Ullr Fest 2012
For decades Breckenridge has been in the myth-making business – creating greatly memorable vacations, fantasy-good lifestyles for locals and loose-yourself getaways for seasonal inhabitants. Never is this myth making more apparent than in January when, giddy with leftover holiday cheer, the town puts on another installment of the pageant of Ullr. For 49 years, we’ve pretended Ullr Fest was some kind of ancient ritual from the nebulous old country and Ullr was the Norse god of snow. Not that we adore false idols here. We simply know we’re crazy to be living in a place where snow can pile up so high it meets the snow sliding from the roof. We need a winter festival that’s just for fun. So, our legend of Ullr is a complete fabrication created by ski-town hippies and members of the Breckenridge Resort Chamber, who began spinning this myth way back in the 60s. Every January, the myth gets magnified and confabulated, possibly aided by spirits. Spirits of the kind that are usually found...