Super conditions were on show last Friday for Breckenridge Ski Resort’s opening day. Lifts are now turning at one of America’s most popular ski resorts; the strong combination of a foot of snow over the past week, Breck’s snowmaking and blue bird skies made for perfect conditions for opening day.

In addition to great early season conditions, Friday’s opening marked the resort’s annual commemoration of Veterans Day. Each year, the resort awards the honour of first chair to notable armed services men and women in honor of national holiday. This season, first chair went to 13 Foxtrot Fire Support Specialist Zach Barrett of Buffalo, NY and Sergeant retired Keith Deutsch of Littleton, Colo., a combat engineer who was awarded a Purple Heart by President Bush after losing a leg on a convoy in Iraq. While riding first chair is exciting to Deutsch, he really was looking forward to seeing the look on his daughter Ava’s face when she got on snow. “Really it’s about her now,” Deutsch said. “4 years ago it would be about my perfect run, but now it’s about the little one.” Barrett and best friend Kyle Carson were also excited for First Chair and Opening Day. Barrett was nominated to receive the honor through Breckenridge’s Facebook page and upon notification that he had won, took the train out from Buffalo to get to Breck for the occasion. “We spent 33 hours on the train to get here,” Barrett said. “It was quite the ordeal because we hit a few storms, but Opening Day at Breck has been on the bucket list for years.”

Breckenridge will be open for the ski season through April 17, 2016.  For more details on the 54^th season at Breck, as well as event and lodging information, visit Breckenridge.com.

Breckenridge Ski Resort requires all skiers and riders to observe all posted signs and warnings. Closed trails may contain hazards due to limited natural snow coverage and snowmaking operations. Please keep off closed trails and out of closed areas for safety reasons.

Let it Snow – Watch it Live

With snow in the forecast for this week, watch Breckenridge’s live snow stake cam to see the snow pile up this week and throughout the season.

Last Chance for 2015-2016 Epic Passes

The Epic Pass continues to be the best value and most popular lift product in the industry, offering guests access to 13 resorts in three countries and a savings of up to 35 percent as compared to single-day lift ticket pricing. Purchase by Nov. 22 for the lowest price guaranteed now at US$809 (c. £535) for adults and US$419 (c. £278) for children, on EpicPass.com.