• Scout Loves & Scout Tips
• Scout Review
• Copper Mountain Skiing
• Copper Mountain For Families

• Copper Mountain Accommodation
• Resort Activities
• Getting There and Around
• When To Go
• Facts & Figures

Scout Review

Like so many other skiers, Scout spent years driving past Copper Mountain on the way to one of Summit County’s more popular resorts such as Vail, Aspen or Beaver Creek. Every time we whizzed past on i70 we looked up, thinking, “That looks like it has a few good runs, maybe next time”. So when we finally got there, we were pleasantly surprised and questioning why we didn't come sooner.

Copper Mountain doesn’t just have a few good runs. It’s got a ton of uncrowded (on week days at least), long, rolling, varied, hidden, endless, challenging, steep and deep runs. Runs that are perfect for beginners gaining confidence, runs that are fun for intermediates and some more challenging runs for the advanced. It truly has great terrain for all standards and covering 2490 skiable acres it has enough to keep you entertained for days.

Copper Mountain has a neat, pedestrian-friendly Center Village that contains most of the après and shopping action. It’s not a huge village, but has just enough to choose from when it comes to restaurants and bars - nothing too fancy but perfect for families or groups of friends looking to have a bit of laidback fun off the slopes without breaking the bank. Center Village has a mixture of buildings (a few of which have the unfortunate look that came with 80s development) containing condos, retail and restaurants and there’s a huge, natural ice-skating rink. Crossing a small river that meanders around the edge of the village takes you to a few more condo properties. Two additional villages (East and West) have a few facilities, including the main ski school area at West Village, however it really is the Center Village where all the action is. Even more choice in apres activity is added by just a short drive to the towns of Silverthorne and Frisco.

One of the biggest surprises about Copper is how uncrowded it is, especially given its convenient location so close to Denver. From a purely selfish point-of-view, let’s hope it stays that way and most people just keep going past and looking up.

Copper Mountain Skiing

One of Copper Mountain’s best attributes is the way the developers have used the natural division of terrain to create several distinct areas that almost exclusively cater to different levels of skiers. Beginners will have most of their fun on the looker’s right above the West Village area, with nice mellow green runs that snake back down to the village (and with no chance of stumbling across a double black). The chairlifts are a little slower here making it easier for those new to skiing to master the art of unloading. Having a separate beginner area also keeps the hoons at bay.

Intermediates are well catered to at Copper, with endless options to explore. Off the Timberline Express you can find some fun blue runs, but we highly recommend heading to the long groomers heading off the high-speed American Eagle or Super Bee lifts (super fun!). The further to the (looker’s) left of the mountain you go, the more advanced the runs become with lots of long, fast runs off the old alpine double chairlift and the Resolution Bowl. However, it’s up the top of the mountain that advanced skiers will have their most fun, with several bowls, gladed runs and chutes to get the adrenaline pumping. Copper Bowl and the Tucker Mountain area has some fantastic double blacks which can be easily accessed using the new Three Bears chairlift. Get out here early on a powder day and you’ll find fresh tracks all morning. 

Take advantage of the resort’s app which allows you to connect with your friends and family in real time, track their location on the hill and message members of your party within the application. The Copper App also lets you track your stats with the number of runs, lifts, vertical and more.

Copper has excellent terrain park features thanks to Woodward – Copper’s own freestyle facilities brand. With a mixture of features for all standards, including a superpipe, a 13’ pipe and snowcross track. The features are scattered throughout the lower mountain area, but most are found in the Woodward park under the Union Creek Lift. There’s also a fantastic indoor Woodward training facility that lets you learn and perfect jumps with the safety of foam pits, among other fun features and activities.

Copper is part of the IKON pass, allowing you to explore more of the resorts in both North America and Canada. Ikon passes are available via Scout as a stand alone product or as part of a Copper Ski Package. Contact us for more information.

Download the Trail Map

Copper Mountain For Families

Copper Mountain Resort is an excellent choice for families due to the large variety of good value condo accommodation, relatively easy access to the ski slopes, and fun facilities for kids off the slopes. Copper has five magic carpet/conveyer lifts for beginners, and families would appreciate the somewhat segregated runs which keep the hoons at bay. The group ski lessons at Copper Mountain are all based out of The Schoolhouse in the West Village, and will require a shuttle to get to in the mornings if you are staying in the Center Village. The ski school offers a great variety of lesson options for both adults and kids (and at a decent price).

For lodging, familes should choose their home base depending on the facilities they require. Those that need ski school would be better suited staying closest to the Union Creek ski area in the West Village. Some ski-in/ski-out condos and townhomes can be found here. The Center Village is the main base area of Copper Mountain so it has the most restaurants, bars, and resort facilities like childcare. A shuttle bus operates between the three base areas so relatively easy to get around and nagivate the whole resort.

A great asset for younger families is Critterland in the East Village. A safe, fenced-off area featuring a mini-tubing hill, play areas, a tubing carousel and a “Crooked House”. It's a fun way to spend a spare afternoon off the slopes. Ice-skating and tubing are also really popular for families, or you can jump aboard the new Rocky Mountain Coaster; the alpine coaster takes you on a cruise through the forest and is one of the longest in North America! Children from the age of 3 can ride with parents.

Copper Mountain Accommodation

The accommodation at Copper Mountain is primarily made up of a mix of budget to mid-range condo properties scattered around Center Village. There are a few full-service hotels, with the most upmarket accommodation being The Cirque, located between the West and Center Villages (still within walking distance of the lifts). Only a few of the properties are truly ski-in ski-out, however most are within a 5-10 minute easy walk to a lift. We would recommend staying in the Center or West Village areas as the East Village is a little isolated and does not have beginners ski access. All of the accommodation checks in at the specific lodging check-in center near Woodward and the Athletic Club. Read our detailed reviews of Copper Accommodation and book just a room or a whole Copper Ski Package Deal via Scout.

Find a great map of Copper Mountain Resort and location of our favourite condo properties here.

Resort Activities

As well as the huge ice-skating rink and Woodward facilities there are a ton of other activities at Copper Mountain apart from skiing or boarding. There’s tubing, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, dog sledding, zip-lining and Critterland (see above) for the younger kids. The Copper Mountain Athletic Club and Spa has fitness facilities, a swimming pool and full-service spa.

Getting There and Around

Copper Mountain Resort is 75 miles (120km) from Denver and a drive of at least 1 hour 40 minutes from Denver International Airport. You will want to allow plenty of extra time for getting back to the airport, particularly on weekends, as the i70 can be notoriously slow, especially if it’s snowing. Barring any major traffic incidents it’s an easy drive entirely on freeways.  It’s also possible to fly into Eagle Airport, about 70 miles west of Copper. However, it doesn’t offer as many flight choices and generally they’re a lot more expensive.

If you don’t want to rent and drive yourself you can catch a shuttle from the airport with one of several companies offering a variety of options. A one-way shuttle ride will set you back about $70 for adults. Scout can include tranfsers as part of a Copper Ski Package.

Once in Copper you’ll rarely need a car. Most condos are within walking distance of the lifts and there’s an excellent free shuttle bus that connects all the villages and facilities. There’s also a free bus, the Summit Stage that links Copper with Frisco, allowing you to explore its historic downtown and great restaurant and bar choices.

When To Go

Copper Mountain Resort opens from early November until mid-April. Hours of operation are 9am to 4pm on weekdays and 8.30am to 4pm on weekends and holidays.