#Breckenridge #Colorado
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| Summit Daily Photo |
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Breckenridge Ski Resort greeted skiers and snowboarders looking to carve the first turns of the 2017-18 season by offering up 1,000 giant cinnamon rolls, specially baked for Friday's opening-day festivities.
The warm, gooey treats were "almost as big as your head," said resort spokeswoman Sara Lococo, and a man carrying a snowboard off the gondola couldn't help but notice: "They didn't have these at A-Basin," which opened with Loveland Ski Area on Oct. 13 last month.
Before the first chairs were filled Friday, Breckenridge Ski Resort's Chief Operating Officer John Buhler offered a few remarks to welcome the start of the new season and honored a couple of skiing veterans, whom Buhler rode up the mountain with ahead of the crowds.
Keeping everyone occupied in the meantime was one resort employee armed with an air cannon blasting T-shirts into the crowd while Jonathan Oetken — aka DJ DC — kept the tunes playing throughout the day.
At the same time, anytime the TV broadcasters covering the event needed a hearty cheer in the background, all they had to was ask.
"There's just a fun energy," Lococo said of the scene Friday at the base of Peak 8. "Everybody is super psyched to be back on the snow again and for the season ahead."
At this point, Breckenridge only has one beginner's run open, the Springmeier Trail, but it's good to go top-to-bottom. Access comes by way of the only lift currently spinning at Breckenridge, the Colorado SuperChair lift, in addition to a small, nearby beginner's area for those less comfortable with the faster-moving ride up the mountain.
Weather permitting, snow-making will continue on Peak 8 before crews move on to Peak 9 sometime around the Thanksgiving holiday. After that, they will progress to Peak 7, then Peak 6 and finally Peak 10.
"Ten is usually the last area of the mountain to open," Lococo said. "But you know, if Mother Nature brings us the snowfall, we can get there quicker."
New at the resort this year, a six-person Falcon SuperChair with access to some of Breckenridge's more advanced terrain is replacing the four-seater that used to be there. The new, expanded lift up Peak 10 is expected to open sometime this December.
Additionally, Breckenridge has a couple sweet additions this time around, with a new candy shop opening at Ten-Mile Station and the Pioneer Crossing restaurant, which opened last year, adding crepes to the menu this year.
Also, the Epic Pass, which grants season-long access to Breckenridge and Keystone in Summit County, Vail and Beaver Creek in Eagle County, and Vail Resorts' properties all over North America, is available now through Nov. 19.
