Fairytale ski town of Breckenridge

THE Colorado town Breckenridge is enchanting, with horses and carriages, a wildlife migration route and North America's highest chairlift.

Breckenridge Escape

WALKING down the main street of Breckenridge feels a little like stepping into the pages of a Hans Christian Andersen storybook.

Throughout winter, fairylights twinkle in the trees, making it feel like Christmas every day.

The old mining town is dotted with Victorian-era houses, each painted a different colour, and it is not uncommon to see horses plodding down the street pulling carriages. Mary's Mountain Cookies shop reminds me of a gingerbread house so much I feel like tearing bits of the walls off and eating them.

Visitors to Breckenridge may recognise the town from the film Dumb and Dumber - even though the town in the movie was supposed to be Aspen, another old Colorado ski town a couple of hours' drive away.

While in nearby Vail the pavement is heated and the snow melts away to keep the paths clear, snowdrifts still line the street in Breckenridge. In Breckenridge, the town came first and the ski resort second; in Vail the resort came first and the town sprouted up around it.

Breckenridge is home to Colorado's oldest pub, the Gold Pan Saloon, built in 1879. The pub's walls are covered with old black-and-white ski photos, signs and buffalo heads. On the night we visit a reggae band is playing, which kills the frontier charm a bit.

But there are plenty of colourful venues in town. We dine at Hearthstone, which was previously known as Andrea's Pleasure Palace - a risque restaurant with all female servers. With frilled red drapes, floral carpet gold-framed paintings and red lampshades, it certainly has the look and feel of a former brothel.

Our waiter tells us that when the current owners renovated they found nude photos underneath the wallpaper in the bathroom.

The restaurant was built as a house for a family of German immigrants in 1898. The bar has original photos of the house and family.

The food is divine. My highlight is the organic king salmon, which is grilled on a cedar plank and served with a citrus honey glaze, Yukon gold potato and scallion hash and roasted Colorado beets.

Skiing in Breckenridge can be just as enchanting as the township.

As we are skiing down the hill one day, snowflakes falling, a fox with a beautiful thick coat scurries across the run in front of us.

Breckenridge is colder than Vail, which is a 45-minute drive away, and has a more laid-back feel. With five terrain parks and two half-pipes, it attracts more snowboarders and "new school" skiers. Its high altitude means its snow is soft and dry.

Breckenridge, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, has long, cruisy runs and boasts the highest chairlift in North America, the Imperial chair, which is at 3962m. Unfortunately, it isn't open when we visit thanks to the poorest start to the season in many years. Just my luck.

But we are lucky to get some fresh snow and we hear avalanche bombs in the distance throughout the day as the ski patrol work to open more terrain.

Breckenridge is divided into four areas known as peak 7, 8, 9 and 10, and there are plans to develop six more ski areas soon.

We stay at One Ski Hill Place at the bottom of Peak 8, which has only been open for two seasons.

While Vail Resorts' other nearby resorts Vail and Beaver Creek have long had 5-star accommodation, One Ski Hill Place brought a new level of luxury to Breckenridge.

The RockResort Hotel overlooks a wildlife migration route for fox, coyotes, bear and moose on one side, and has ski lifts on the other. Decorated with rusted metal and various types of rock in keeping with the town's mining theme, it has ski-in, ski-out accommodation in studios and one and two-bedroom condominiums.

It also has a bowling alley called the Mine Shaft, hot tubs, steam rooms and massage centres.

It's great walking straight out the door and being on the slopes, although not so much fun when you are woken by groomers in the early hours.

While some people are fine, other people who visit Breckenridge suffer symptoms of altitude sickness, which include mild headaches and nausea. Fortunately, then, there is an oxygen bar in town, the O2 Lounge.

Owners Sally and Guy Hudson were corporate attorneys from the UK who decided they wanted more out of life. They sold their house and cars two years ago and moved to Colorado.

Sally says most people suffer from some form of altitude sickness. Some people are pale when they come into the bar. She recommends visitors head to the bar when their blood oxygen levels start to fall. There is a range of therapies on offer, which all involve sitting at the bar with a tube up your nose for a few minutes.

You can also buy canisters to take up on the mountain skiing and the oxygen can also help with hangovers.

The writer was a guest of Vail Resorts.

Go2

BRECKENRIDGE

Getting there

United Airlines flies to Denver via San Francisco from Sydney. See united.com
Colorado Mountain Express operates a shuttle service between Denver Airport and Vail resorts.
See coloradomountainexpress.com

Staying there

Travelplan has a seven-night package at One Ski Hill Place from $1487 a person. Must book by November 1 for travel from January 1-31 next year. Price is a person based on four-person share occupancy.
Ph 1300 SKI SKI or see travelplan.com.au

Skiing there

Vail Resorts offers an EpicPass for $US659, which allows you to ski or ride at eight resorts on the one pass all season. See epicpass.com.au

More: breckenridge.com