Summit County, and Breckenridge in particular, is steeped rich in history. From the initial days of the Gold Rush to the vacation destination it is today, there have been many changes over the years. However, our short history pales in comparison to the transformations the Scandinavian regions of Norway and Sweden have seen over the centuries. But, if one was to look closely at the mountain topography (see below), one can see why Norwegians, Fins and Swedes seem to find themselves at home in the mountains of Breckenridge. One such Norweigan, Trygve Berge, has done just that by becoming one of the original founders of Breckenridge Ski Resort.

Berge, of Norwegian descent, is not only one of the founders of Breck, but has been bestowed the honor of having a beginner run named after him – Trygve’s Run – which connects the Snowflake Lift – across the street from our Breckenridge hotel – and the base of Peak 8. Don’t expect to find Berge on his very own run, though, since it’s a beginner run and the 83-year-old is still quite the apt skier after being crowned the Norwegian downhill championship in 1956. On most days you can still find the former Olympian on the Breckenridge slopes after 55 years of turns on one of Colorado’s most infamous mountains. 

“There’s something about Breckenridge that always felt like it was my home,” said Berge in a video created by our friends at GoBreck. “And I don’t know how you explain that.”

Well, I think I can explain a little bit of it. Berge was born and raised in Voss, Norway, equipped with its very own ski resort … Voss Resort, the self proclaimed “best ski terrain in Norway.” Voss has a very similar climate to Breckenridge and is an outdoorsman’s paradise. Are you getting the picture here? No? Then take a look at these pictures:

While Voss taps out at just under 5,000 feet high, it’s elevation gain is actually more than that of Breckenridge, so I guess you could say that Berge just wanted to get that much higher! He did introduce his native culture to Breckenridge with the implementation of Ullr Fest, a celebration honoring the Norse god of snow, but failed in his other attempt of connecting Breckenridge to Frisco via monorail, with ski lifts accessing all the peaks of the Ten Mile Range — an idea reminiscent of the interconnected ski areas in the Alps. One out of two aint bad!

Take a look at this video from GoBreck.com to learn more about this Breckenridge pioneer.

So you may be asking by now what exactly does the Wedgewood Lodge have to do with all of this talk about Scandinavia? Well, just to the south and east of Norway lies its neighbor … Sweden. And besides giving you a geography lesson here, I am mentioning this because our Breckenridge CO hotel is proud to announce that we will be hosting Team Sweden for the 2017 International Snow Sculpture Championships happening in Breckenridge January 24 – February 5, 2017.

Last year Team Sweden did not participate in this most prestigious world snow sculpting event, but they will join their other Scandinavian neighbors to the east, Finland in hoping for a victory this year. We may be a little biased, but we look forward to hosting a champion in 2017! Check back for more information on Team Sweden and their stay at our lodge as we near closer to the event.