The Faces of Breck: Employee Edition

Posted on January 25, 2022

A scenic view of Breck

At Breck, you don’t come to get away from it all, you come here to be a part of it all. The energy, the adventure, and the spirit of a community that is stoked on life in the mountains.

   

In honor of our 60th anniversary this year, we are celebrating some of the people that make Breck, Breck.

 

Meet Butch Peel: Ski Patrol and Summer Trails

  • Years in Breck: 49

  • What first brought you here? I had finished a seasonal job as a lifeguard back in Rome, NY and had never been out west. I came with a friend who had also never been out here, and we had a friend in Golden, CO. We both had learned to ski back in Upstate NY. Once in Golden, we started looking for work and a place to stay, and ultimately found both in Breckenridge.

  • What is your favorite run, peak or lift? My favorite run depends on weather and snow conditions, but the middle of Horseshoe Bowl sometimes gets a wind loaded surface that is firm so you stay on top, but soft like cream cheese. It is somewhat unique to Breckenridge, I think. That is my favorite, after fresh powder, turning down Brill’s Thrill in Horseshoe on buff cream cheese.

  • Favorite memory at Breck: My favorite memory at Breck is my wedding day, Aug. 16, 1986. Married at Father Dyer Church, with reception at the Maggie. My whole family came here for it, from as far away as Hawaii!

  • Favorite spot in town: My favorite spots have been Fatty’s and Mi Casa.

  • What advice do you have for someone who has never been here before? If they are skiing, start on Peak 9 and work north, conditions dependent of course. For easy intermediate stuff, Peak 7 can’t be beat, especially with a new lift (Freedom SuperChair) this season.

  • Breck is turning 60 this year – what is your favorite decade & why? I think my favorite decade at Breckenridge was the 80s, when so many things happened: T Bar-1984. Peak 10- 1985, Colorado Chair 1986. Although, much to my chagrin, the first traffic light went in the summer of 1980 at Lincoln and Main.

  • I love Breck because: I have spent most of my adult life working here and have made many lifelong friends. I have seen the town and the ski area grow from a sleepy hippy town to the bustling year-round resort destination it is today.

 

Meet Randy Veeneman (AKA Rando as his friends call him): Grooming Supervisor

  • Years in Breck: 52
  • What first brought you here? My parents when I was 7 years old
  • What is your favorite run, peak or lift? Any chute from top of Peak 7 and the Tbar
  • Favorite memory at Breck: Meeting my wife and starting a family with two awesome boys, who are growing up in this town as well.
  • Favorite spot in town: The Whale's Tail which is now the Blue Stag in town - perfect view of the mountains. 
  • What advice do you have for someone who has never been here before? Check out the summertime too!
  • Breck is turning 60 this year – what is your favorite decade & why? Late 80 s early 90s. The music, beer in locker room, small town and resort feel.
  • I love Breck because: It’s my home town that I grew up in and a great community to raise a family!!!!

Meet Katie Champoux: Assistant Ski Patrol Director

  • Years in Breck: 21
  • What first brought you here? Ski Patrol. I wanted to try out something before getting a real job. 
  • What is your favorite run, peak and/or lift? CJs 
  • Favorite memory at Breck: Meeting my husband and skiing Mach One with him. 
  • Favorite spot in town: The trails in French Gulch for biking and cross country skiing out our back door. 
  • What advice do you have for someone who has never been here before? Stop, take a deep breath and enjoy the scenery. It doesn’t get better than this! 
  • Breck is turning 60 this year – what is your favorite decade & why? The 80s and big hair! 
  • I love Breck because: of our sense of community 
"Each time I come home, I say ‘this is truly the most magnificent place...’"

 

 

 

 

 

Meet Chelsea Roth: Senior Manager of Transportation

  • Years in Breck: 37

  • What first brought you here?: Born and raised! My dad has always said, ‘winter is not a season but a way of life, it comes early and stays late’.

  • What is your favorite run, peak and/or lift? Falcon, Cimarron and all of Peak 6 

  • Favorite memory at Breck: So many to choose from! Best powder days during holiday break in ’94, Thanksgiving T-Bar laps (could not stop) in 2011, and March of 2016 skiing pow laps while pregnant with my daughter. 

  • Favorite spot in town: My back deck :) watching the fire, bundled up watching it snow.

  • What advice do you have for someone who has never been here before? I have been able to travel the world, and each time I come home, I say ‘this is truly the most magnificent place’. The bluebird days, the soft snow, and the mountains. People come for the winter, but end up staying for the summer. 

  • Breck is turning 60 this year – what is your favorite decade & why? The 90’s as it was what shaped me from my heart and soul!

  • I love Breck because: it is home!

 

Meet Patti Ahern: Lift Maintenance& Dispatch

  • Years in Breck: 45
  • What first brought you here? Right after college I had an offer to come to Breckenridge and work lifts. In those days it was really hard to get a job at the resort so I got lucky. I’d never been to Colorado but as soon as I arrived and hiked up Peak 8, I knew I’d never leave.
  • What is your favorite run, peak and/or lift? I’m partial to Chair 6 because I helped install it during the summer of ‘79. And when I alpine skied, I really liked the back bowls (Way Out!) because you mostly had it to yourself.
  • Favorite memory at Breck: Meeting Kevin at the old Angel’s Rest is tops, and meeting unbelievable people who are lifelong friends is right up there, too. Watching Patrol blow off cherry bombs at the bottom of Chair 2, seeing how long I could hang from a chair before dropping to the snow, selling hot dogs at the bottom of the B-50 - I could go on and on. Fun factor was off the charts.
  • Favorite spot in town: Well, I spent time at the Angel’s Rest but Mi Casa and Fatty’s were great HH places, too.
  • What advice do you have for someone who has never been here before?: Slow down, leave stress somewhere else, and enjoy what inspired you to visit Breckenridge.  
  • Breck is turning 60 this year – what is your favorite decade & why?: It would have to be the 80’s – we installed North America’s first detachable quad, Quicksilver, in '81 (and we load-tested it with kegs of Coors!), I got married at the Peak 9 restaurant ‘81, had my 3 kids, the first Falcon Chair went in ‘85, the first Colorado Chair went in ‘86, E-Chair in ’82 and the TBar went in ’84. It was amazing! 
  • I love Breck because: For so many reasons. I’m lucky to live here and have the opportunity to recreate right out my door. I’m grateful that my family lives here and thankful for the phenomenal friends I’ve made over the last 45 years.  

Snow messaging on the mountain in Breckenridge, CO.

Meet Chase Banachowski: Marketing Manager

  • Years in Breck: 9

  • What first brought you here? I was hired to be a photographer for EpicMix Photo for ONE season, but quickly fell in love with the mountain, town, and community and decided to make Breck my home.

  • What is your favorite run, peak and/or lift? Nothing beats the views and feeling of riding the Imperial SuperChair. My favorite run is anything where you start in the high alpine and connect a bunch of different trails and types of terrain in one long run. For example, I love riding Whale’s Tail > Y-Chute > Lower Forget-Me-Not > Upper Claimjumper, then traverse over to Wirepatch and cruise all the way back to the Independence SuperChair. 

  • Favorite memory at Breck: Taking my girlfriend, now fiancé, to the top of Imperial for the first time. 

  • Favorite spot in town: Anywhere along the river where you have a good view of all Five Peaks of the resort. 

  • What advice do you have for someone who has never been here before?: There is more to Breck than just the mountain or the town. The people and the community make it a very special place. Talk to your barista, bartender, or a new friend on a chairlift and nine times out of ten you will get new perspective of what to do or check out in Breck. 

  • Breck is turning 60 this year – what is your favorite decade & why? 2000s because it is when I fell in love with Breck and decided to make my dream of living in the mountains a reality. 

  • I love Breck because: of the endless possibilities for adventure right out your front door.

 

Meet Adam Pino: Director of Lift Maintenance

  • Years in Breck: 22

  • What first brought you here? I was born in Crested Butte then moved to Florida when I was 12. After college, I wanted to take a year off and just ski. And, here I still am.

  • What is your favorite run, peak or lift? Lake Cutes and Tbar

  • Favorite memory at Breck: When we had 500+ inches in the 2010-11 season!

  • Favorite spot in town: Fatty's and Blue River Bistro

  • What advice do you have for someone who has never been here before? Ride the Tbar and take in the views. The colors really pop here.

  • Breck is turning 60 this year – what is your favorite decade & why? The 90s because college was a blast and I moved back to Colorado

  • I love Breck because: It's home!