The U.S. Forest Service has approved zip lines, canopy tours, ropes courses and more trails at Breckenridge ski area as the Summit County resort ramps up plans to draw a wider swath of summer visitors.
“This suite of new activities, individually and collectively, provides an opportunity for families and guests to connect with the natural world and appreciate nature through play,” said White River National Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams in a statement Thursday announcing his agency’s Final Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Record of Decision on the sweeping summer plan. “The entire spectrum of activities provides an environment that will better encourage guests to further discover their national forests or visit them for the first time.”
The summer plans for Breckenridge — first proposed in the spring of 2013 — are part of resort owner Vail Resorts’ $100 million, multi-year plan to develop summer recreation at its major resorts. Last fall the Forest Service approved the company’s initial $25 million plan for its flagship Vail ski area, including zip lines, aerial bridges, an adventure park, experiential learning centers and a “forest flyer” alpine coaster.
Vail and Breckenridge mark the first two resorts in the nation to begin development of on-mountain summer amenities first sparked by the 2011 Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act, which was designed to spur more summer recreation at the nation’s 122 ski resorts on Forest Service and stimulate local economies around those ski areas.
The Breckenridge plan includes educational programs, two zip lines, two canopy tours, a ropes course, an observation tower, hiking and mountain biking trails, on-mountain hut improvements, a road re-alignment and a climbing wall.
Breckenridge attracts about 175,000 summer visitors, a fraction of the average 1.6 million skier days it logs every winter. The idea with the new development is that the resort can grow summer visitation by 15,000 to 60,000 visitors.
Combined with summer development on Vail Mountain as well as existing summer opportunities at Keystone and Copper Mountain, the White River National Forest expects an additional 150,000 annual summer visitors in the coming years.
The Forest Service estimated the new Breckenridge visitors would spend $2.1 million to $8.7 million, creating an economic impact between $3 million and $12.3 million a year.
Fitzwilliams, following 2½-years of environmental review, did not give Breckenridge everything it wanted. He re-located an observation tower, cut Jeep tours and scenic lift rides in one bowl and reduced the number of new mountain bike trails.
“The remaining approved projects allow for a good mix of activities while minimizing resource in sensitive areas,” he said in the statement.
Rocky Smith, a longtime conservation activist who filed a letter in opposition to summer plans, said he is not surprised by the decision.
“As usual the Forest Service didn’t listen to the public and they are giving the ski industry what they want,” Smith said. “It’s just too much stuff up there that doesn’t harmonize with the natural environment. It doesn’t lead people to enjoy their national forest any more. They are riding zip lines and canopy tours, enjoying manmade things like they are in an amusement park.”
Jason Blevins: 303-954-1374, jblevins@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jasonblevins