SkiBreck

Nestled in the heart of the Rockies, Breckenridge offers breathtaking views and easy access to some of the best activities in the area. One of the most popular activities in Breckenridge is hiking. There are plenty of trails near Deer Lodge and Bear’s Den that offer stunning views of the natural beauty.

Hiking Peaks Trail

The Peaks Trail is a popular hiking trail near SkiBreck and offers stunning views of the mountains and forests. This 7.8-mile trail is rated as moderate and is a great option for hikers of all skill levels. The trailhead is located just a short distance from the condo. The trail starts off relatively flat and gradually gains elevation as you hike deeper into the forest. You’ll pass through dense groves of aspen trees and alongside babbling creeks as you make your way towards the stunning views of the peaks in the distance. This trail is a great option for families or groups looking for a scenic hike with plenty of photo opportunities.

Hiking McCullough Gulch Trail

The McCullough Gulch Trail is another popular hiking trail near the SkiBreck condos. This 2.8-mile trail is rated as moderate and features stunning views of waterfalls, wildflowers, and the surrounding mountains. The trailhead is located a short walk from the condo or is easily accessible by car. The trail starts off relatively flat but quickly gains elevation as you hike deeper into the forest. You’ll pass a beautiful waterfall and several lakes before reaching the end of the trail at the base of the towering McCullough Gulch waterfall. This is a great option for those looking for a shorter hike with plenty of scenic beauty along the way.

Hiking Mohawk Lakes Trail

The Mohawk Lakes Trail is a challenging 6.7-mile hike that takes hikers through lush forests and past scenic lakes. This trail is rated as difficult and is best for experienced hikers. The trailhead is located just a short drive from the condo. The trail starts off with a steep climb up several switchbacks before leveling off and taking you through dense forest. As you hike deeper into the forest, you’ll pass by several stunning alpine lakes and have the opportunity to take in some of the most breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. This trail is a great option for hikers looking for a challenging adventure with plenty of photo opportunities.

Hiking Breckenridge Trail

The Breckenridge Trail is a popular hiking trail that starts near the heart of downtown Breckenridge and offers stunning views of the town and surrounding mountains. This 1.5-mile trail is rated “easy” and is a great option for families or groups looking for a leisurely hike. It starts with a gentle climb up a series of switchbacks before leveling off and taking you through a forest. As you hike deeper into the forest, you’ll pass several stunning overlooks that offer views of the town and mountains. This trail is a great option for hikers looking for an easy adventure with plenty of scenic beauty.

Whether you’re a seasoned hiker or just looking to explore the natural beauty of Breckenridge, the SkiBreck condos are the perfect basecamp for your mountain adventures. With so many great hiking trails nearby, you’ll never run out of new places to explore. So why wait? Book your stay with SkiBreck today and start planning your hiking adventure in Breckenridge!

Ready to book your Breckenridge hiking vacation?

Deer Lodge

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Bear’s Den

Ready to start your adventure in skiing and boarding? Ready to learn to ski or board the Colorado mountains? Well, look no further as we are here to help!

In our first installment – Beginner Ski Guide – we talked about gear; from base layers to jackets, and from rental skis to purchasing. In this newest installment, we’ll cover the basics of learning the physical act of skiing and snowboarding.

Word t0 the wise! We are not doctors, and you should always consult your doctor before starting a workout regiment.

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

Conditioning

Conditioning for skiing – or any physical activity – is key. If you gained a little during Covid (no shame! I sure did), skiing is not a great way to reintroduce yourself to activity. Skiing is hard on the knees, the legs, the back, and your entire core. Throw in a little extra weight and you’re asking for a short day. Or worse… an injury and a shortened ski trip.

Generally speaking, 6 weeks is a good couch-to-5k workout scheme. It is also a good couch-to-slopes plan. There are dozens of apps and unlimited websites for couch-to-5k, so I won’t rehash that here, but the general premise is start slow, stop when you body is telling you to, and gradually increase your cardio over a 6ish week period. About half way into the training, add in strength training to the cardio. Squats, lunges, pushups, setups, and wall-stands are all great. If you have access to a gym, that is also great way to increase your strength.

I have seen some people wearing “altitude masks” that attempt to simulate the lower oxygen levels at altitude. Personally I think they are a little silly for recreation activity… maybe if you are a hardcore athlete. But unless you’re competing, there is no reason to restrict your breathing.

Hydration

Similar to conditioning, don’t wait to get to Colorado to start hydrating! Prior to any trip to altitude, we begin drinking more liquids for an entire week. I personally like Gatorade Zero and Powerade Zero because they taste good and have no calories. But water is free and works just as well. You can use tablets (like Nuun) or flavorings to make it easier to drink more. If you’re driving to Breckenridge, don’t restrict water from yourself or the kids during the drive. It’s a pain to stop at every rest stop, but hydrating significantly reduces the risk of headaches and altitude sickness.

Traveling

Flying is obviously the fastest way to move around the country, but if you have the ability to drive to the mountains, that might help with altitude sickness. For those of us living below 9,000 feet (that’s pretty much everyone outside of Colorado) a sudden change in altitude can leave you gasping for breath… the air at 9,000 is MUCH thinner than sea level, which means there is much less oxygen. If you fly in, your body has no time to adapt… Denver (DIA) is around 5,280 feet and Vail (EGE) is 6,500 feet. Then a short drive to Breck puts you at 9,000. If you have the ability to drive, a longer gradual adjustment to altitude may decrease your chance of headaches or more serious symptoms of altitude sickness.

Lessons

Lessons are not cheap… but honestly, if you’ve made it this far you’ve already figured out that skiing is not a cheap hobby! A good instructor can make all the difference in your first trip being a success or failure. There are several types of lessons you can choose from:

• Group lessons
• Family lessons
• Private lessons

Group Lessons

Personally I LOVE group lessons. They are going to run you about $200 per day (a little less for half day) per adult and about $300 per day for little kids (includes their lift ticket, lunch, and plenty of hot chocolate breaks). Generally speaking, group lessons will start by instructors asking your experience level.

If you’ve never skied before, you’ll get slope side instructions on how to put skis on, how to stand up, slow down, speed up, and other basics. You’ll then head to bunny sloped (a really small hill) to begin irking on basics of skiing. Depending on your progress, you might be there all day or you might progress to the magic carpet, which is basically a long conveyor belt that will take you up a slightly steeper mountain than the bunny slope. Here you’ll be able to try out your new found skills on a run that’s about 20-30 yards long.

As the day progresses you start to progress from pizza/french fries and begin to work on making turns. If you’re a quick learner, there is a chance you’ll hit the ski lift once at the end of your first day, but most people won’t see the lift until day #2.

Hitting the lifts is where the real fun begins. Your small group of beginner skiers will follow the instructor as you learn how to tie multiple turns into one longer run. Instructors are great and figuring out what the right length of a run needs to be and will adjust it depending on your group. By the end of day 2 you will be shocked how much you have progressed and will start to feel confident that you don’t need to pay that $200 per day for lessons.

DON’T STOP LESSONS YET! As tempting as it may be to save yourself a little money, take a third lesson! You might opt to take a day off to let your newly found muscles rest, and you might even venture down the mountain solo a few times, but day #3 with your group is where you really pick up a lot of skill and techniques. Instructors will start to break your bad habits (we all have them) and will begin to break you away from ever doing “pizza” skis.

At the end of each day, your instructor will tell you your new level, which will help guide you next instructor on what you need to work on. Don’t feel bad if you don’t progress as quickly as others, and don’t feel to good if you advanced faster! Everyone learns at a different pace, but the main goal is to enjoy nature and get some great exercise at the same time.

Private Lessons

Private lessons are a great – albeit expensive – option for learning to ski. There is no “stranger danger” since you’ll be by yourself with no one else, and you will progress as quickly or slowly as you are capable without worrying about anyone else. Expect to pay about 5x the cost of groups lesson ($1,000 or so) since you’ll have one instructor all to yourself instead of 5 group skiers.

I have done private lessons before, and do occasionally take another one if there is something very specific that I want to work on. However, I like to meet new people in different group lessons and since I often ski at quiet times of the year I have actually gotten private lessons for the price of a group lesson when no one else showed up at my ability level.

Family Lessons

Family lessons are a great idea… but in all practicality a pretty terrible execution. On average, it’s going to be very rare that you, your spouse, your teenager, and your preteen are all at a similar level and needing to work on the same things. Sure… maybe your first ski lesson this way will be fine, and can be a great way to get the younger kids to not be nervous. But after day #1 I recommend going the group or private lesson route so everyone can break off and do their own level without feeling bored or feeling like they’re slowing everyone else down.

Tipping your Instructor

You just paid $200 for that lesson, and most of that went to the instructor, right? WRONG! Instructors are paid a little more than minimum wage and absolutely depend on tips to make up for a pretty terrible wage.

Think of this kind of like tipping at a restaurant… 15% for a okay experience, 20% for an average, and something higher than that for exceptional instructors. I do keep in mind that if I am in a small group lesson (1-3 people), I try to tip a little better to make up for the small class. I also tip my repeat instructors more so I can make sure I get them again.

On one solitary trip I gave nothing to the instructor because frankly I thought she had a horrible attitude with my kids that she was teaching a kids’ group lesson. Our kids has skied for several years and she kept them on the bunny slope for 3/4 of the day… I saw it and mentioned they needed to be on the real slopes after lunch because their time was being wasted, then there they were back on the bunny slope again after lunch. It was a little awkward when we saw her again while she was working at the Frisco Marina the following summer 😬

The net of this is, be generous with the instructors – mountain living is expensive, and they all need a beer after dealing with new skiers all day!

Instruction from Non-resort Employees

As tempting as it may be to find a private person to take you and your family skiing, this is a terrible idea. Aside from the fact that it is actually against the law in Colorado to take lessons from a non-resort employee, there are plenty of other reasons to avoid it. Professionally trained ski instructors go through various levels of training and certification which proves that they know what they are doing, have good safety skills in mind, and – most importantly – oversight to assure you don’t get “over your skis” while you are learning. If you manage to find a “brah” to teach you how to ski, ask yourself a couple of questions:

1. Do I really want this complete stranger that for some reason can’t get a job with the resort taking me on the mountain for the first time?
2. How good can this guy actually be if he is willing to risk a lifetime ban from the resort if he is caught giving unsanctioned lessons?
3. Do **you** really want to get a lifetime ban from Vail Resorts if you get caught receiving a lesson from a non-employee?

Now, if you have a relative wanting to teach you basics, that is totally fine (assuming you’re not paying them). I taught my 3 year old daughter how to ski and that is completely fine – as well as completely necessary as little kids classes were not offered during Covid. However, there is a point where my skills on teaching are outmatched by their need to learn, so off to lessons she’ll go this year to learn from professionals.

Where to Learn

Picking a place to learn to ski can be almost as important as your instructors. Beginner skiers need to have long, easy green runs to learn on initially, then you’ll want a good mix of green, easy and hard blues, and easy and hard blacks. We skied several Colorado resorts our first year of skiing, so I’ll give a brief synopsis of them here.

Breckenridge

We love Peak 9 in Breckenridge. At the base of Quicksilver Superchair there are multiple bunny slopes, magic carpets, and tow bars that can honestly be great for an entire first day. After day 1, the Quicksilver will take you to some of the longest green runs on the planet. As your skills get a but better and you become more adventurous, alternate paths down the mountain will introduce harder greens and some easy blue runs. And from Peak 9 you can also access Mercury Chair and Beaver Run chair to get to blues and blacks, as well as the Super Connect over to Peak 8.

We definitely recommend using the Village Ski School at the base of Peak 9. It tends to be a little less crowded than Peak 8 which gives smaller class sizes, faster lift lines, and less crowded runs. Side benefit – if you are in a lesson, you skip the lift lines and go to the front of the crowd at all Vail Resorts.

Eldora

Our first two days of skiing were at Eldora, and we had a great time. Eldora is close to Boulder and is significantly cheaper than Vail Resorts. However, the resort is smaller, the instructors are not quite as good, and you have to drive to the resort as there is no housing near by. If you are looking for a budget trip, Eldora is a great option. If you are looking for a destination with skiing, nightlife, shopping, and other things to do, it is not worth the trip.

Arapahoe Basin

A Basin is a wonderful resort, but it is NOT for beginners. We spent our 3rd-ever day of skiing at A Basin and it was a little terrifying for everyone except me (but I also don’t have a rational sense of my own mortality!). Similar to Eldora, there is no on-mountain activities other than skiing and all lodging is a drive away. It is also hugely popular with snowboarders and front rangers (day trippers from Denver) because it is relatively inexpensive when compared to Vail Resorts. I definitely recommend heading to A Basin – it is an absolutely stunning and beautiful place to be – but wait until you are solidly skiing blues before heading out to A Basin.

Keystone

Keystone is where we spent our second ever ski trip over a long President’s Day weekend with some friends that had never skied before. It is a good place to learn IF it is later in the season; early season doesn’t offer a great way for beginner skiers to get off the mountain (in 2020, the only open run to the bottom was a difficult blue run or a difficult black run). Once you get into January the greens open up and its a nice place to ski. If you are doing early or late skiing, I don’t recommend new skiers hitting Keystone.

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Hopefully this has been a helpful read and you feel a little better about taking your next steps to learn to ski. If you have questions, feel free to reach out here. And of course don’t forget to check out lodging at one of our amazing Peak 9 condos.

Related Articles:

• Beginner Ski Guide
• Breckenridge Rental
• About SkiBreck

You just booked your Breckenridge ski trip (or click here if you need to!) and started planning your suitcase packing, just to realize that you have no idea what to pack! It wasn’t so long ago that we were new to skiing; my family didn’t grow up skiing, so I didn’t have a built-in knowledge base of family to tap into. There are a LOT of resources out there to introduce you to skiing, but most of them have an angle. They might be a gear seller/reseller, instructor, or a product “ambassador” (fancy for “paid advertising”). And because of that, there are not a lot of GOOD resources for the beginner ski guide.

Just in time to start planning your ski and snowboard vacation, here is SkiBreck’s beginner ski guide. with a few of the things we learned since becoming skiers. Some we got right the first time, some we learned the hard way; hopefully this helps you learn the easy way!

In the next post we’ll chat about learning how to ski, conditioning, and recovery from your first day skiing.

Estimated reading time: 14 minutes

Beginner Ski Guide – Clothing

Ski and snowboard clothing is something that we recommend you buy vs. rent. We also recommend buying new vs used – snow gear in general takes a beating and doesn’t wash well. And from personal experience, getting a kid from the slopes to the bathroom and getting all the gear off can and will result in bathroom mishaps. Because of that, I pretty much always opt for new clothing.

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Ski / Board Jacket

There are a few things you can go cheap on. Your snow jacket is NOT one of those, especially if you are doing mid-winter skiing. While I recommend sticking with name brands, that doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune at North Face!

For adults, we found Columbia has a wide choice that are great beginner ski jackets at a good price. I won’t profess them to be the best looking jackets on the market. However, their Omni-heat lining is warm and the outer shell is durable. I LOVE my Spyder jacket, but there is no reason to drop $500+ on a fancy ski jacket when you are learning how to ski. Especially when you can pick up a Columbia jacket for about $100 or less on Black Friday. Columbia also has a great rewards program and almost always has a promotion of some sort.

For our kids, we shop Macy’s and Dillard sales and picked up name brand jackets in the $50 range. And while I don’t recommend resale shops, I am a HUGE proponent of hand-me-downs! Sure, our oldest son gets all the new stuff and the younger brothers get used. The upside is I know the condition and perhaps more importantly I know if the gear performed well.

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Snow Pants / Bibs

Two schools of thought on Pants vs. Bibs, but I am solidly in the bib (which is basically overalls) column. Here’s why: while learning to ski or snowboard you are going to fall. A lot. When you fall, snow is going to get inside your ski jacket. When you wear pants, that snow goes down the waist and you get very wet and very cold. And if you get very wet and cold at 9:45am, you’ll stay wet and cold all day. A bib will offer you a little more protection from that. Since I switched to bibs instead of pants, I have never had snow down my backside.

Again, I like Columbia for adult bibs and pants. Quality materials, very warm, and I still have my first pair of Columbia pants that I wear on cold days. It is also worth taking a look at your local ski retailer for sales. I swing by my local Sun & Ski Sports about once a month for close outs, sales, and last year’s models. On one such trip, I picked up a Spyder bib marked down from $350 to about $80. That was a rare find, but I have often seen deals of 50% or more off last seasons ski gear, especially in the May-August time frame when they just want to get rid of the old stuff to make room for the new.

For the kids, check out OshKosh. We have over 15 pairs of OshKosh bibs of various sizes that all ran about $20 each. You can’t beat that. I highly recommend getting them in black because they are unisex and are great for hand-me-down. It can be tough to get your 10 year old son into a pink or purple ski bib!

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Base Layer

This one is a little trickier since one base layer will not fit every trip. If you are doing a mid-winter ski trip (i.e. COLD), you’re going to want a very warm base layer and mid layer. But if you try to wear that same base layer on a spring ski trip, you will overheat. Regardless of your ski trip time, AVOID COTTON! Your base layer (really all layers) needs to be moisture wicking.

Adults: I like Cabela’s brand for my base layers, but I also have two pairs of Under Armour base layers. I have light Cabela base layers (for warmer days) and Under Armour Base 3.0 and 4.0 (for cold days). I didn’t mind spending a little extra on my base layer since I use these for non-skiing activities, too. For example, I wear them to outdoor football games, kids’ practices, and anywhere else where I need a little extra warmth.

Kids: Walmart and Target both sell various base layers for kids at very reasonable prices. We have multiple sets for each of our kids; a thinner material that is good for warmer days, and thicker fleece style for colder days. You should be able to buy these for under $20 per set.

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Mid Layer

Your mid layer will go between your base layer and your ski jacket.

Adults: on warmer days, I typically wear a long sleeve moisture wicking shirt. I like Columbia’s Terminal hoodie shirts for this (which I also use for hiking in the summer). For colder days, a mid-weight sweater is a great option. Costco and Sams frequently have Spyder quarter zip sweaters for sale in the fall; I highly recommend those for this purpose. Don’t forget that your snow jacket may have a built-in inner jacket (see the Columbia Omniheat jacket recommended above). That inner jacket will keep you warm on most days except the very coldest.

Kids: cheap fleece sweaters. You can find these anywhere for as little or as much as you want to pay. Since almost no one will ever see them under a ski jacket, just get a cheap one. Again, I try to go unisex since ours will inevitably wind their way down to boys and girls.

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Gloves

Emphasis on gloveS. As in not one pair, but two or more per person. Buy gloves with elastic “bracelets” that wraps around your wrist. That way they will dangle from your wrists if you take them off (or sew in a strap if they don’t come with them); otherwise, someone is going to lose a glove on the ski lift at some point.

Adults: I personally like ski gloves over mittens. Columbia sells both in multiple different warmth ratings. I have a thinner pair I use for warm days and a pair of Inferno gloves for cold days. Sweat is the enemy of staying warm, so I might start with the warmer gloves and then switch to the lite gloves later in the day.

Kids: splurge a little here – since you saved money on the base and mid-layers, don’t skimp on the gloves. Get good quality gloves from a name brand. In this regard, we bought the kids Spyder gloves… they are not that expensive and they are very warm. And they hand-me-down really well.

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Socks

There are sooooo many to choose from. The key here is to have multiple pairs of ski socks, so mix this up a little. Like gloves, don’t skimp here. Quality ski socks at full price will be $30 and around $15 on sale; there is no point in taking the cheap road here.

I personally like my Under Armour ski socks for comfort, but I also like my SmartWool socks for warmth. Similar to gloves, I take multiple pairs with me to make sure I have the right warmth throughout the day.

Kids are outfitted with SmartWool ski socks from Sun & Ski, a few pairs each, $10-$15 a pair.

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Gaiters / Balaclavas

Anything works, as long as it is moisture wicking (which almost all are). I found a Spyder gaiter at Sun & Ski for $15 and that is my go to at all times.

Kids are the same. And most of the time the ski schools will have extra of these for the kids for free.

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Beginner Ski Guide – Skis and Boots

Rent? Buy? In this section of the Beginner Ski Guide we’ll talk about the different options for your ski and snowboard gear. Generally speaking, if this is your first trip, this is an easy answer…

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Rent

If you are a beginner skier, there really isn’t any reason to do anything except rent. As a new skier you won’t know what size, what type ski, or really anything about what to buy. That is why we recommend all beginners to rent their ski gear.

Rental shops are literally everywhere in every ski town. Your rental will include skis, boots, poles, and an optional helmet. In our family helmets are absolutely required. Brain injuries are serious and even the best of athletes take falls; helmets are a no-brainer (sorry for the pun).

Each rental company typically has at least a few brands of skis at each level of ski. Most will also let you trade out you skis mid-trip to try a different brand. Ski rentals will come in different levels of packages: basic, sport, and demo skis.

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Basic

Basic ski packages are great for beginner skiers. Shorter skis are easier to control for beginners, wide bases are stable, and the skis will come off easily if you fall. A basic package is NOT last year’s skis; most reputable rental companies have brand new equipment at all levels every year. Basic just means that you are a cautious skier while you learn how to slowly ski on easier terrain.

You should rent a Basic package if you are skiing for the first time.

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Sport

Sport skis, sometimes call intermediate skis, are the middle ground. These are meant for people with some experience. Sport skiers are on green and blue runs, and picking up a little more speed as you go down hill. Sport skis will be a little longer than basic skis and will be a little narrower under your foot. You’ll also find the skis take a little more beating without coming off your boot.

You should rent a Sport package if you are a confident skier on green runs and working on your blues.

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Demo

Demo skis are the fancy skis. They will be lightweight, longer compared to the skis you’ll get in a Sport or Basic package, and the bindings will be stiffer and harder to detach from your boot. Demo skis will NOT make you a better skier unless you are already a good skier. In fact, if you are a beginner skier and rent a demo package, skiing will actually be more difficult to learn. Stick with your skill level – and spend your money where it makes sense.

You should rent a Demo package if you are confident on greens and blues, working on blacks, and doing well on carving down the mountain.

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Discount Ski Rentals

Don’t forget you can get 20% off your Christy Sports rentals by using this link.

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Season Rentals

Season rentals are an awesome way to go, often saving hundreds of dollars. Our first experience with season long rentals was for our kids; the rental ranged from $125-$150 per season and include the skis, boots, and poles. If you use Christy Sports, they will also let you trade for different sizes (great for growing kids) and even switch from skis to boards. There are a few catches that do not make this an ideal option for everyone.

1. You have to pick up the skis long before the ski season starts… typically mid-September to early October. So no reserving and then showing up to get them in January. NOTE: There are a few that will allow a later pick up for a higher fee… check out Sun & Ski in Dillon for this option.
2. Skis are due back in April at the place you rented from. This can take a bit of planning if you are not in town. However, Christy let me return our kids early in March when we knew we were not going to be back in April.
3. Helmet is NOT included nor are helmets available for season rentals; you’ll have to buy a helmet for each person.
4. You need a place to store your skis. Skis cannot be returned to the store and picked up again later in the season. That means you need a place to keep them in town or you’ll be hauling them back/forth all season long.
5. Locations for pick-up are limited. We use the Christy Sports in Dillon for our season rentals; it’s not too far, but it is not exactly convenient either.

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Buy

Buying skis is a big event; I still remember buying my first pair of skis and having to wait like a kid on Christmas for them to arrive. The wonderful thing about renting skis is you get to try out so many different brands before it is time to buy. I rented skis for about 4 years before I bought my first pair, and in that time I tried Rossignol, K2, Head, Nordica, Salomon, Blizzard, Volkl, and a few others. I tried longer skis and shorter skis, wide skis and narrow skis, and basically wore out my friend Henry at Christy Sports trading skis every few days.

Skis are generally grouped into a few categories: All-mountain, Freestyle, Backcountry, and a few others. A skis shop such as Sun & Ski, Christy’s, or even REI can help you get fitted for the right skis. Obviously you’ll have better luck if you do this in a ski town (vs. shopping at a store in Miami where skiing is a completely different water sport).

My first purchase was a pair of all-mountain Rossignol 84 with SPX bindings already mounted. Think of all-mountain skis as the “swiss army knife” or “jack of all trades” of skis… its good for pretty much anything at the resort, but you won’t be winning competitions for anything. I bought my Rossignols from Amazon for an insanely low price ($200) at the end of March when someone was trying to get rid of their unsold skis for the year.

My wife uses a pair of Atom Vantage 75 skis with L 10 GW bindings. These were purchased from skis.com at the end of a season and were discounted down to under $280. You can generally find great deals on skis beginning March through October; much like the new iPhone, there are marginal improvements and graphic refreshes on each line every year. Also much like a new iPhone, you probably don’t need the newest one unless you are an excellent skier.

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Boots

Boots are where I started my ski equipment purchasing journey. It took several years to buy skis, but I bought custom fitted boots in my second year of skiing. This saved my feet from the not-so-comfortable rental boots, and the custom heat mold keeps my feet exactly where they should be. I highly recommend buying boots in person, trying many different styles and brands, and always… always… always splurge for the pair that feels best for you.

I like using Sun & Ski for boots, but there are plenty of other great retailers out there for this… REI, Christy, Surefoot, etc. Pick your favorite and go with them – just go with them in person and not online.

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Helmets come in a range of styles/colors and price points. Generally you can divide helmets into two categories: MIPS and non-MIPS. Simply speaking, MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection System) helmets protect your head and brain more effectively than non-MIPS helmets. For our family, everyone has their own MIPS helmet. We tend to go with Smith brand helmets, which can range anywhere from $50 for an on-sale Junior hamlet to several hundred dollars. Your best bet is to head to a couple of ski stores and try on as many samples as they have and find your most comfortable fit.

As a rule of thumb, we get new helmets every 2-4 years. If anyone has a major impact, the helmet gets replaced immediately. FYI – this is the same for all helmets in our house… bike, football, hockey, baseball.

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Goggles

Similar to helmets, goggles can range from inexpensive to very expensive. I like to think that if you buy the same brand for helmet and goggles, you’re more likely to get a clean fit (i.e. minimize the gap between helmet and goggles exposing your forehead). But it is more likely that my OCD just likes having the same brand.

Interchangeable lenses are awesome – being able to switch from bright-light to low-light to dusk/nightime skiing lenses is very cool. However it will also add a lot of $$$ to your bill. I have literally never night-skied before, so the added hundreds of dollars didn’t make sense to me, so we all have single fixed lense goggles made for normal daytime skiing.

Where to stay?

Well, obviously with SkiBreck! Located near the base of Peak 9 in Breckenridge – which is conveniently next to the Village Ski School – as well as a short walk to Main Street, we offer two condos the can each hold up to ten people in beds. Perfect for families, couples, and groups, SkiBreck is ready to be part of your snow adventure!

We hope you learned from this Beginner Ski Guide – let us know what you think by sharing on Facebook or contact us directly.

Realted Articles

• Learn to Ski
• About SkiBreck
• Breckenridge Rental