Copper: The Athlete’s Mountain
Since its inception, Copper Mountain, 70 miles west of Denver, has been the athlete’s mountain. A commitment to snow sports competition, superb terrain, and stellar early-season conditions fueled the tag.
During my early December visit, the U.S. Ski Team (USST) and the German and Norwegian national teams were all on snow. Snowmaking is not just at the bottom of the mountain; it extends to all the terrain as needed. In addition to the racecourses and recreational ski runs, Copper was making enough snow for the Gran Prix half-pipe competition in December. The snow conditions rivaled what most ski areas have in the middle of January.
While it’s a complete resort with a tidy base village today, the ski area went through years of planning starting in 1954, and it opened modestly in 1972. With five lifts and two buildings, the reputation started immediately as the skier’s mountain in the area. Copper was so remote at the time that the region began its own lumber and concrete companies at the base to service the ski area development. The lumber company milled the trees from trail cutting to use as construction lumber. Copper hosted numerous USSA championships, professional ski racing, and World Cup events from day one. That also served as an additional impetus for more snowmaking and adding to the athlete tagline.
At Copper Mountain, the difficulty of the terrain increases as you progress from west to east. It feels like three ski areas, and that makes it easy for the different abilities of skiers and boarders to gravitate to one of the mountains and stay within their preferred mode of exhilaration. The east side is the USST training site. The daring can ride the up-top Storm King lift to access the Spaulding Glades. The Three Bears chairlift gets you to the Falcon Alley chute off Union Peak.
On the west side, the Prospector and Roundabout runs give novices a varied top-to-bottom experience with two dedicated lifts. The center lifts of the American Eagle & Flyer provide intermediate skiing difficulty. They are the gateways to all the parts of the resort.
Copper has been more than supportive of snow sports athletes. For 2023-2024, they have sponsored nine athletes in alpine, snowboarding, ski mountaineering, ski cross, and adaptive snowboard banked slalom. Their youngest athletic connection is snowboard sensation Patti Zhou, only 10 years of age.
If you are traveling with a junior or two looking to expand their mastery of land and snow tricks, the Woodward Center at the base is the perfect exploratory environment. Younger athletes are introduced to jumps, snowboarding, freestyle, bikes, and skateboarding at the center withprofessional instruction and supervision. Woodward is also a dryland training site for the USST Snowboard Team. Woodward offers multiple camps and even a day training program. Safety is paramount with an impeccable record where jumps and other Knievel maneuvers land on foam pads or in foam pits in the 19,000 square-foot training “barn.” The athletic experience carries over to the mountain with novice terrain parks, family terrain parks, and the big-air Central Park. Whether indoors or on the slope, Woodward is fun at all ability levels for the free-sliding inclined and provides maximum exhilaration.
The middle terrain funnels to a small base area, with the west or east centers are a short walk from the midpoint. The village is relatively small and has three separate pedestrian sections that complement each other, balancing shops, dining, and strolling. It is a day ski area with enough lodging options for an extended ski vacation. The lodging is all condo options; there is only one small hotel. That encourages people to stay in the village, explore a little in the evening, grab a libation and a bite, and then get an early start on the following day without significant trekking.
Dining at the base area is comfortable and casual. The top of the dinner heap is Sauce on Copper. Sauce is known for crafted pasta, unique entrees like the open-face trout, and the legendary organic arugula pizza. With its whiskey wall, the Sauce bar is a perfect warm-up for the post-ski chill.
At the base of the American Eagle list, Camp Hale sports a coffee shop with their pastry chef whipping up the best almond croissants at any ski area (I ate the pastry in question before I could take the photo). Step right off the hill to the Sawmill Pizza and Taphouse at the base of the American Eagle for a post-ski sandwich and a sudsy washdown. Weak legs need cheese, and a great variety of mac n’ cheese awaits at Mountain Melt. The buffalo-chicken tender mac hit all my gastronomy preferences.
The Camp Hale Outfitters are the largest sport shop at the Copper base area. Three walls of top-notch demo skis from multiple manufacturers will match your performance preferences for just a little more than your average rental. Tell the staff how you want to ski, and almost immediately, they will identify the ski and size, with two alternatives that fit your needs. I put that to the test with a short description of my skiing, and they picked out the same skis I chose for this year, the Volkl Deacon 80 in 182 cm. The soft goods selection was equally impressive and without the high-altitude price.
Older sliders, take note: Copper Mountain was the first ski area in Colorado to start a senior ski program. The Over The Hill Gang hits the slopes 46-plus days per year and has six levels of participation. Not too long after, Copper added Women’s Wednesdays. With a complete mountain, options satisfy every age and turn style. It might be the athlete’s mountain, yet there are two beginner areas and dedicated lifts with instruction from the ski & ride school.
On-mountain dining got a significant boost with the opening of the new Aerie Lodge. This think-forward eatery replaced the old Solitude Station. Construction used locally sourced and natural materials in an energy-efficient design. It boasts breathtaking 270° mountain vistas and offers a range of dining experiences to elevate mountain time and re-fuel the legs. The signature Forage & Feast is a premium sit-down experience for a relaxed, upscale lunch. Two regional dishes, the mixed game plate and venison leg steak are typical of the menu. Aerie has a specialty coffee shop, a five-station food hall, two bars, and a private event space. When it’s 12 degrees outside, a hot chocolate bar is just the ticket.
Copper Mountain is much better than when it started. With continually enhanced early season conditions from massive snowmaking and a carefully thought-out base, it sits between a mega-resort and a small hill with just a few lifts. The vibe of the athlete’s mountain plays constantly in the background. Whether a novice or a World Cupper, this mountain is a great winter experience, early or late.