Something’s happening at Breckenridge, but we aren’t sure exactly what.
For the past few weeks, the Colorado ski resort has been sharing photos of a man dressed as Ullr, the Norse god associated with snow and skiing (or is it Ullr himself?), at various locations. He’s appeared at baseball stadiums, in Aspen, and on the streets of New York City in Times Square, all while hoisting a sign with a website link that reads: theyleftusoffthemap.com.
Visiting the site reveals a countdown that appears to expire early next week.
Alongside the countdown is a brief message that reads, “In 1880, something happened that changed the course of Breck’s history.”
Reached over email, a representative for Breckenridge provided some clues but didn’t spill the beans.
After Colorado’s tough ski season, they said they were working on a “solve.” Namely, they’d sent Ullr on a cross-country journey “to spread winter stoke and share the story of Breck being left off the map,” before nodding again to that moment in 1880.
More news is coming, they said, and hinted at a “fresh identity” for Breckenridge.
Photo: Breckenridge Ski Resort/Jp Douvalakis
But what happened in the 1800s?
Breck, it turns out, was actually left off the map, literally. In 1936, members of a women’s club discovered an old map dating back to 1880. And between all the treaty lines—the West really got carved up—Breckenridge had gone missing, the Summit Daily reported in 2023.
The women seized on the error, creating an old-time viral campaign that painted Breckenridge as an independent territory with a “No Man’s Land” festival to match. While, according to the Daily, Breckenridge’s sovereign status was quickly debunked, the town’s rebrand as a “Kingdom” would stick (Colorado, it should be said, became a U.S. state in 1876). Ultimately, it became an identity for Breckenridge for years, Larissa O’Neil, the executive director of Breckenridge History, told the Daily.
Breckenridge maintained the historical through-line with an event called “Kingdom Days” that featured, among other things, outhouse races, and lasted through 2015. Meanwhile, Breckenridge’s historically minded and beloved Ullr Fest still happens each year as the ski season gets underway.
And that, folks, is what we know—make of it what you will. But it seems Breckenridge might be in for another party.
Related: One Man Is Preserving Freeskiing’s History, and It’s All Online
