Breckenridge, CO – Officials at Colorado’s Breckenridge Ski Resort on Thursday announced details for the ski resort’s 50^th anniversary season

Opening Day is set for November 11, 2011, but Breck’s actual 50^th birthday will fall on Friday, Dec. 16, 2011.  The resort will celebrate 50 years of existence on this day, commemorating the grand opening of the resort, which first opened to the public on Dec. 16, 1961.  This date will fall in the midst of the Breckenridge stop of the Winter Dew Tour, which is set to take place that same weekend with competitions on the mountain and celebrations throughout town.

Over the last 50 years, Breck has cemented its place as one of the world’s most popular ski destinations, and has hosted millions of guests from around the world. The conception of building a ski resort in Breckenridge began during the late 1950s, when Bill Rounds of the Porter and Rounds Lumber Company became interested in bringing skiing to the valley. The Peak 8 Ski Area, as it was first known, opened on December 16, 1961 with one Heron double chair and a midway unloading station in addition to one short learner’s T-bar.

To help celebrate, Breckenridge has launched “50 Days of Giveaways” on the official Breck Facebook page, through which the resort will give away a free prize every day of the 50 days leading up to Opening Day. Prizes will increase in value the closer the countdown gets to 11/11/11.  Fans just have to like the Breck Facebook page to be eligible to receive prizes.

In addition, Breck also announced plans to celebrate their anniversary season with guests all year long with the implementation of the Breck “50 Wishes” campaign. Throughout the course of the season, guests will be able to submit any wish they’d like to see fulfilled at the resort. Breck staff will compile 50 of these wishes and make them come true during the year.

“Even though it’s our birthday season, we thought it’d be great to focus the celebrations on our guests and truly give them the experience of a lifetime,” said Pat Cambell, Breck SVP & COO. “It’s our way of celebrating in that signature Breck style, and at the same time thanking our guests for their support over the last half-century.”

Some fun facts from Breck’s first 50 years include:

• Breck has received approximately 17,500 inches of snow (1,416 feet) since the resort opened in 1961.
• Breck has welcomed visitors from all 50 U.S. states and over 60 different countries.
• Breck has hosted approximately 39 million skiers and snowboarders since 1961. The first season featured around 17,000 total skier visits, as compared to 1.63 million in 2010-11.
• Breck was the first ski resort inNorth America to install a high speed quad chairlift, in 1981.
• Breck became the first ski resort to allow snowboarding in Colorado, in 1984.
• Breck installed the Quicksilver Super 6, the first and only double loading chairlift in the USA, in 1996.
• Breck built the highest high-speed quad chairlift in the world, the Imperial Express Superchair, topping out at an elevation of 12,840 ft. in 2005