Building Peak 8 at Breckenridge: Delivering an Improved Visitor Experience
BUILDING DIALOGUE
In April 2018, work began on the transformation of one of Colorado’s most significant and symbolic mountain resort venues: Breckenridge Ski Resort’s original base area, Peak 8. Improvements had been ongoing for more than a decade, and the construction effort has culminated in an unprecedented ski-in, ski-out development that is providing visitors to the mountain town with a grand destination.
Ryan Odell
Senior Project Manager, PCL Construction Services
Every mountain project comes with its unique challenges, and the work done in Breckenridge was no exception. First and foremost was the fact that the site was only 1.5 acres with a gondola running through it. Limited access also presented challenges for the delivery of materials and also getting a team of workers — some days totaling 400-plus people – to and from their jobs. Fortunately, a strong team effort that included a strong team of skilled subcontractors along with BGV’s Peak 8 Construction Management helped tremendously with the overall coordination and successful outcome of the project.
From the time the first piece of precast was set, to completion of the project in November, the team faced many additional challenges. For example, March 2019 was the snowiest March on record making snow removal, safety and scheduling all the more rigorous. Building under and around the busiest gondola in North America also presented unique work site conditions, as did coordinating the steady flow of visitors to the very popular base area. This included constant updates to the town of Breckenridge, Breckenridge Ski Resort and Breckenridge Grand Vacations, including new pedestrian routing, fencing and signage. Even with the unique challenges, the project remained on schedule and the team was even able to deliver Breckenridge Ski Resort spaces a month early for move in.
Today, the Peak 8 base area includes 225,000 square feet of new building construction, with two levels of underground parking. It is home of the Breckenridge Ski and Snowboard School, new retail and rental facility, new season pass offices and lift ticket windows on a heated plaza just steps away from the Colorado and Rocky Mountain SuperChair lifts. The elevated experience at Peak 8 includes the new Ullr Café, an ice-skating rink, escalators (Breckenridge’s first), new town transit stop and public restrooms.
In addition to the public spaces, construction also includes the completion of additional residential spaces for Breckenridge Grand Vacations. The overall resort features three buildings, all connected by interior walkways, with a total of 253 total residences upon completion and with amenities such as the Infinity Spa, Robbie’s Tavern, multiple lounge and bar areas, family fun center, fitness centers, indoor and outdoor pools and hot tubs, including a new infinity hot tub and children’s pools with water features, a rooftop owners-only lounge, five movie theaters and a new escape room.
The work done to transform Breckenridge’s Peak 8 into an improved, world-class destination for visitors to this iconic ski resort town required tremendous coordination, teamwork and skill. As a result, resort employees and visitors have commented on how great the new spaces are, including improved flow, dependability and a bright and open feel of the new base areas.
With all the elements in place, it was all up and running in time for the 2019/2020 ski season.
Published in the March 2020 issue of Building Dialogue.
