Justin Dorey shot by Nate Abbott.

AS SEEN IN THE NOVEMBER 2011 ISSUE OF FREESKIER.

Beginner, intermediate, expert or full-on professional. Jumps, rails or halfpipe. Breckenridge has, quite literally, everything a park skier could want. For a majority of skiers, it all starts in Park Lane, with five perfectly shaped jumps from small to medium and legion rails, boxes and jibs scattered between. The scene in Park Lane can be heavy at times, but what better way to progress your game than having a lift full of people watching and cheering you on or spending your lift ride watching Adam Delorme, Nick Martini and too many others to name training and filming for edits that will soon be stacking views on YouTube?

If you’re not ready for that, ski over to the Trygves, Eldorado or Bonanza step-up parks to have some fun under a little less pressure and learn new skills on smaller features. Or if you have the skills but want to get away from the crowds, step up to Freeway, where some of the biggest jumps open to the public await in relative seclusion from the scene one run away at Park Lane.

Banks Gilberti shot by Nate Abbott.

For 2010-2011, the halfpipe game at Breckenridge reached a new level, moving higher up the Freeway run to take advantage of a steeper pitch and allow for a 22-foot competition-level pipe with massive length. The best skiers in the world were challenged by it all season long, but on six days out of seven it’s mostly empty, making the walls more intimidating than the crowds.

A spontaneous training or film session could break out on any given day, and you’ll find yourself waiting to drop in at the top of the pipe between Simon Dumont and Justin Dorey or at the top of the park between Bobby Brown and Colby West. The best days of the year in the park at Breckenridge stretch from opening day, always with a couple of little jumps and rails good for whetting the appetite, to the opening of Park Lane, when the pros and aspiring start their pre-contest training in earnest, to closing weekend, when the biggest jumps are slushy, perfect and fun.

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