Preparing for the descent to Colorado's mile high city

Acclimatising for the SME Meeting in Denver at 1600 m, Barbara and I are in our favourite American town, Breckenridge, Colorado, at an altitude of 2926 m (9600 ft).

Famous now as an alpine ski resort, Breckenridge was founded in 1859 to serve the miners working rich placer gold deposits discovered along the Blue River, a tributary of the Colorado River. Placer gold mining was soon joined by hard rock mining, as prospectors followed the gold to its source veins in the hills. Gold production decreased in the late 1800s, but revived in 1908 by gold dredging operations along the Blue River and Swan River. The Breckenridge mining district is credited with production of about 31,000 kg of gold.

The Dredge Restaurant, a reminder of the town's gold mining past

Just west of the Continental Divide in Summit County, Breckenridge is one of the most visited ski resorts in the western hemisphere, and its Main Street still has the atmosphere of an old mining town, with its buildings which have stood for over 100 years. And it has great restaurants with, unheard of in America, not a McDonalds in sight!

Main Street, Breckenridge

Blue River at dusk

International ice sculpture competition

We had perfect skiing conditions during our 10 nights in 'Brecks', and our 8th visit to this great town.

Peak 8 base

Solitude on one of the 187 trails

2500ft above Breckenridge with a great view of the Continental Divide