Playing in the Mountains

Days off are usually quite exciting living here in Breckenridge, Colorado. I can honestly say we live in one of the most amazing places on the planet and it gets even better when there is time to get outside in this beautiful playground we call home. Once in a great while you may find me napping on the couch next to the fire, but the best days involve playing outside all day with great friends and cool dogs. Take a look at our pics from yesterday afternoon! Keep in mind we were skiing in a true 9" of powder the very same morning at Breckenridge Ski Resort. We got the most snowfall in Summit County folks....No Brag, Just Fact!


Location and Destination: Spruce Creek Trail. The trialhead is at the end of Spruce Creek Rd. which is just south of Breckenridge off Route 9. Once you get here follow the trail to Mayflower Lake or continue on to Mohawk Lakes.


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Participants: Tony, Andy (me), Jasper and Bucca

The dogs and I hiked while tony enjoyed the first day of the season on his cross-country skis

Shred the gnarly pow pow!

It's official, winter has begun here in Breckenridge. After going to sleep last night skeptically expecting a few measly inches, we awoke to find that Breckenridge Ski Resort reported 9 inches of light, dry, perfect rocky mountain powder!! Those 9 inches are more than any other resort here in Summit County, and trust us, all 9 inches were accounted for up on the mountain this morning. Andy and myself were lucky enough to get 5 runs through the boot deep fluff with plenty of fresh turns before the other locals tracked out the 4 open trails. Now, after a few delicious breakfast burritos, we are headed to The North Face Breckenridge store to gloat about our glorious morning before setting out for a little hike/cross-country ski with the Bucca dog. The snow is finally here!! Get excited!!Here's a nice pic of Andy blasting down Bonanza this morning sporting his The North Face Stitchless Fountainhead Guide Jacket and Park Cargo pants, all available at breckgear.com and The North Face Breckenridge store. We can't guarantee that you will be able to shred the pow like Andy here, but at least you will look good!

Just a little snow this morning........

Just a little snow this morning here in Breckenridge, CO. It was a nice surprise since it wasn't in the forecast. Keep your eye on the weather folks, it should be coming this way!

This is the view from The North Face Breckenridge!!! Not bad, huh?!

Lately it feels a little more like winter here in Breckenridge, Colorado! The temperatures have been staying cold and the piles of snow at the ski resort just get bigger everyday. Today the snowmakers got to work in the freeway terrain park on Peak 8, rated number one in North America. Check it out here http://breckenridge.snow.com/winterhome.asp ! With new snow coming this week, it just gets better every day. http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/80424?from=36hr_topnav_undeclared

I know I am not speaking for just myself, but all of us at The North Face Breckenrige are very thankful for all our wonderful friends and family we have near and far. Thanksgiving and other holidays are just a little different when you work in a resort destination. Most of us work major holidays and few of us get to see our family. Thankfully I got together with all of my closest friends here and town and had a southern style FEAST for thanksgiving, which helped take the edge off when the entire family is 2291.82 miles away.

Thanks for checking in folks.........

Hope that everyone had a nice Thanksgiving, I know I did!! Skiing and riding here at Breckenridge Ski Resort just keeps getting better. The new snow the other day was well needed and the snowmaking conditions have been optimal!
Here at The North Face Breckenridge, we know what you need to stay warm on the hill in these cold temperatures. Check out the Mens and Womens Plasma Thermal Jacket. Its light and warm and just what you need!

check it all out at www.breckgear.com !!!

Take a Look Outside, Folks

This is MY third winter in Breckenridge, and let me tell you, I have seen it all. Don't let me bore you with numbers and statistics (don't worry, I don't remember the numbers and statistics), but its true! When I say I have seen it all, I don't mean the world. Please don't get confused and just follow along.

The first winter I was here, it pretty much just snowed all the time. From the moment I arrived in Summit county to the end of the first glorious ski and snowboard season, it was always snowing. I think we may have set some kind of record......check the books. I worked at The North Face Breckenridge and www.breckgear.com. It was pretty awesome.

Last winter: (Year # 2). Pretty great year. A friend told me that in terms of snowfall, we were just above average...for the season. Not bad if you ask me. Opening day was amazing and it continued this way through the Christmas season. Unfortunately January and February were dry, but it picked up for the end of the season. We were all happy.

Its early in the season so don't get the wrong idea, but......This winter the trend is as follows: no snow, lots of mountain biking, high pressure, no snow. Hold on!....take a look OUTSIDE folks. I thinks there may be something going on :-) I have pictures of SNOW.....and Sambucca. Why don't you take a look? Its the real thing.....


Yeah kids, its the real thing. I hope to wake up in the morning with a foot of snow on the ground.......I'll take more. We really need it. I have new skis (with no bindings) so we really, really need it.


any English teachers looking for a job?!!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Alright... First of all, Happy Thanksgiving week...

Secondly, to all of you negative nancies who are still saying "Eh, I could keep summer around for another week or so..."

....Shhhhhh.....

It's time to do your civic winter duty and start praying for snow. Snow makes everything fresh, and new and clean. It even has its own smell, and right now, my olfactory glands are waiting for that first sniff of what is supposed to be a winter of freedom, fun, and freshies. So yes, when winter has stayed a day too long, and we are all craving a tan to match our faces and to even out those racoon eyes, I will be right there with you... heck... Ill even do a dance to the sun god. But for now, there is only one decider of the snow fates and his name is Ullr... and we love him.

Skiing! Snow!

A note to all our avid blog readers out there, please consider this an early Monday morning post and not another Sunday evening tribute to the beautiful Bucca dog. She is great, no doubt. Considering it is Monday morning (bear with me), I want to welcome everyone to another spectacular sunny day and very promising week in Breckenridge, Colorado. Before I continue, let me formally introduce myself. My name is Tony. . .. . .and I have been part of The North Face Breckenridge family for about a year now (except for my stint down at the Frisco Bay Marina this summer.) I hail from the great state of Nebraska, whose never-changing scenery and slumping football team leave much to be desired, but is home to many great people like myself. This winter I will not only be returning to the team at The North Face Breckenridge, but I will also be a ski instructor with Breckenridge's excellent Ski and Ride School. And now a shameless plug: I am available for private lessons throughout this entire year, so sign up! You'll love it!

Enough about me, let’s get down to the meat of this post. Skiing! Breckenridge has been open for more than a week already, and although the terrain is limited and snow man-made, the skiing is great! Bonanza just opened yesterday making two trails available for some early season turns on Peak 9. The six-person Quicksilver Lift is slated to open either today (Monday, remember) or Tuesday. And for all you jibbers, there are now two small jib parks awaiting your best rail slides. Believe it or not, I do not venture into the terrain parks much, but our very own Kelly has been having some jib-tastic runs lately. As if all this wasn’t enough to get you excited, SNOW IS COMING!!! Now we don’t want to jinx this, but it is supposed to arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday, and I’m hoping it is something big. All of us here at The North Face Breckenridge will be keeping our fingers crossed and doing a little snow dance. Perhaps we can all throw ice cubes out in the yard as an offering to Ullr, the snow god, in hopes for a good year. Get excited, it's ski season!

Bucca Girl

I would like to introduce you to another one of our very special shop dogs. Sambucca is my old girl, she is about 13 years old. Bucca was born in Massachusetts, spent most of her life in Maine with me then moved to Colorado with me about two years ago. I think Bucca likes it here as much as I do!! Unfortunately she can't join me for the 14er hikes anymore, just too old to make it to the top. We still go for great walks every day and she comes to work with me about once a week. Tough life for the dogs in Summit County.
Stop by The North Face Breckenridge (www.breckgear.com) to say hello to Sambucca and check out the latest and greatest in winter Snowsports gear and Outerwear!

Shop Dog

If you are strolling Main street in Breckenridge it's just about guaranteed that you will be saying hello and possibly petting numerous dogs along your way. At The North Face Breckenridge (www.breckgear.com), there is a friendly dog here almost most every day. Jasper is just over one year old and comes to work almost every day his dad Greg does. Jasper brings in the people, Greg gets paid. Jasper responds to many names such as J-Bird, Bird Dog and Little Brown Dog, so feel free to pick one and call him what you like when you arrive. Don't worry, J-Bird is super baby and child friendly. No need to be nervous with the little ones around! Jasper's favorite activities include mt. biking with friends, cross-country skiing, herding sheep, and licking your face!

Above is Margo and Jasper in our office. Margo is a long-time member of The North Face Breckenridge Crew. Margo leaves us in the summer to Guide whitewater out of Buena Vista.

The North Face Breckenridge in Mexico-May 2007

This past May we went to Mexico for an end of the season vacation celebrating a fantastic year at The North Face Breckenridge and http://www.breckgear.com/. All of our managers and significant others were invited along to basque in the sun in coastal Sayulita, just outside of Puerto Vallarta. Sayulita is a small fishing village that relies on tourism as a major source of income, but is not spoiled by the "Americanized" resorts that line the beaches of the popular resort destinations in Mexico. Smaller villas and family owned hotels take the place of the enormous air conditioned hotels. Don't worry though, the cost of staying in one of these great homes is very reasonable.

In Sayulita, expect to eat mass quantities of fresh food prepared by skilled, local chefs. Most of the restaurants offer fresh fish caught the very same day as well as all your favorite traditional Mexican dishes. Activites in Sayulita include shopping, surfing, exploring the jungle, fishing and of coarse relaxing on the beach with a good book. Check out www.SayulitaLife.com for more information on this wonderful destination.

Steve, Pete, Jenny and Susan-Making it all possible!

Two new inches of snow on the ground when I woke up this morning here at Breckenridge. Lets not talk about that right now. Here is a great shot from biking in Buena Vista with The North Face Breckenridge crew.

Anne St. Clair rocks it on her sweet new Ellsworth!!!! this was one of the more impressive shots of the day. One guy went over his handlebars, someone else had a migraine, we won't mention names.

Buena Vista

So no new snow to speak of here at Breckenridge, but there is always fun stuff to do in Colorado. About an hours drive from Breckenridge is the town of Buena Vista. It is dry here a good portion of the year and there is plenty of single track to explore. Today I rode with Tony and Greg from The North Face Breckenridge and Anne who is a guide out in Moab. It was about 60 and sunny with some decent winds. Not bad for November! Its easy to get here.....we just went West on 285 and took a right on road 315 about 10 or 15 miles outside of Buena Vista. Follow this dirt road for a few miles and look for trailhead parking on your left. Very easy to find.

Opening Day!

Hello all!

I figured that it was time for another post... Friday was the opening day for Breckenridge Ski Resort and Kelly, Andy, Tony and I decided to take a fieldtrip and go play in the snow. Andy and Tony met Kelly and I at our housing complex and we decided to use the Summit Shuttle... a great free way to get around town. I come from a place where you drive an hour and a half to get to the ski resort, so the idea of putting my boots and stuff on at home was totally foreign. I managed. We got on the bus, and within 10 minutes we were at the lift. The bus dropped us off right there! The lines weren't long, and they were movin' so we were in our skis (Kelly on his board) and on the lift. Right now, due to the fact that its early in the season, Breckenridge is rockin' the man made snow... it was my first time skiing Breckenridge, and while there was only one run open, I had a blast. Its a great feeling, being relatively new in town and running into a ton of people that you know while skiing. Im feeling more and more that I truly am making a niche for myself here. The boys and I took 5 or 6 runs, and decided to call it a day... (You know, its exhausing having to wait for them at the bottom the whole day). The bus ride back was an adventure as we took the wrong one, and instead of walking the 3 blocks back to my place, we decided to wait 30 minutes for the next bus. Hey, come on. We were tired. I have to say, that my first Breck ski experience was wonderful, and the forcast tonight is for snow... so we will see when I can get up there again, and hopefully rock some natural powder. Until Next time...katie

Skiing in Breckenridge

So we didn't have any record snowfalls beofre opening day last Friday, but the skiing and riding was great! On Friday, November 9, Breckenridge Ski Resort opened for the season. The first lift to open was the Beaver Run Chair servicing Columbia on Peak 9. We do have some weather coming in for this week so keep your fingers crossed! Keep checking back here for weather updates and The North Face gear pics. The experts in our store know what to use for gear and when to use it. Let us help you find the best gear for this winter!