Breckenridge was founded in 1859 and had a gold-mining boom period at the end of the nineteenth century before falling into disrepair and delapidation. Skiing began here in 1961 and the ski business has been responsible for the restoration of over 250 Victorian buildings in what is Colorados largest national historic district. Much is made of the slogan Breckenridge Genuine Colorado, but the truth is that the typical visitor today is much more likely to notice the modern and architecturally undistinguished shopping malls and condominium blocks than the original buildings. However those willing to explore beyond the main drag will be well rewarded with glimpses of what the town was like in its mining days.

In many ways Breckenridge remains a frontier ski town of the Rockies and is particulary popular with day and weekend visitors from Denver and its conurbations. For this reason, it has only a limited amount of hotel accommodation, although there are lots of condominiums. The ski area is served by 30 lifts and is a leisurely stroll or short shuttle bus ride from the town. Most of the accommodation is located in ski-out/ski-in slopeside positions. The vertical drop is just over 1,000m not a great deal by European standards but the crucial thing to bear in mind is that the resort itself is located at almost 3,000m with the highest lift-accessed terrain at nearly 4,000m. This means that visitors are sleeping at an altitude that is more than 1,000m higher than almost anywhere they would normally stay in the Alps. Altitude sickness can be a problem in Breckenridge, especially during the first day or two as visitors acclimatise to their new environment. Drinking huge quantities of iced water is the most effective basic antidote. Because of its proximity to Denver International Airport (around 90 minutes drive), Breckenridge often tends to be the choice of resort for Brits wanting to experience Colorado skiing for the first time.