Top five reasons to love Breck’s off-season
Here in Breckenridge, we really have three seasons rather than four: Ski season, summer and mud season. The latter is aptly named, considering it is the time when trails become a mix of snow and dirt or a messy combination of the two. With the ski area closed and the wonderful summer sun, warmth and wildflowers not fully arrived, May is pretty much the epitome of mud season and June (barring any unseasonal snowstorms … never out of the question) is the town’s best kept secret. While some think that Breck becomes a ghost town this time of year, there are actually many things to love about it.
Restaurant deals
Local eateries like to honor locals and anyone who comes to town for the off-season by offering two-for-one dinners and a slew of other yummy specials. Nearly two dozen restaurants comprise the Breckenridge Restaurant Association, which is offering a Spring Dining Passport full of coupons for fantastic dining specials through June 11. Passports can be picked up at all participating restaurants (including personal favorites Hearthstone, Downstairs at Eric’s and Twist) or at the Breckenridge Welcome Center. The Passports, valid for two people, are available for a $10 donation, which benefits scholarships for restaurant industry-bound local high school graduates.
Skiing and Riding
What?! But Breck is closed til next season! True. But some of you might not know that 30 or 40 minutes up the road at Arapahoe Basin, the ski season is still charging in all of it’s slushy glory with a ton of terrain still open and live concerts on Saturdays throughout May. If you have a 2014-15 Epic Pass, it will work for free riding at The Basin.
Get a jump on mountain biking
It might take until mid-June for Breck’s singletracks to dry up, so if you’re jonesing for dirt, there is a second best option and it doesn’t involve a four-hour pilgrimage. About an hour and 15 minutes away, Eagle has become Colorado’s own little Moab, with dozens of delightful high desert trails, many of which are already bone-dry, and temperatures that are typically at least 10 degrees warmer than Breck. Alternately, brush up on your cornering skills right down the road on the pump track and slopestyle course at Frisco Adventure Park.
Putting away winter gear = way more closet space
Have you ever noticed how a winter parka takes up as much space as about eight sundresses or 12 T-shirts? Shove it away, people. Revel in the possibilities. You could practically rent your closet as an extra bedroom, it’s so delightfully spacious all of a sudden.
Town is tranquil
Ghost town is simply not the way to explain it. The way that the majestic, partially snow-covered peak loom over a quiet Main Street inspires an unmistakable sense of Zen. The chatter of returning robins and hummingbirds are the soundtrack. Soak it up.
– Shauna Farnell
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We try to get up to enjoy both mud season and summer – unique aspects at all times. Also available – road biking either south up Hoosier pass or north to Frisco (don't forget you might have wind in your face to deal with to go with the uphill return)
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