Breckenridge Treasure Hunt: 780 Pounds of Lost iPods, Vapes, and One Moose Family

Breckenridge Ski Resort just wrapped up its annual Mountain Clean Up Day, and the haul reads more like the inventory of a quirky thrift store than trash: 780 pounds of forgotten gear, oddball gadgets, and one very confused moose family.

One hundred fifty staffers combed the slopes like bargain-hunters on Black Friday. Their prize list? A cracked iPhone that might still hold a season’s worth of ski-lift selfies, an iPod Nano stuck on an early-2000s playlist, a $2 Canadian coin (because even money takes vacations), and—because every grill master needs backup—a hamburger flipper.

The show-stopper was a message in a bottle. Romance? Nope. Inside: a COVID-19 vaccination card. Turns out the mountains don’t just take your breath away; they also take your paperwork.

Best moment, though, never made the highlight reel. Two employees stumbled upon a family of moose grazing peacefully amid the debris. No selfies, just mutual respect. As spokesperson Max Winter put it, "Our natural spaces are a shared home—keep it tidy, or the moose will leave you a one-star Yelp review."

The bulk of the 780 lbs was larger recyclables, and rare treasures occasionally boomerang back to owners—like the engraved engagement ring reunited with its fiancée at sister resort Keystone. Until next year’s cleanup, Breck’s slopes remain a lost-and-found where even the wildlife appreciates a tidy neighborhood.