Dozens of Breckenridge Resort employees called in sick Wednesday out of protest. Here’s why.
Multiple residents at Breckenridge Terrace apartments said they lost heat late last week as temperatures in Summit County dipped well below zero degrees

Ryan Spencer/Summit Daily News
Editor’s note: Summit Daily News granted anonymity to more than a dozen Breckenridge Ski Resort employees due to their fears of retaliation that could affect their livelihood.
Dozens of employees of Breckenridge Ski Resort called in sick Wednesday, Jan. 22, in protest of living conditions at an employee housing complex owned by Vail Resorts.
More than 14 residents at Breckenridge Terrace said in interviews Tuesday and Wednesday that long-standing maintenance issues that reached a breaking point this week. Many described losing heat and hot water during an “Arctic cold front” that brought temperatures below zero.
The 17-building complex contains 180 employee housing units made up of one- and two-bedroom apartments, which residents said are often shared by at least two occupants.
One group of roommates who invited a Summit Daily News reporter into their apartment pointed out holes in the ceiling and another resident pointed out mold in their shower. One person also shared a video of a mouse in their silverware drawer and water dripping through the ceiling in their bathroom.

Another group of roommates said the heat in their apartment has not worked in months and provided screenshots of maintenance requests documenting the issue. At least a half dozen others said their heat and hot water would come and go and that the taps in their apartment have, at times, received no water at all.
All of the Vail Resorts employees that spoke to the Summit Daily said the maintenance requests they filed with the housing staff were often not addressed for weeks. Even when these residents did get a response to their maintenance requests, the residents said the fixes were inadequate more often than not.
Earlier this month, pipes burst in at least three buildings in the complex, flooding some people’s apartments, according to Red, White & Blue Chief Executive Officer Jay Nelson. He said it prompted the town’s water department to shut off the water and the local fire protection district to temporarily put the buildings on “fire watch.”
All these maintenance issues reached a tipping point when residents at multiple buildings throughout the employee housing complex lost heat late last week as temperatures in Summit County dipped well below zero degrees.
National Weather Service meteorologist Bob Kleyla said no official temperature data was available yet for Breckenridge, but a weather station in Dillon recorded a low temperature of negative 25 degrees fahrenheit on Tuesday morning.
Let's take a lap around NE Colorado to look at current temperatures, shall we?
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) January 21, 2025
Of note, wind chills are notably lower in the NE plains and mountains (wind chill values mostly -35 to -50F above 10k ft…warming up, as they were locally in the -60 to -70F range overnight!) #COwx pic.twitter.com/NOKl1CrA46
One resident told Summit Daily that he has frost on his mustache whiskers when he wakes up in the morning, while another said that he and his roommates at one point had to turn the oven on for heat.
Fed up with the continued maintenance issues and the lack of a response from Vail Resorts, many Breckenridge employees who spoke to Summit Daily News said that they and dozens of their co-workers in lift operations called in sick Wednesday in protest of the living conditions.
A statement from Breckenridge Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jon Copeland confirmed that some Breckenridge team members called in sick Wednesday, but he added that the resort was open and operational.
As of about 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, only 23 of 35 lifts were open, according to Breckenridge Ski Resort’s website. Copeland said in his statement that the Imperial lift was on hold due to weather.
“Colorado has had extreme cold temperatures,” Copeland wrote in the statement. “As a result some of our team members in employee housing have experienced heat and hot water issues. This is completely unacceptable, and mechanical work is in progress to address that.”

Copeland said Breckenridge has offered alternative lodging to every person on its team who has been impacted by the maintenance issues and will be waiving housing fees “for this time.” He wrote in the statement that “We support anyone on our team who needs to take the day off to care for their health or who needs to relocate to the alternate lodging we are providing.”
Summit Daily also obtained a copy of an email Copeland sent to Breckenridge Terrace residents Tuesday night where he apologizes for the maintenance issues and promises to fix them “as soon as possible.” In the email received by employees after 9 p.m. Tuesday, Copeland said that temporary housing is available at Sagebrush in Keystone, as well as additional options, for anyone who would like to relocate for the night.
But many of the Breckenridge employees Summit Daily spoke to said that the housing option in Keystone failed to meet their needs because Vail Resorts didn’t offer any transportation between Keystone and Breckenridge. Many of the employees noted that they don’t have cars and that the earliest bus from Keystone to Breckenridge leaves at 7 a.m., while their shifts at Breckenridge can start as early as 6:30 a.m.
Fire officials confirm plumbing issues

Earlier this month, Red, White & Blue Fire Protection District responded multiple times to Breckenridge Terrace for broken water pipes, Nelson said Wednesday.
On Jan. 10, firefighters responded to the Breckenridge Terrace for a report that water was coming from the mechanical sprinkler room on the lower level, Nelson said. It was discovered that a domestic water pipe in that building had burst, causing “water to leak and spray everywhere,” so the Breckenridge Water Department was called to shut the water off, he said.
The fire protection district responded to another building at the Breckenridge Terrace later in the day on Jan. 10 and discovered that a water flow activation in the sprinkler system had triggered the fire alarms, Nelson said. The department found that a sprinkler pipe had broken in the sprinkler valve room, so the sprinkler system was shut down.
Then, on Jan. 11, the fire protection district responded to a third building at Breckenridge Terrace for another domestic water line that had broken and was spraying water inside a sprinkler room, with water getting into some of the lower units, Nelson said. The water department shut off the building, and firefighters helped to clear water from inside the building, he said.
“Typically we see these kinds of breaks as a result of water starting to freeze in pipes, and it expands and causes the break,” Nelson said. “So, the heaters could have gone out in these rooms.”
Because the fire alarm and sprinkler systems went down, Nelson said that standard protocol required the buildings to be temporarily placed on a “fire watch,” where someone is required to walk around the building on a regular basis.
Town of Breckenridge communications coordinator Brooke Dunn said that the water department restored water to the two buildings at Breckenridge Terrace by the evening of Jan. 11, “but other internal leaks may have delayed the units from having water.”
Summit County government communications director Adrienne Saia Isaac said that the county’s Environmental Health Department has been notified of “ongoing maintenance concerns” at Breckenridge Terrace.
Though the county government is unable to act on behalf of the property owner or the tenants in this instance, Isaac said it will continue to communicate with residents and the property owner to stay updated on the status of the maintenance and accommodations.
“While we empathize with residents who have encountered issues with their units, the County’s jurisdiction is limited in this matter,” Isaac said. “Landlord-tenant disputes are inherently civil in nature, and the County’s role is primarily to ensure public health and safety.”

Original story:
Vail Resorts workers living in employee housing at the Breckenridge Terrace in Summit County have been experiencing maintenance issues severe enough to have solicited a reaction from Breckenridge Ski Resort’s Chief Operating Officer.
Summit Daily News obtained a copy of an email Breckenridge Chief Operating Officer Jon Copeland sent around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, to employees living in the 16-building employee housing complex.
“I am so sorry to hear about the maintenance issues many of you have been dealing with at Breck Terrace,” Copeland said in the email. “I want to assure you that we’re working to resolve these issues as soon as possible.”
Summit Daily News this week interviewed multiple residents of Breckenridge Terrace who reported that at least three buildings at the Terrace have not had functioning heat, even as outdoor temperatures dropped well below zero degrees this week. The Terrace residents have also reported issues with hot water and issues related to the building’s water being shut off.
Red, White & Blue Fire Protection District confirmed Wednesday, Jan. 22, that it responded to the Breckenridge Terrace multiple times this month for broken water pipes and had to shut off water, at least temporarily, to two buildings.
On Jan. 10, firefighters responded to the Breckenridge Terrace for a report that water was coming from the mechanical sprinkler room on the lower level, Red, White & Blue Chief Executive Officer Jay Nelson said Wednesday. It was discovered that a domestic water pipe in that building had burst, causing “water to leak and spray everywhere,” so the Breckenridge Water Department was called to shut the water off, Nelson said.
Later Jan. 10, the fire protection district responded to another building at the Breckenridge Terrace, where it was discovered that a water flow activation in the sprinkler system had triggered the fire alarms, Nelson said. It was found that a sprinkler pipe had broken in the sprinkler valve room, so the sprinkler system was shut down.
Then, on Jan. 11, the fire protection district responded to a third building at Breckenridge Terrace for another domestic water line that had broken and was spraying water inside a sprinkler room, with water getting into some of the lower units, Nelson said. Water was shut off to the building, and firefighters helped to clear water from inside the building, he said.
“Typically we see these kinds of breaks as a result of water starting to freeze in pipes, and it expands and causes the break,” Nelson said. “So, the heaters could have gone out in these rooms.”
Copeland said in the email that maintenance workers were on site and would be working through the night to resolve “immediate issues,” and that additional resources would be called in to help Wednesday, Jan. 22.
Temporary housing is available at Sagebrush in Keystone for anyone who would like to relocate for the night, as well as additional options, Copeland said. He thanked the employees for their patience.
“As soon as we understand the final impact, we will be providing those who have been impacted with license fee credits for the inconvenience experienced,” Copeland said.
In response to questions asked by Summit Daily News, Copeland released the following statement:
“Colorado has had extreme cold temperatures. As a result, some of our team members in employee housing have experienced heat and hot water issues. This is completely unacceptable, and mechanical work is in progress to address that. We have offered alternate lodging to every person on our team who is impacted, and we are waiving their housing fees for this time. We have had some Breckenridge team members call in sick today, and we support anyone on our team who needs to take the day off to care for their health or who needs to relocate to the alternate lodging that we are providing. Breckenridge Ski Resort is open and operating today. As always, current lift and terrain status is available on the website, including the current weather hold on our Imperial lift.”

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