The History of Peak 8, Then and Now
By: Lisa Pogue // 1-30-20
Watching Breckenridge Ski Resort evolve and flourish has been a genuine gift. Our home mountain and world-famous resort was raised on humble roots, opening as a single peak on December 16, 1961. Small but mighty, the Peak 8 ski area was a modest operation with one double chair and a short learners T-bar. Lift tickets were $4 for adults and $2.50 for kids. Three small buildings comprised the base area—the most prominent was The Bergenhof restaurant, or “The Bergie” as locals dubbed it.
Fast forward 50 years, Breckenridge Ski Resort has notched an incredible 1.63 million skier visits in a single season, making it the most popular ski area in North America. An eight-passenger gondola is in motion, linking the town of Breckenridge to the Peak 8 base area, and the resort is stretching its powder legs across Peaks 6 through 10.
Impressive transformations have unfolded over the years—most notably in the last decade—to accommodate skier volume and provide the highest level of winter sports and amenities to guests visiting from all over the globe. In 2005, the Imperial Express chairlift opened, claiming the highest lift in North America at 12,840 feet. In 2010, the Gold Runner alpine coaster opened on Peak 8 and in 2013, Peak 6 opened on Christmas Day adding 400 acres of lift-served terrain and 143 acres of hike-to terrain to the resort’s skiable acres.
In 2013, we bid farewell to the Bergie and its legendary parties—longtime ski bums will tell you about the Peak 8 hot spot’s $1 Coors and free taco bar during happy hour. Breckenridge Grand Vacations has played a thoughtful hand in shaping what is now the buzzing epicenter of Breckenridge Ski Resort. We’ve reimagined the way guests stay and play and, after more than 30 years of dreaming and planning, we wrapped up Phase 4 at the Grand Colorado on Peak 8.
A lifetime of development came to fruition in 2019. With the opening of Building 3, Breckenridge Grand Vacations and Breckenridge Ski Resort ushered in one of the biggest capital investments in the ski industry for the 2019/20 season. Today’s Peak 8 serves guests with spacious heated underground parking and transit drop-off steps from heated escalators. A smart 22,000-square-foot base facility centralizes Breckenridge Ski Resorts’ ski and snowboard school, childcare, retail, gear rentals and lift ticket windows into a single indoor stop.
A heated plaza rests a few short steps from the Colorado and Rocky Mountain SuperChair lifts with plenty of space to lounge while enjoying ski-in/ski-out access to Robbie’s Tavern at the Bergenhof and the grab-n-go Ullr Café. The new Grand Colorado on Peak 8 Ice Rink overlooks town with mountain views in every direction and—our crowning achievement—the Grand Colorado on Peak 8 offers owners and guests attainable luxury with unparalleled resort amenities.
Perks include ski-in/ski-out access, indoor and outdoor pools and hot tubs, an escape room and an owners’ lounge (both coming Summer 2020), private movie theaters, the Infinity Spa and so much more — all seconds from the chairlifts and the vast Peak 8 terrain that we’ve come to know and love.
Welcome to the new Breckenridge Peak 8 experience. We can’t wait to share it with you and celebrate the next decade of memories.
