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Top 5 most-read stories last week: New restaurants, Breck’s 60th and Ullr Fest royalty

Diners relax on the patio of Log Cabin Cafe on Main Street in Frisco on May 15. The restaurant has since closed and soon to open is Suga Moon’s BBQ & Cocktails, a new venture started by Teryn Guadagnoli, the owner of Modis in Breckenridge.
Jenna deJong/Summit Daily News

Editor’s note: Stories in this list received the most page views on SummitDaily.com in the past week.

1. New restaurants coming to Frisco and Breckenridge

‘Tis the season for holiday eating, so mark your calendar for new restaurant openings throughout Summit County. While Oaxacan Bites has been in operation for a few months, La Francaise Bistrot will be debuting before Christmas with Suga Moon’s BBQ & Cocktails following months later.

  • When Teryn Guadagnoli envisioned the space that formerly held The Log Cabin in Frisco, she thought it was going to remain a breakfast spot, but then she realized that’s not really what the town needed. Instead, she pivoted to what she and her husband had long been dreaming about: a Kansas City-style barbecue joint. Guadagnoli already owns Modis in Breckenridge and is opening a second location in Denver. Now she and her husband — who is from Kansas City, Missouri — are diving head-first into the barbecue scene.
  • The creators behind La Francaise Bakery in Breckenridge are also on the verge of opening a second version of their restaurant. Called La Française Bistrot, the new restaurant is next door to the bakery and will offer a modern take on traditional French dishes. Margot Heraud-Hunsicker owns the bakery, and she and her parents said they are hoping the atmosphere is warm and feels homey with old French music playing in the background.
  • Making its debut to the Breckenridge foodie scene in August, Oaxacan Bites food cart sells traditional favorites like tacos, burritos and quesadillas, and it also sells some menu items popular in the Mexican city of Oaxaca.

— Jenna deJong



2. A look back at how Breckenridge Ski Resort transformed over 60 years

Breckenridge Ski Resort is celebrating its 60th anniversary this season. Skiers and snowboarders know Breckenridge as an iconic Colorado ski resort that attracts thousands of people daily and is owned by one of the largest ski resort operators in the business.

But Breckenridge had humble beginnings.



Co-founder Trygve Berge recalled the summer of 1960, when he took a job with the Rounds and Porter Lumber Co. building a lumberyard in Breckenridge. Berge and Bill Rounds were pondering what to do in the winter in the area when Rounds asked, “Do you think we can ski here?”

Berge said he and Rounds drove up Peak 8 on an old mining road in a Jeep to scope out the mountain above tree line. Berge determined it would make a good ski area as the slope was suitable for the majority of skiers. After driving back to the bottom of the mountain, they toasted to the new ski area and promptly applied for a permit.

— Taylor Sienkiewicz

3. Ullr Fest royalty honors Breckenridge pioneer family

Breckenridge crowned a new Ullr Fest king and queen Dec. 9 after the longtime tradition took a hiatus amid the pandemic.

Barrie Stimson and Signe Rockne-Stimson were named the 2021 Ullr Fest king and queen for their dedication to the community, love of snow and family connection to the origins of Breckenridge’s signature festival.

Rockne-Stimson’s father, Sigurd Rockne, is a familiar name for many in the community, as he was one of the co-founders of Breckenridge Ski Resort, which opened in December 1961, and part of the reason the first Ullr Dag happened in 1963. Rockne and his wife, Carol, were crowned as Ullr royalty in 2007.

— Lindsey Toomer

4. Summit County presented with 4 roundabout options for US Highway 6 and Lake Dillon Drive

Earlier this year, Denver-based engineer consulting firm Mead & Hunt was hired to provide recommendations on what kind of roundabout would be most successful at the intersection of U.S. Highway 6 and Lake Dillon Drive. The move is meant to help slow traffic in the area, support growing car volumes and provide better connectivity for pedestrians, while also providing better access to the proposed Summit County Road 51 workforce housing project.

Those recommendations were officially laid out at the Summit Board of County Commissioners work session meeting Tuesday, Dec. 7. During the meeting, Paul Silberman, department manager of transportation planning, predicted how the intersection and surrounding area could change in the years to come and how these roundabout solutions could mitigate issues with higher traffic volumes in the future.

— Jenna deJong

5. Vail Resorts sold 2.1 million Epic Passes for 2021-22 season after cutting prices by 20%

Vail Resorts’ decision to cut the price of its Epic Passes by 20% spurred 2.1 million skiers to buy the passes, which range from early purchased day tickets to unrestricted, seasonlong access.

That’s a 700,000 bump in passes from 2020-21 and 900,000 more than than the 2019-20 season.

The company on Thursday reported its earnings for the first quarter of its 2022 fiscal year, which ended Oct. 31. Since summer operations at its resorts are winding down in August, September and October, the company always posts a loss in the first quarter. And this year was no different, with Vail Resorts reporting a loss of $139.3 million for the quarter, compared to $153.8 in the same quarter last year.

— The Colorado Sun


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