This letter is in response to the story titled “‘The reality is — down is down:’ Breckenridge Tourism Office, elected officials home in on drop in summer tourism.”

I started visiting Breckenridge in 1982 when it was an actual “small mountain town.”

Lift tickets were $6 weekday and $8 weekends, lodging was available at reasonable prices and people were true “locals.” Eighteen years later, after probably visiting multiple times each year, we bought a week at Grand Timber, and our family enjoyed that greatly. Along the way, there was moderate expansion, but street parking was still free and people were still friendly in restaurants and along Main Street. Season family passes were affordable for a young family.

Once Vail Resorts bought Breckenridge, this all changed. The family vibe was gone, prices sky rocketed, everything has a fee, nothing but the air is free and the friendly employees are disgruntled and “living the life” in some cramped accommodation with six of their besties. We rarely visit any more, and our adult children never come. We trade our time share for a more pleasant resort every year. With the constant highway construction and congestion, we no longer drive Interstate 70 to California, but take the longer way through Albuquerque. Sorry, Breckenridge and Summit County for all that you have lost.