While sidewalk traffic in Breckenridge flowed from parking lots toward Main Street for the town’s Fourth of July parade Friday, one lot filled with cars carrying skis, snowboards and people looking for a different sort of celebration.

The eighth annual Peak 10 Classic required participants to register online in advance or in person the day of the event. From the Beaver Run parking lot, they rode shuttles to The Overlook restaurant, where they began the hike to Peak 10’s Fourth of July Bowl.

Organizers of the annual Independence Day ski event said they have heard complaints about the shuttle system, implemented in 2024, and the reservations, which are new this year, but with the growth the event has seen, compromises were needed. The event expected 400-500 participants this year.

Ski culture sometimes emphasizes exclusivity, organizers said, because people want to keep their special spots for themselves. The classic’s organizers said they do not buy into that mindset, though, and instead focus on helping as many people experience the event as possible.

“How much can you protect your honey hole, you know?” said Derek Dresler, who said he has participated in the Peak 10 Classic for five or six years. “It’s sharing it with everyone, and it’s so great. We’re lucky enough to be in the mountains. It’s like, bring the stoke, share the stoke and keep it alive.”

Plenty of the participants in the Beaver Run lot planned on doing just that. Kevin Emrick from Crested Butte said he and his friend Cameron Wiggin have known about the event for years but finally made it out for the first time this year.

“We had a lot of fun during the ski season,” Emrick said. “We just didn’t want the stoke to die.”

Jane Flynn, a 24-year old from New York who moved to Breckenridge in 2023, said she skied the classic last year and had no doubts about coming back.

“It was, like, the coolest thing I ever did,” Flynn said.

Flynn’s red, white and blue cowboy hat matched those of several friends she recruited to join her this year. She said she appreciates the unique opportunity the event provides.

“Being from New York, I sent pictures to all my friends, and they were like, ‘You win Fourth of July,'” Flynn said. “‘There’s nowhere else that you can do anything like that.'”

The hike last year was difficult but worth it, Flynn said. Working as hard as she did to get to the top of the Fourth of July Bowl motivated her to hit one jump before she left.

“I felt like I had to, but it wasn’t very impressive,” Flynn said.

Two high school students from Highlands Ranch said they heard about the event because one of their dads had skied the Fourth of July Bowl on Independence Day years ago. The pair said many of their friends were out of town for the holiday and they came up for the classic because of the unique opportunity to ski in July. 

Ray, a Denver resident and first-time participant who declined to provide her full name, said she heard about the event from a neighbor, and the idea of skiing in July got her excited.

“I’m originally from Nashville, and I’ve always wanted to live in the mountains,” Ray said. “My parents took me out here when I was a kid, and I just fell in love with it. As soon as I heard you could ski in July, I had to do it.”

Julie Feuerstein of Silverthorne said her dad told her about the Peak 10 Classic this year, so she got some of her friends to join her for “the most epic way to celebrate the Fourth.” Her group said they were excited to ski in July, something they said few people get to do, and enjoy the atmosphere.

“The vibes — the community being out skiing and snowboarding in the middle of July,” Feuerstein said. “(Skiing) with a bunch of people who have the same idea is pretty cool.”

The group looked forward to getting “a little rowdy,” celebrating the United States and, they said, hopefully not breaking any boards on rocks.

Some people miss the more grassroots feeling of earlier years, Dresler said, as skiing the Fourth of July Bowl has been a tradition for decades, even before the Peak 10 Classic brought organization to the practice. He said the preparation work, which he has done for three or four years, still has a grassroots feel.

Dresler, a Dillon resident, said he hiked around 40 miles with 10,000 feet of elevation gain in the week leading to the event by going up and down Peak 10 before and after work to help build the course.

“(I spent) like 30 hours up here this week,” Dresler said. “Got my suntan in.”

The Peak 10 Classic course features a snow snake, which organizers described as similar to a banked slalom course or mountain bike trail with berms, and a few jumps. The snake provides a way for organizers to pack down the slushy summer snow.

Up until 2023, participants drove up to the base of the bowl’s snow patch, thanks to the work volunteers put in to clear snow off the road. Concerns about the ecological impact of having as many as 150 cars parked there led organizers to work with the U.S. Forest Service and move parking in 2023 to The Overlook.

Breckenridge Ski Resort and the Forest Service still had concerns about ecological impact with that system, organizers said, so last year they implemented the shuttle system. This year, they doubled the number of shuttles and started using reservations so they could avoid long wait times.

The shuttles are the largest expense for the Peak 10 Classic, but organizers donate any money left over after covering operation costs to organizations including SOS Outreach, which introduces underprivileged children to skiing and snowboarding, and the Friends of the Dillon Ranger District. 

The classic accepts donations online through a link in its Instagram bio, and organizers said they are looking for local financial sponsors to help cover costs next year. Email peak10classic@gmail.com for more information.