How to Spend 5 Days Skiing in Colorado (Breck & Copper)
Here, I am going to tell you How to Spend 5 Days Skiing in Colorado (Breck & Copper)!
Colorado… I love you. What an amazingly beautiful, mountain lovers dream destination.
I spent five days out in Colorado mid March and had such a good time.
Mountains so big you are constantly in shock. The most fun ski towns with the best vibes, outdoorsy like-minded people, and the most fun times! Some of the best skiing/snowboarding out there but also so much to do for those who don’t partake in winter sports.
A place you might fall in love with so much you’ll end up moving there… Five days in the winter is a great amount of time to visit the mountains, see and do a lot!
Here, I will break down a day by day itinerary of how to spend five days in Colorado in the winter.
How to Spend 5 Days Skiing in Colorado (Breck & Copper)
Day 1
Travel day & rental car
Wake up early, head to the airport and take an early flight to Denver International Airport.
I reccomened taking an earlier flight if possible because depending on where you are coming from this might be a long travel day. I traveled to CO from NH and it was a pretty easy travel day just long.
Rent a car and do so ahead of time. It’s nice to have your own car if you want to check out different mountains. If you plan on staying at one mountain and not renting a car you can take the Summit Express from Denver to Breckenridge.
It’s roughly a two hour drive from Denver to Breckenridge. The beginning of the ride is pretty flat but then the mountains start to appear and it becomes absolutely beautiful and the excitement really kicks in!
Get your lift tickets
The cost of lift tickets are not cheap…adult day passes with no discounts run over $200 for one ski day.
If you have a season pass make sure to use it! Passes like the Ikon Pass or the Epic Pass are great for Colorado and especially worth the money if you ski enough times to at least break even with the cost of the pass.
Another great thing about the pass is if someone you are skiing with has one, they can often get you pretty good discounts at the mountains that are on their pass.
If you know where you will be skiing ahead of time, look online and buy your tickets as early as possible, doing this should save you some money.
Airbnb
Now head to your hotel or airbnb!
Peak 8 on Breckenridge is an awesome location to be at. Goldcamp Launchpad is where we stayed and loved it. Very clean, had everything we needed with a full kitchen, slept the four of us very comfortably and had a hot tub…the best thing after a day of skiing!
These condos are also are right next to a bus stop for the Free Busses that go all around the mountain which was really nice. Once you arrive, get settled into your place and familiar with the area.
Dinner on night 1
Head over to Blue Stag Saloon for dinner once you’ve settled in! Located right on Main Street in Breckenridge. You can either drive or take the free bus over.
Expect it to be busy, no matter what night of the week it is. Throw your name on the list, grab a drink and hangout outside by the fire until your table is ready.
This is a fun place with awesome vibes. You will find a mix of locals and tourists, their food is delicious!
Day 2
Coffee, breakfast & ski rentals:
Wake up early and get after it!
Ski Breck on day one but first stop at Mountain View Coffee Bar right on Main Street for coffee and breakfast to start off the day.
If you need to rent skis or a snowboard head over to Blue River Sports located in downtown Breck. The staff are great at helping you find what you need and make sure everything fits comfortably and to top it off their prices on rentals are hard to beat.
Pick up some oxygen cans and make sure to hydrate as much as possible! If you come from a low elevation area you might be feeling slight altitude sickness. They help!
Ski Breckenridge
Get to the mountain and get some runs in! The snow here is SO good. The March ski conditions are amazing!
Breckenridge has amazing groomed trails wider than anywhere else I’ve skied and maintained really well. They have a large range of greens to double blacks, something for everyone. Awesome glades and untouched areas, the powder here is the real deal, keep your tips up!
The mountain is huge…check out the map ahead of time and pick out peaks that work for you based on your skill level.
Beer & lunch breaks
Don’t forget to stop for beer breaks and lunch!
Some places right on the mountain to check out are: the Ten Mile Station which is located on Peak 9 at the top of the QuickSilver SuperChair. We stopped here late morning for a beer. Also check out Robbie’s Tavern for lunch and probably another beer (après ski right). Robbie’s is located at the base of Peak 8. They have delicious food and quick service.
Get back on the mountain if your legs can take it and get a few more runs in to finish off the day! You have to get your moneys worth out of that day pass.
Once you’re ready to call it, head down to whichever peak you’re closest to and jump on the Free Bus back to your condo.
Go back, get those boots off, relax for a bit in the hot tub and recharge to get ready for the night!
Winery in downtown Breckenridge
Check out the highest winery in the world before going to dinner! Go get a wine flight and the Continental Divide Winery. A really cute place with nice ambience and awesome wines.
In a good location close to a lot of restaurants. A fun pre-dinner activity!
Dinner on night 2
Once you’ve finished your wine flight, head over to Kenosha for dinner. A local’s recommendation that did not disappoint.
Hangout at the bar while you wait for a table, the staff is great here everyone is so nice. Order the pig out combo plate pick four! Perfect to share with a small group, such delicious food.
We wouldn’t have found this place without the recommendation but are so glad we did! Very good food, drink and a lot of fun.
Day 3
Ski Breckenridge
Ski Breck again today, there is so much more mountain to explore!
Start off bright and early again, make breakfast at your condo or head back to Main street to pick up some coffee and breakfast. Today, try and explore some different Peaks than the day before. Peak 10 is a fun, challenging peak with a lot of awesome runs! Take the Horseshoe Bowl T-Bar at the top of Peak 8 for some un-groomed, really fun runs. Make it a point to go to Peak 6 and hangout over there for a while.
Some of my favorites runs where off Peak 6. A little challenging but so much fun with good pow!
Don’t forget to take a break for a beer (and water). Have to stay hydrated at that high elevation!
Lunch on the mountain
Stop by and grab lunch at The COOP!
Located at the base of Peak 7. No indoor dining but there are tables outside. This is a grab and go kind of place, perfect for a quick stop to fill up or grab some food to take with you on your way home. Get the tenders with buffalo and ranch!
Once you are finished skiing, get on the Free Bus and head back to your condo. Go relax in the hot tub to keep those legs fresh for another day of skiing!
Explore downtown Breckenridge
Before the sun goes down get back on the Free Bus and get off by Main Street, take some time to walk around downtown.
Breckenridge has so many cool stores, bars and restaurants. You could spend a day walking around shopping and exploring but if you don’t have an entire day to do so, just check it out after your ski day!
Dinner on night 3
Tin Plate for dinner! Located in downtown Breck, easy to find.
This place is so cool…the history on it alone makes it awesome! When you go, ask your server the story on Tom’s baby.
They have delicious, unique pizzas and an entire cookie menu for dessert…what a place! We had so much fun here and really enjoyed our whole meal, a place I’ll never forget.
Day 4
Ski Copper
Copper Mountain today!
Wake up extra early today, have breakfast at the condo then drive 30 minutes over to Copper. This drive is quick and easy. Even if it snows the night before you go, don’t worry! They are good about cleaning up the roads.
Get into most of your gear before you leave so when you get to Copper you are ready to go, it’s much easier this way.
Time to explore a new mountain!!
Copper Mountain
Copper is a fun mountain…I loved it here. Great snow!!
Another big mountain that you cannot simply see all of in one day. Be sure to check out a map before you go and pick out some runs you really want to hit!
Copper also has amazing groomed trails with untouched edges to play in. Really fun glades and challenging trails, the vibe here is awesome, a little bit more of a local feel than Breck. The runs over on the left and upper mountain are so much fun, make it a point to check out 17 Glade if you like the woods!
Beer & lunch break
When you are ready for a break, head to Center Village for a beer and lunch. There are a lot of options here!
You can grab something in the food court area, everything is so good, you can’t go wrong with all of the options.
On day three of skiing out west your legs are probably pretty shot at this point after lunch. Get as many more runs in as your legs can take! Soak up all the pow, beautiful views and good vibes at the mountain.
Once you’ve called it a day grab a hot coffee or tea at Camp Hale in Center Village. You can walk around and stretch out your legs by exploring some cool stores right in the same area.
Dinner on night 4
On the drive home from Copper stop in town in Breck to return your skis/snowboard gear and go get some dinner.
Try out a great Thai place: Bangkok Happy Bowl right in downtown Breck. If you get there during happy hour they have some awesome deals and it’s much easier to get a table before the dinner rush!
Their crab rangoons, edamame, and red curry are so good. Finish the meal off with some sake bombs to get the night going! Great place over all, nice staff and delicious food.
Try and get here a little before dinner, roughly around 5pm. You want to beat the rush. We got in around 5pm with no wait then saw the place fill up fast!
Bar hop in your ski gear
Since it’s your last night in town, go out and explore more of the fun bars on Main street!
There are so many to see. We never changed out of our snow gear from the ski day. In winter boots, all of our thermal layers, snow pants, ski coat, hat and wind burned face we hit the town! This is very common to see here, dozens of people come right to town from the mountain, it makes the vibe of Breck so fun.
A fun place to check out is RMU they had great drinks, a local feel and awesome live music.
Downstairs at Eric’s
Another fun place to check out is Downstairs at Eric’s.
A high energy, busy place where you’ll see people of all ages gather at after being on the mountain. They have a big restaurant and bar area as well as a huge game room.
Looking to eat dinner here? The food looked delicious but you’ll most likely have to wait a bit for a table. Though if you are just drinking, head right to the bar and you should be able to find a spot right away.
Ollies Pub & Grub
Ollies Pub & Grub is one of the most fun places in downtown Breck.
A little harder to find, located at 180 Jefferson Ave, Breckenridge, CO 80424. Just put it into your phone and have your GPS direct you via walking to get there. Later in the week, around 9-10pm they often have live music.
Great music, fun staff, an overall fun time. If you are looking for a cool bar to hangout at with high energy and music to dance to go here! We stayed here for a few hours and had so much fun.
Transportation home from the bar
The Free Bus runs until 11pm. If you end up staying out late you can try and time it so you get the last bus.
Don’t worry if not though, there are Ubers in downtown Breck. We took one and had no problem finding it later on at night. We had one take us on a less than ten minute drive and it was very cheap. (Not sure how reliable they are if you have to travel a far distance).
Day 5
Travel home day
Wake up bright and early!
Give yourself enough time to make the roughly two hour drive to the airport (traffic dependent), return your car, check bags and get through security. The last day is always bitter sweet…who wants to leave an insanely cool place like this right as you’re getting used to it!
This little trip is the perfect getaway and gives you a taste of ski culture out West, making you want to book another trip here ASAP!
Colorado Tips & Tricks
- Prepare for the altitude by drinking Liquid IV once a day each day about a week before your trip
- Drink lots of water from the day you get there and throughout your entire trip to avoid headaches
- You will most likely feel shortness of breath on easy tasks (like walking up a set of stairs) that’s normal your body just isn’t used to the high altitude.
- Pack warm clothes for at night and days you don’t ski – can get very cold
- Don’t bring fancy clothes, the towns are laid back and casual
- Bring face moisturizer, chapstick and lotion – the air is dry
- Bundle up when going out at night (especially if you are walking any distance) it gets so cold when the sun goes down – mittens and a hat make a huge difference
- Restaurant and bar prices in town are fair/average
- Don’t be afraid to ask your servers, bartenders & locals you meet for their favorite places/recommendations – everyone is we talked with was friendly
- Make sure your rental car has a brush to remove snow – you will most likely need it
Colorado is an awesome place. The snow is unreal, a powder lovers paradise!
Beautiful tall pine trees lining the immaculately groomed trails and glades with snow so deep you could actually get lost in it. Lodges and restaurants scattered all over the mountains, so much to explore. Fun ski towns with like-minded people and great vibes everywhere. So much beauty in all directions you look, hard to take it all in.
If you are thinking about taking a winter vaca out to Colorado…do it! It’s a really fun place for a vacation!!
Have you skied Breck and/or Copper? What did you think of the mountains?
Let me know what you think and don’t forget to follow along on social media too!
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sierra
Hello there! It's wonderful to have you here. I'm Sierra, a NH native with a love for travel and adventure. I have a constant desire to explore beautiful places around the world and go on awesome adventures! I seek to inspire others to travel to see all the beauty and culture the world has to offer! 🌞⛰️🌼🫶🏼🦋🌲📸🥾💛
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