Breckenridge Unveils Plan To Upgrade 5-Chair to High-Speed Quad for 2023-24

Breckenridge’s Peak 8 base area, with 5-Chair pictured in the center. This 1970 double chair is on track to be replaced with a high-speed quad for the 2023-24 season.

On Thursday afternoon, Breckenridge unveiled a series of planned beginner-centric upgrades for its popular Peak 8 zone. The Front Range Colorado resort intends to replace its 5-Chair double, which has been around since 1970, with a brand new high-speed quad chair. In addition, the resort plans new learning terrain at the Peak 8 base, with a new magic carpet to allow guests to easily access the zone.

These changes are set to take place for the 2023-24 season, pending regulatory approvals, and will follow a high-speed upgrade for the nearby Rip’s Ride chair for the upcoming 2022-23 season.

The locations of Breckenridge’s 5-Chair and Rip’s Ride double lifts, as illustrated by the resort’s 2021-22 trail map.

Our Take

While several Vail-owned resorts saw severe crowding upticks this past season, Breckenridge was at least able to stem the problem by adding the Peak 7 Freedom SuperChair, which significantly improved the flow in that area. The new high-speed 5-Chair replacement, along with the Rip’s Ride high-speed quad that will be installed next winter, should provide continued improvements by offering similar relief for the Peak 8 area. And with these back-to-back upgrades, Breckenridge is signaling just how important the Peak 8 beginner experience is to the resort’s future; given how truly horrendous the lines at the beginner-centric Peak 9 lifts—especially the Quicksilver SuperChair—it’s not hard to understand why.

A high-speed 5-Chair replacement will be most appreciated by beginners and freestylers. The 5-Chair provides the highest lift-serviced access to a fully beginner-accessible terrain route on Peak 8, and the lift allows guests to hit Breck’s terrain parks without taking the extremely busy Colorado SuperChair. We expect the upgrade to relieve all the lifts at Peak 8’s base, but especially the 5-Chair itself, which will likely see its capacity double by moving from a two-person chair to a quad.

When Breckenridge originally announced last fall they were replacing Rip’s Ride with a high-speed quad and leaving 5-Chair as is, we were a bit perplexed, given that Rip’s Ride serves the same pod as the 5-Chair but extends less far up the mountain—and is located in an inconvenient spot away from the main base that requires catwalking. But with a 5-Chair replacement now on track for the following season, the resort seems to be remedying these vices.

The placement of Breck’s new “transport” carpet at the Peak 8 base hasn’t been released at this point, but linking it from the main base zone to the bottom of Rip’s Ride would be a logical implementation. Ultimately, we’ll have to wait for more information from the resort before understanding the true implications from this one.

Considering a trip to Breckenridge next season? Check out our comprehensive mountain review. Additionally, check out our full Colorado and Rockies rankings.