the accumulated snow fall to date this winter to 449cm!  Further inland Fernie also saw a good snowfall, with 61cm hitting the mountains over the past week, bringing the snowpack up to 175cm.

>>>  More information on ski holidays in Canada

Whistler following 100cm of snow in 7 days! Photo: Coast Mountain Photography

USA

Despite snowfall in the USA being lower than last winter, many resorts are still reporting good on piste conditions.  One exception in the USA, and matching its big mountain skiing and snow record, is Jackson Hole who had a welcome dump of 75cm last week allowing the resort to open in full.

>>>  More information on ski holidays in the USA

Celebrating New Year and 75cm of fresh snow in Jackson Hole. Photo: Chris Figenshan

For first hand advice on where to find the best snow conditions and accommodation offers, call a member of the Ski Independence team on 0131 243 8097, visit our website or request a quick online quotation.

The Vail resorts portfolio includes Vail, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, Keystone and the Arapahoe Basin in Colorado, as well as Heavenly and Northstar in California.  Each resort has its own character so there’s no ‘production line’ feel to things but the Vail Resorts brand does assure the guest of consistently high levels of customer service and excellent on-mountain facilities.  Their Rock Resorts hotel brand maintains these standards off the slopes too.

My trip was an organized familiarisation for Tour Operators from all around the world (this is otherwise known as a jolly – heck, no one works in travel for the money!!) and the aim of the game was to experience as much as we could in the space of the week.

Our first stop was Breckenridge.  This is a fun ski town with a long heritage that began with gold mining and while 100 year old buildings are ten-a-penny in the UK, they are a rarity in the USA so Breckenridge has an authenticity that many modern resorts lack.  This month marks the 50^th anniversary of skiing in Breckenridge and there are lots of events planned to celebrate throughout the season!  It’s easy to walk around the village, but it’s even easier to use the on command shuttle service offered to guests staying in Vail Resorts properties!  Until 11pm you can summon a shuttle to take you out or pick you up from anywhere in town!  This means that it doesn’t make too much of a difference where you stay in the village – everything is within easy reach.  From the on-mountain ski-in / out luxury properties of One Ski Hill Place, Crystal Peaks Lodge and Blue Sky Breckenridge, to the slope side convenience of the Doubletree by Hilton or the Village at Breckenridge – there is a lodging option to suit anyone.  On mountain we enjoyed the smooth grooming that Colorado is famous for – and the crisp cold that keeps the snow light!  Off the slopes we checked out some of Breckenridge’s other attractions: the roller coaster at One Ski Hill Place is like a toboggan run on rails and is great fun for all the family.  We also sampled some of the whiskey and vodka made by the local distillery – they are producing some good stuff!  The casks the Breckenridge Distillery are using have produced a malty wee dram that tastes more Scottish in character than a typical bourbon.  Whisky enthusiasts should definitely leave a space in their luggage!

Christmas comes to Breckenridge

From Breckenridge, and with slightly fuzzy heads, we headed to Keystone.  Keystone is hugely popular with the American market, but less so with the Europeans.  We are missing out!  With a larger ski area than Breckenridge, lower prices and a convenient slope side village of the style that Brits go mad for in the Alps.  The resort prides itself on being family friendly, but it also has a cool vibe and is popular with the hip young things from Denver.  They also have regular free concerts in the River Run Plaza for Après ski.

In-between Breckenridge and Keystone, and accessible from both by public transportation are the Silverthorne shopping outlet malls.  This close to Christmas it was impossible to resist a bit of shopping – and with up to 60% off normal US retail prices you can get some great bargains from the likes of Gap, Ralph Lauren, Guess and many more.  Shops are open late at least one night a week so it needn’t interfere with your skiing time!

Back on the road and over to Vail.  Now I have a confession to make… last time I visited Vail there was a lot of construction going on.  There seemed to be holes everywhere and it was very disjointed.  I wasn’t that impressed with the village at all.  Now, five years on, I am pleased to say that Vail has won me over.  Vail village looks great now, and what used to be a hotchpotch of hotels punctuated by gaps and construction sites now flows like a proper resort.  The biggest change has been in Lionshead – the unfashionable ugly duckling has become a very chic and stylish swan with enough shops, restaurants and bars to rival the main village.  Staying in Lionshead used to mean compromising on dining and après options, now it’s the location of choice.  The Arrabelle at Vail Square is the flagship Rock Resorts hotel and it’s a stunner!  The rooms are huge and are modern with lots of luxury touches (TV in the bathroom anyone?).  It’s definitely on a par with the Four Seasons – and I actually preferred the character of the rooms at the Arrabelle.  Getting to the slopes could not be easier.  The ski valet sits at the base of Lionshead and is less that a minutes’ walk from the lobby.  They warm your boots, put sunscreen on your nose and feed you energy bars to get you pumped, and then after you’re finished for the day they’ll dry all of your gear and swap your skis for hot chocolate.  Great service!

Lionshead Village

Now I always thought that Lionshead was a long way from Vail Village – not so.  As part of my extensive resort testing I can confirm that to walk from the Rivabahn at Golden Peak to the Eaglebahn at Lionshead takes 20 minutes. And from the centre of Vail Village to the centre of Lionshead is less than 10 minutes.  However, I’m pretty hardy, minus 25 degrees wasn’t cold enough to deter me, there is a free shuttle bus which runs about every 10 minutes with stops every 100 metres or so.  The times of the next bus are displayed at each stop and are ‘real time’ so you know whether it’s worth waiting a couple of minutes, or having another hot chocolate!

On the mountain we were too early in the season to ski the legendary back bowls of Vail, but the front side of the mountain was in fantastic shape – particularly after 9 inches of fresh snow fell overnight!  We got some great turns in light fluffy powder with blue skies and sunshine.  When lunchtime came we decided to check out Vail’s newest on mountain dining experience: the Tenth.  This is an upscale restaurant at Mid Vail.  Upon arrival you are ushered into the cloakrooms to store your jackets, hats and goggles and swap your ski boots for fluffy slippers. There are even hairbrushes, straighteners and hairdryers for victims of hat-hair. OMG!!  Heaven is lunch in slippers – but be warned: it’s not pleasant putting the boots back on afterwards!  The food and service was excellent, and the prices were not much more than you would pay in the regular on mountain restaurants, so I’d thoroughly recommend this to anyone fond of a slightly longer lunch!  Reservations are advised – it’s going to be very popular!

The busy slopes at Lionshead!!

After a few nights in Vail we moved onto Beaver Creek.  My previous visits to Beaver Creek were off- season, and that’s no way to really appreciate a ski-in/ski-out resort.  It turns out early December is an ideal time to visit as they host the World Cup ski racing each year at the beginning of December.  This created a buzz around the village, and concerts and events are planned to coincide with the races, so there was a real buzz about the place and it felt more like high season in town, but no lift lines and the slopes were empty. We had a great time!  Curiously, the races did not seem to attract massive crowds – most people watching seemed to be attached to the sport in some way, making it really easy to get a good spot to watch.  Ski racing fans will never have a better opportunity to get up close to the action.

Bode Miller completes the first run in the men's slalom race at Beaver Creek

Vail Resorts were keen to show off one of their more unique lodging options to us.  Trappers Cabin is a 4 bedroom luxury cabin close to the top of the Bachelor Gulch Express Lift.  We had lunch there and were treated to blue skies and sunshine once again.  If only we’d had the foresight to bring our bathers and towels to make use of the hot-tub on the deck!  The cabin can be hired for functions and lunches but it’s also available for lodging.  A snowcat will bring you and your luggage up, and you can arrange to have the kitchen pre-stocked with groceries.  There are four bedrooms, four bathrooms a large open plan living room and kitchen, and a games room with a pool table and big screen TV.  For a get-together of family and friends this would be great fun!  And the bears that have left claw marks on the trees outside are asleep in the winter, so it’s quite safe!

Aspen trees outside Trappers Cabin

Beaver Creek Village is quite small – but how much do you really need on a ski holiday?  I think they’ve pretty much got it covered.  There are a few cafes and restaurants, a couple of bars, some galleries and boutiques and a well stocked general store / liquor store.  The centre of the resort is the outdoor skating rink and around 4pm there is a delicious smell of melted chocolate and marshmallows wafting around the place as s’mores are cooked up around the warming fire pits.  Beaver Creek is a resort of luxury, but it’s not brash: the underground heating that keeps the pavements ice-free, the escalators that save your legs from climbing up onto the slopes, the friendly resort ambassadors who are present on every corner with bottomless pockets stuffed with tissues, trail maps and sunscreen.  It’s all there – but it’s subtle.  Vail shouts luxury; Beaver Creek just envelops you in it!

Exciting things are happening at all of these resorts – but one of the most exciting developments in skiing has been introduced at all of them.  Last year ‘Epic Mix’ was launched:  This was a way to track your ski days, which lifts you had skied, and connect with your friends on the mountain: bringing après ski bragging rights bang up to date.  This season they have taken the concept one step further and introduced Epic Mix Photo.  This is the most fantastic thing ever!  Green suited photographers lurk on the mountain at strategic viewpoints and are on hand to capture your image, sending it straight to your Epic Mix webpage.  You can even connect it to Facebook and Twitter and set it up to ping the photos straight to your profile.  Let’s face it – this is designed to make your friends jealous – and it works!  The best thing about it?  It doesn’t cost a penny!  You have the photos taken and can store and view them digitally without paying a penny, but if you want a hard copy you can order one from the website for $20 a pop.  Not bad at all – and it saves you from getting cold taking your gloves off or chopping off people’s heads or feet because you can’t see the viewfinder through your goggles.   Genius!  Epic Mix is available to anyone with an Epic or Summit Season Ticket.

Karen after a day on the mountain!

There’s a huge choice of Vail accommodation mostly located in either the Vail Village or Lionshead base areas. It’s fair to say a good proportion of Vail lodging caters to the upper end of the market – Vail is extremely popular with well off Americans and although there’s some lodging options in Vail at the value end of the scale, a holiday here will tend to cost more than a similar one in Vail’s sister resort of Breckenridge.

Ptarmigan Chalet, Vail

For many years now, Ski Independence have offered skiers a great-value catered chalet, Ptarmigan, meaning you can experience the very best of this world class resort without having to break the bank. Our Ptarmigan prices include breakfast, afternoon tea and a three course dinner with wine plus champagne and canapés before dinner on Sunday nights.

Ptarmigan Bedroom

The chalet sits nestled amongst Aspen trees a five minute drive from the centre of Vail and is also conveniently located near the free shuttle bus route. There are six bedrooms over three floors and the house sleeps up to 12 guests. At the centre of Ptarmigan there’s a large open plan sitting and dining area with a wood burning fireplace and this leads to a raised deck with a hot tub. Ptarmigan has complementary Wi-Fi and all bedrooms have a TV, bathrobes, slippers and hairdryers.

Outside Hot Tub at the Ptarmigan

Book Ptarmigan by 30th November and make the most of these fantastic prices!

• 7 nights from £899 per person
• 10 nights from £999 per person
• 14 nights from £1,099 per person

Prices include chalet board, return flights from LHR and transfers. Flexible durations, arrival and departure dates are available.

For a quote or to check availability, call our reservations team on 0131 243 8097 or fill in an online quotation form.

I am lucky enough to have visited Breckenridge a few times now and still love skiing the huge area and finding new terrain. There is loads of varied terrain, enough to keep the most diverse group of skiers happy with the gentle beginners slopes close to the town to the amazing cruisers and rollers off the Independence Super Chair over on Peak 8.   The Imperial Super Chair drops you just shy of 13,000ft above sea level (highest lift access in Continental America) to access some incredible terrain, even for an intermediate skier like me, but I’m told that the double diamond skiing from here is even better!

Fresh snowfall in Breckenridge this morning

Once the slopes are closed Breckenridge really comes alive with some great bars and restaurants.  You can have a relaxed meal for two or hit the town and party all night long – that’s never really been an option for me while in town as I am exhausted after a long day on the mountain.

To celebrate this milestone we have some truly unbeatable offers in Breckenridge with savings on flights, accommodation AND lift passes – but these offers all finish soon so you need to let us know what you want to do and book soon.

We have some great rates on the United Airlines indirect flights, if you keep clear of Friday and Saturday travel you’ll get the very best price.  To match these great flight offers you can stay at The Village at Breckenridge for 7 nights in January (including transfers from Denver) for as little as £849 per person. If you want to stay a bit longer, treat yourself to 14 nights for under £1200 per person!

At around 50 most of us are ready for pipe and slippers (Nick?) but Breckenridge is a long way from retirement – have you booked you holiday there for this winter?  If not why not – it’s going to be one heck of a party starting 11.11.11.

See you there!!

With countless Winter X Games titles under his belt, as well as a highly successful skateboarding career, Shaun White is an ideal ambassador for Vail Resorts, sharing in their forward-thinking and innovative approach to the snow sports industry.  Chairman of Vail Resorts, Rob Katz, said he “embodies the same leadership we aspire to at Vail Resorts” and the partnership is symbolic of a new energy seen in the snow sports industry today.

The deal will see Shaun representing all six Vail Resorts destinations, in both the Rockies of Colorado (Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone) as well as Heavenly and Northstar in California/Nevada.

Running alongside the partnership deal is a commitment to support a charity selected by Shaun White, the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®,  by donating $5 for every Epic Season Pass sold this winter.

The Epic Season Pass is valid for unlimited skiing all season at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado, as well as Heavenly and Northstar in California; perfect for longer stays, or for people visiting the States twice during season.

The Epic 7-Pack Pass is valid for any 7 days of skiing at these resorts, and represents great value for some shorter duration stays at certain periods.

When pre-booked through Ski Independence, an adult Epic 7-pack pass is just £299 and a child pass (age 5-12 yrs) is £149.  An adult Epic Season pass is £399 and a child pass is £199.  The Epic passes are only available at these prices until 5th September 2011 – book now to ensure you don’t miss out.

I got hooked on Teton Gravity Research (TGR) ski and snowboard films back in 2005 when I first saw Tangerine Dream. So, when I heard that their latest release, Light The Wick, was going to be premiered at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire last Autumn I grabbed a ticket straight away.

I genuinely couldn’t believe it when I was lucky enough to win a competition at the film screening for a trip to Breckenridge, Colorado, thanks to Vail Resorts and Ski Independence. The chance for my girlfriend and I to head out on an all expenses paid trip to some of the places I had seen in many a TGR movie was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Duncan enjoying a blue bird day in Breckenridge

The Ski Independence team were fantastic at getting everything sorted for us and in early April we were heading out on a very comfortable British Airways flight to Denver and then on with the Colorado Mountain Express transfer service to The Great Divide Lodge, just a few metres from the Breckenridge lifts. Having left mid-morning, and with the time difference in our favour, we got to the lodge the same evening and, after a hearty breakfast, were ready to head up the mountain on the first lift the next day.

The first thing you notice in Breckenridge is the altitude. At almost 3,000 metres, the village is as high as the top of many European resorts. However, our rep advised us to drink lots of water and fuel up with Powerade, which did the trick and kept us going. I had heard that Breckenridge was a good resort for beginners, so was expecting pretty mellow terrain. So, I was surprised and pleased to quickly realise that the resort has something for every level of skier and snowboarder. The lower runs have some easy going areas to find your feet and between every run is some more challenging tree skiing, which is fantastic fun. When you head high up the mountain (to almost 4,000 metres!) the bowls open up and provide access to some seriously steep pitches.

"The chance for my girlfriend and I to head out on an all expenses paid trip to some of the places I had seen in many a TGR movie was a once in a lifetime opportunity"

By the end of the first day we were more than ready to try out some of the fantastic food from one Breckenridge‘s many extremely friendly and welcoming restaurants, along with some revitalising beers from the excellent Breckenridge Brewery.

We could have happily skied Breckenridge for the whole week but as our passes also included Keystone and Vail we couldn’t pass up the opportunity give them a go too. The free Summit County bus took us over to Keystone which was a real contrast to the Breckenridge experience and definitely worth the trip. Keystone had much more of a European alpine feel with lots of tree lined runs and varied terrain. Getting to Vail was also extremely easy with our rep organising an away day with Fresh Tracks. We were lucky enough to get to Vail on a bluebird powder day and quickly headed towards the back bowls for some amazing powder and tree skiing. Vail’s worldwide reputation is well deserved, it’s a huge and truly amazing place.

Is there anyone else out there?!

Back in Breckenridge, I was keen to check out its snow parks and was blown away by what I found. I knew that Breckenridge, and the other Vail resorts have a global reputation for freestyle skiing and snowboarding, but I wasn’t prepared for the genuinely massive features! This is a place where you are likely to be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Shaun White, who trains in the Gold King half pipe, and only the gnarliest of riders should think about hitting the largest kickers, which doesn’t include me! Luckily, there are various different parks and sizes of jumps, letting you build up your confidence safely before pushing yourself further.

We really couldn’t get enough of Breckenridge’s fantastic ski area and, as our transfer home wasn’t until the afternoon of our last day, we even managed to get in an extra half days skiing in the morning before heading home tired and happy! I’ll definitely be heading back to Breckenridge as soon as possible, and next time I’ll definitely hit those big kickers in the park….maybe.

So, after a day on the slopes in Beaver Creek make sure you head to the Centennial Chairlift (Chair #6) at 3pm where you’ll find resort staff handing out hot, chocolate chip cookies. But don’t worry they are for adults too!

Beaver Creek Cookie Chef. Photo: MountainYahoo

If you’d like to see more of what goes on in Beaver Creek, check out this video:

It sounds illogical, but the science behind it is that as skiers and snowboarders turn the snow is pushed downhill and into piles, causing the start of bump formations. Each time a skier scrapes snow off the downhill side of a bump, it simultaneously collects on the uphill side of the bump below. Each mogul therefore is scraped away on the downhill side, but collects new snow on the uphill part of the bump…the result being bumps moving uphill. Just watch the time-lapse video below filmed over the course of several  weeks to see the proof!

Mary Jane, one of Winter Park’s three connected mountain peaks, has the reputation of being home to some of the best mogul skiing in Colorado. Mary Jane remains, on the most part, ungroomed so that you can ski fantastic moguls almost all season long – that thought will either fill you with pleasure or dread!

If you’re heading to Winter Park and want to try these bumps out for yourself, you can access Mary Jane via three different chairlifts. We recommend the Super Gauge Express, a 6 person chairlift which will whisk you to the top of Mary Jane in 7 minutes. Enjoy!

Mary Jane Trail Map - Winter Park