Correspondents: Après-Ski in Breckenridge

Video: Courtesy Breckenridge Resorts; Photos: Cecilia's

Story by Daryl Sela

As any experienced skier can
testify, an alpine ski excursion is never a simple affair. Between
travel expenses and accommodation, equipment and passes, it’s easy
to spend thousands of dollars in a long weekend. When you are
dropping that kind of cash, you want to be sure that you are going to
have fun on and off the slopes.

Despite the town’s small
size -- approximately 3000 year-round residents -- even most non-skiers
have heard of Breckenridge, Colorado. Located in the Rocky Mountains and featuring 4 peaks, 30 chair-lifts, 155 trails and nearly 2400 acres
of skiable terrain, the resort is not only one of the largest in the
US but it’s also among its most popular.

The resort may not have a gay ski week like some other North American resorts,
but its prominence is significant enough that on a recent outing we came
across a number of "team members" scattered across the peaks. So the skiing here definitely checks out, but what about Breckenridge’s après-ski gay nightlife? 

The unfortunate reality is that most ski destinations don’t have gay-specific
venues, so it was surprising to discover that Breckenridge features
a weekly gay party, Ho’s & Mo’s at a moderate-sized martini bar called Cecilia’s
(320 South Main Street).

Conveniently located at the base of Peak
9, where the majority of skiers complete their day when the mountain
closes around 4pm, Ho’s & Mo’sis a happy hour event officially
lasting from 3 to 8 pm, but frequently going much later and using the bar's small dancefloor. It’s
not uncommon to find gay and lesbian skiers and snowboarders, fresh
from the slopes and fully decked out in all their gear, swarming the
bar ordering cocktails and munching on the free pizza that arrives at
5.  

On a recent trip we returned
to our hotel at 5pm in order to shower, nap and change for dinner, but
we returned at 7 for a few more pre-meal cocktails and found the crowd
to be just as enthusiastic as when we left. As expected at a small
town gay bar, the crowd was extraordinarily diverse in age, gender,
sexuality and race, and the local vs. tourist split was about 50/50. Despite all these differences everyone was enthusiastic and friendly
and by the end of the evening we had made 20 new friends, including
a local 60-something bail bondsman, his partner, and 3 handsome (and
much younger) Latino men visiting from South America. 

As a side note (and future
reminder to ourselves), you need to be careful when drinking in a Colorado
mountain town. The air is extremely dry and after a day of skiing
you will be extremely dehydrated no matter how much water you drink.  Additionally, in a town like Breckenridge -- 9600 feet about sea
level -- altitude sickness is a common thing. Combine all these factors with 5-martinis and the morning after is rarely a pretty sight. 

While there are plenty of gay
ski week options occurring throughout the ski year (Whistler, Aspen, Mammoth, to name a few) it’s nice to know that we can go to a mountain
resort town any time of the year  and find ourselves a gay-old time.

Daryl Sela is part of Out Traveler.com's international team of Correspondents, reporting from around the world on items of LGBT travel interest. If you would like to become a Correspondent, e-mail us here after checking out our guidelines.

Video: Courtesy Breckenridge Resorts; Photos: Cecilia's

Story by Daryl Sela

As any experienced skier can
testify, an alpine ski excursion is never a simple affair. Between
travel expenses and accommodation, equipment and passes, it’s easy
to spend thousands of dollars in a long weekend. When you are
dropping that kind of cash, you want to be sure that you are going to
have fun on and off the slopes.

Despite the town’s small
size -- approximately 3000 year-round residents -- even most non-skiers
have heard of Breckenridge, Colorado. Located in the Rocky Mountains and featuring 4 peaks, 30 chair-lifts, 155 trails and nearly 2400 acres
of skiable terrain, the resort is not only one of the largest in the
US but it’s also among its most popular.

The resort may not have a gay ski week like some other North American resorts,
but its prominence is significant enough that on a recent outing we came
across a number of "team members" scattered across the peaks. So the skiing here definitely checks out, but what about Breckenridge’s après-ski gay nightlife? 

The unfortunate reality is that most ski destinations don’t have gay-specific
venues, so it was surprising to discover that Breckenridge features
a weekly gay party, Ho’s & Mo’s at a moderate-sized martini bar called Cecilia’s
(320 South Main Street).

Conveniently located at the base of Peak
9, where the majority of skiers complete their day when the mountain
closes around 4pm, Ho’s & Mo’sis a happy hour event officially
lasting from 3 to 8 pm, but frequently going much later and using the bar's small dancefloor. It’s
not uncommon to find gay and lesbian skiers and snowboarders, fresh
from the slopes and fully decked out in all their gear, swarming the
bar ordering cocktails and munching on the free pizza that arrives at
5.  

On a recent trip we returned
to our hotel at 5pm in order to shower, nap and change for dinner, but
we returned at 7 for a few more pre-meal cocktails and found the crowd
to be just as enthusiastic as when we left. As expected at a small
town gay bar, the crowd was extraordinarily diverse in age, gender,
sexuality and race, and the local vs. tourist split was about 50/50. Despite all these differences everyone was enthusiastic and friendly
and by the end of the evening we had made 20 new friends, including
a local 60-something bail bondsman, his partner, and 3 handsome (and
much younger) Latino men visiting from South America. 

As a side note (and future
reminder to ourselves), you need to be careful when drinking in a Colorado
mountain town. The air is extremely dry and after a day of skiing
you will be extremely dehydrated no matter how much water you drink.  Additionally, in a town like Breckenridge -- 9600 feet about sea
level -- altitude sickness is a common thing. Combine all these factors with 5-martinis and the morning after is rarely a pretty sight. 

While there are plenty of gay
ski week options occurring throughout the ski year (Whistler, Aspen, Mammoth, to name a few) it’s nice to know that we can go to a mountain
resort town any time of the year  and find ourselves a gay-old time.

Daryl Sela is part of Out Traveler.com's international team of Correspondents, reporting from around the world on items of LGBT travel interest. If you would like to become a Correspondent, e-mail us here after checking out our guidelines.