Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring

Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring 

Combined with Keystone’s recently announced capital improvement proposal to upgrade snowmaking and position the resort to be the first to open in Colorado, the two Summit County resorts will offer one of the longest ski and snowboard seasons in the country.

After a record-breaking start to the winter season, Breckenridge Ski Resort announced today plans to extend the 2018-19 ski and snowboard season into May, for the first time since the mid-‘90s. The resort will aim to remain open through Memorial Day this season as well as for future seasons, weather and conditions permitting. Paired with Keystone’s recently announced capital improvement proposal—subject to U.S. Forest Service approval—to upgrade snowmaking and help position the resort to be the first to open in Colorado, together Breck and Keystone will offer one of the longest ski and snowboard seasons in the country moving forward.

Never Nesters drink at apres in Breckenridge, CO. Photo Andrew Maguire. Vail Resorts. Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring.
Never Nesters drink at apres in Breckenridge, CO. Photo Andrew Maguire. Vail Resorts. Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring.

“Spring is an incredible time to ski Breck’s High Alpine and we are thrilled to extend our season this year, and beyond, and offer that terrain as long as the snow lasts,” said John Buhler, vice president and chief operating officer at Breckenridge Ski Resort. “With Breck’s notably high elevation and annual snowfall we are well-positioned to provide our passholders and other guests great spring skiing and snowboarding well into May.”

During the extended portion of the season this spring the resort plans to offer skiing and riding out of Peak 7, with access to primarily advanced- and expert-level terrain on Peak 8 in Imperial, Horseshoe and North Bowls, accessed by the Independence SuperChair, Imperial Express SuperChair and the TBar Lift while conditions allow.

Since opening early on Nov. 7, the winter 2018-19 season at Breck has included numerous highlights including historic early terrain and lift openings and record early season snowfall. Season-to-date Breck has received more than 16 feet of snow.

The resort originally announced a closing date of Sunday, April 21, but now plans to remain open through Memorial Day as long as weather and conditions permit. Plans to extend the season are subject to U.S. Forest Service approval.

About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain resort operator. Vail Resorts’ subsidiaries operate 15 world-class mountain resorts and three urban ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada; Perisher in Australia; Stowe and Okemo in Vermont; Mt. Sunapee in New Hampshire; Stevens Pass in Washington; Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan. Vail Resorts owns and/or manages a collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning and development subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.

Vail Resorts- Keystone photo - Castle in the peak. Photo by Daniel Milchev. Vail Resorts. Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring.
Vail Resorts- Keystone photo – Castle in the peak. Photo by Daniel Milchev. Vail Resorts. Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring.

The-Ski-Guru TRAVEL can organise your bespoke ski trip to the Americas, Alps or Japan, including for those going from Britain to Europe, booking your Eurotunnel trip, and for all trips: lodging, lift tickets, rentals, ski school, and all you need for an excellent vacation. Go to https://www.the-ski-guru.com/travel and upload your information – this page will be updated soon with more travel ideas. Check our February offer for Zermatt staying at the Chalet Zen or Penthouse Zen and our Easter offer to Obergurgl-Hochgurgl and Sölden to ski with your family.

You can start thinking about your trip, by reading the articles on the Planning your Ski Trip tab.  Or how to pack for your family ski trip.  If taking your furry friend abroad to the continent, read about the new Pet Travel Scheme update from DEFRA. Check out our tips for driving to the mountains.  If flying and renting a car in Europe, beware of the extra charges they will pass to you if you want winter tyres, snow chains or ski racks. If driving, check the winter tyres news for Europe and North America.

Or you can read our last news on equipment as seen at the London Ski Show. Also, the new range of skis of Black Crows, one of our favourite brands. Shred-Dog is a definitely favourite brand for parents of growing kids.

Keystone is a great resort for families. Photo by Tom Cohen. Vail Resorts.  Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring.
Keystone is a great resort for families. Photo by Tom Cohen. Vail Resorts. Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring.

We have already covered many news due to this latest spat of snow storms in Europe, as the hotel that was hit by an avalanche of 300 meters of width in Eastern Switzerland. In the same place, a couple days later, a second avalanche affected the structure of the Säntis Suspension Railway. And two ski patrollers got killed setting avalanche control charges in the French resort of Morillon in the Grand Massif.

Lots of snow makes you wonder how the resorts deal with the avalanche danger. Here you can read the interview to Coco Torres, former Head of Operations of Las Leñas, in Argentina, as how they dealt with avalanches at the resort. 

Or perhaps you may choose to read the Ski Resort NewsSki Passes News, and the Must-Read Guides to Lech,  Zermatt,  CourmayeurVal di Fiemme and Crans-Montana. Coming soon will be the guide to St Anton. Or  watch an amazing heli flight over the Mont Blanc Massif. Also see tips on how not to be scammed when booking a ski chalet.

Keystone Resort at night - Photo by Jack Affleck. Vail Resorts. Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring.
Keystone Resort at night – Photo by Jack Affleck. Vail Resorts. Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring.

You can also read what’s new at Les Trois Vallées and the last article on what is new at the Tirol ski areas,  in Cervinia, in La Plagne, in 3 Zinnen Dolomites ,  in Adelboden, Lenk and Kandertal, in Gstaad, in Chamonix,  in Georgia’s Gudauri Resort and in the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn. And how the US Ski Team has chosen Alpe Cimbra to train for the following four ski seasons as their European home.  Here is the link to our post on the My Voucher Codes ranking of best European Ski Resorts.  

Crested Butte will have a new chairlift to replace Teocalli lift for the 2019/20 ski season. Jay Peak is officially for sale.

You can plan where to eat in Aspen Snowmass or which events to attend on-mountain while there.  And Cortina D’Ampezzo is getting ready for this winter and the 2021 World Ski Championships. 

Another classic resort, such as St Moritz has been in the news for its famous Cresta Run be opened again for women after a 89 years ban.

Young and Independents enjoy powder on Peak 6 in Breckenridge, CO. Photo Andrew Maguire. Vail Resorts. Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring.
Young and Independents enjoy powder on Peak 6 in Breckenridge, CO. Photo Andrew Maguire. Vail Resorts. Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring.

Also, you can read how Grandvalira will be staying together as one lift ticket company and how they are adding Ordino Arcalis to  this offer. Grandvalira is opening now all of its six sectors.  And also read how someone tried to sabotage some lifts in Vallnord’s Pal Arinsal. And as if it is starting to be a trend, there were two lifts sabotaged in Passo Rolle, in Val di Fiemme, Trentino. Fortunately they were repaired in record time to open to the public.

Also, Mt Hood Meadows was forced to evacuate one lift with 150 skiers and boarders due to a power failure. And the same was the case in a lift with 140 skiers/boarders in Whitefish, Montana. Recently a British skier was killed after suffering a cardiac arrest on a chairlift falling 32 feet to the ground in Méribel resort in Les Trois Vallées. You can see our recent article on how avalanches claimed two lives in Switzerland the past week. And read more what is the real risk of avalanchesThree Germans have been killed by an avalanche near Lech and a fourth is missing. Two were caught in an inbounds avalanche near Kachina Peak in Taos and taken to hospital.

The Breck Plunge. Photo: Vail Resorts. Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring.
The Breck Plunge. Photo: Vail Resorts. Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring.

Or read about the latest investments in Whistler Blackcomb. Or see how Taos is going against the industry trend, and instead of merging with the two biggest oligopolies in skiing at the moment, it goes and buys an airline to get more bums in resort. Or how Jackson Hole is appealing to families and beginners – it is not only a resort for expert skiers anymore. Another great area for families is Stubaital in the Tirol. And a new coming ski area that got funding for its first lift is Skeetawk in Alaska.  Courmayeur is opening this season two new trails, one that is 70% steep – not for the faint-hearted! Or read how a group of experienced industry insiders got together to purchase Tamarack Resort. And how Peak Resorts finalised the acquisition of the resorts of Snow Time. You can also check how Vermont’s ski passes are the most expensive in New England. And talking about Vermont, you can read on how Killington is planning to change its North Ridge triple chair with a fixed-gripped quad.

Also read how one employee of Aspen Ski Co got caught in an avalanche but got out unscathed while scouting terrain for the Aspen Mountain Powder Tours. Or how the a gondola of the new American Eagle lift from Copper Mountain crashed into the snow in a trial run. The resort confirmed that the chondola will be fixed before it’s opening day. Plus this week, some gondolas got tangled in Hochzillertal. And there was a gas explosion at the Grand Hotel Zermatterhof that injured six, before its opening date.

Kids having fun in Keystone, CO. Photo by Julia Vandenoever. Vail Resorts. Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring.
Kids having fun in Keystone, CO. Photo by Julia Vandenoever. Vail Resorts. Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring.

You can keep up to date on how are the sales for the EPIC and IKON passes are doing here. Read how Emma, the first Digital Mountain Assistant, is launched in Keystone now and will be rolled to eight other resorts this season. And even read about the new incorporation to the IKON Pass: Valle Nevado. Here is also a post on the South American resorts.  

Or you can see the inspiring story of the “Cholitas” – the indigenous Aymara ladies who are attempting to climb the highest peak of the Americas – the Aconcagua at 6,962 meters/22,840 feet.

Also, Rob Katz and his wife Elana Amsterdam donated 2 million USD in grants to support mental and behavioural health programs in ski towns of North America. And see how Aspen Skiing Company released its sustainability report 2018. 

Keystone at dusk - Photo by Jack Affleck- Vail Resorts. Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring.
Keystone at dusk – Photo by Jack Affleck- Vail Resorts. Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring.

And here is a summary of a report by LISTEX on the State of the UK Snowsports Market.

And what Switzerland could look by 2060 due to climate change.

Or check out how now with the EPIC Pass you can ski in Europe, specifically in Les Trois Vallées and the resorts of Skirama Dolomiti in Trentino’s Italy. Or see our review of L’Héliopic Hotel Sweet & Spa if thinking in staying in Chamonix this winter. Or check out the new Snowpine Lodge in Alta, Utah opening late January 2019.

Featured Image: Breckenridge – Peaks 6 to 10- Wideview. Photo by Brent Clark- Breckenridge Ski Resort. Vail Resorts. Breckenridge Ski Resort Announces Plans to Regularly Extend Winter Seasons through Memorial Day, Beginning this Spring.

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