Booking a Ski or Snowboard trip to Copper Mountain, A Complete Guide
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Skiing and snowboarding can be dangerous activities, please ride within your ability levels and respect others around you
Right off the I-70 Corridor and close to the small mountain town of Frisco lies Copper Mountain, a Summit County gem that in my opinion is one of the last ski resorts in the area that still has the mom and pop local vibes. Whether you’re new to skiing or snowboarding or you’ve been doing it for a long time, Copper has terrain for every kind of rider. One of the first times I ever snowboarded at Copper, I linked up with a few shop kids from Gravitee Boardshop, and it did not stop snowing.
We rode through trees, carved around on the main runs, and even took a few laps on the upper terrain. That was a number of years ago, and a lot has changed, as Copper has grown quite a bit due to an increase in popularity over the years. But what I remember is how it felt like more of a home mountain and less of a ski resort with a cookie cutter corporate feel (even though Copper itself is owned by a corporation). Like most larger ski resorts, it’s a mountain you can just keep exploring, especially on deep snow days!
In this post I’ll be going over where to stay, how to get to the mountain, where to buy/rent ski or snowboard equipment, places to eat, and what the mountain is like. Alright lets get into itttt.
Where is Copper
In between Frisco and Vail, Copper will be about 1.5 hours west of Denver depending on traffic. Get off on exit 195 as if you’re driving to Leadville and Copper Mountain will be on the right! Below I listed times and distances from major areas with Denver being the closest airport.
Denver: 1 hour and 20 minutes/77 miles
Boulder: 1 hour and 40 minutes/83 miles
Colorado Springs: 2 hours and 20 minutes/145 miles
Fort Collins: 2 hours and 20 minutes/137 miles
Where to Stay
I personally liked staying close to downtown Frisco because it is a mountain town with a main street that has restaurants, bars, boutiques, and shops. However, if you don’t like driving to the mountain and are looking for more of a ski-in/ski-out experience, I would stay in Copper Village. Rates for lodging will be the most expensive during holiday periods and peak season. I found a nice 1 bedroom a block from downtown Frisco on VRBO that was really comfortable.
If you don’t have a car and are staying in Frisco, no problem, there is a free bus called the Summit Stage that goes to and from Copper mountain with a pick up location in downtown Frisco.
Where to Park at Copper
There are 6 parking lots that I would recommend using, with only two free lots. The main free lot will be Alpine, with the far east lot used for overflow during busier times such as holidays and weekends. These two lots require bus transportation to the mountain, unless you take the ten minute walk to East Village (Walk towards the transportation center with restrooms and you’ll see the walk path to East Village on your left). Copper has three parts to it; East, Center, and West (more info below). Follow the signage to see which part of the mountain you want to go to, as there will be a bus that drops off and picks up at each area.
Paid lots are closer and you’re able to walk to the mountain from these parking areas. Ten Mile, Union Creek, Beeler, and Chapel are all paid. For overnight parking, you can park in the alpine lot, however it will cost $20/night. No restrictions on number of nights allowed with overnight parking!
Is Copper on the Ikon
Yep, Copper will be Ikon, with no blackout dates and unlimited riding. You can also buy just a Copper pass and there will be some free days on the Copper only pass at other ski resorts such as Monarch.
The key when buying a season pass is to do it over the summer before prices go up. I know winter is probably the last thing on your mind in June, but you can save a chunk of money by doing this asap.
How much are lift tickets
Lift tickets are over $200 and you can save a little bit of money if you purchase them at least one day or more in advance online. If you do need to pick up your lift tickets, there will be digital pickup boxes located throughout the resort at each base area. More and more places are streamlining this process to make everything easier and quicker so you can get on the mountain ASAP!
On Thursdays, lift tickets are $99 with Coppers, “Play Forever”
Best places to buy or rent ski and snowboard Equipment
There’s a number of different ski and snowboard shops at Copper and also in Frisco. Best snowboard shop hands down is Gravitee Boardshop in Center Village. They will have an amazing selection of goggles, jackets, pants, boots, boards, and bindings. They also offer rentals, demos (try before you buy), and tuning services. It’s a core snowboard shop with an awesome vibe and the people working there are really helpful as well as friendly. Camp Hale in Center Village will also have board rentals along with jackets/pants, and winter accessories.
For ski rentals I would recommend Camp Hale, Charter, Rebel, or Copper Sports. If you’re looking to purchase ski equipment, Christy’s in East Village will sell ski’s, boots, poles, and ski gear. Looking to shop or rent in Frisco? Rebel, Epic Mountain Gear, and Pioneer Sports will all rent and sell ski/snowboard equipment.
Just make sure to make a rental reservation ahead of time, especially for busy times such as weekends and holidays! For ski boot fitting, check out Precision or Surefoot at Copper.
Are lessons available
Yep, Copper offers private, group, and youth lessons! Group lessons will be the least expensive option, while private lessons can get expensive. Full and half day options will be available. The one thing, like most ski resorts, is to book ahead of time, this includes lessons, lift tickets, season passes, rentals, dinner reservations etc. Beginner terrain and lessons will be mostly be located on the west part of Copper, with Center village having a small beginner area at the base, as well as East Village having a small area for beginners.
Other lesson options available will be privates at Woodward (Copper’s terrain park), adaptive, and Copper Guides. Copper guides is less of a lesson and more of showing you expert terrain at the resort.
What is the Mountain Like
Copper is pretty unique in that it’s located right off I-70 and is split into three sections; East, Center, and West. What I’ve always liked about Copper is that it’s not too big of a resort that you feel lost and you can ride most of the mountain within a couple days, weather and terrain permitting. It has some really fun upper terrain with bowls and steep runs, but also some fun blues and green runs to cruise around on. It also has one of the best terrain parks partnered with Woodward! The lift lines are never too bad on weekdays and even when the main parking lot is completely full, the mountain never feels overly crowded in my opinion. I cover more in detail each part below with some of my favorite areas to ride.
East Village
With some of the steepest terrain on the mountain, East Village is meant for those who like to go faster. Most of the runs will be Blacks and Double Blacks with a small amount of Blue runs mixed in. Ride over to the Storm King Tbar and drop into Spaulding Bowl or ride Resolution Bowl at the top of the SuperBee Lift.
In my opinion it’s also one of the least crowded parts of the mountain, which is why it can be a great place to start your day during busier time periods such as holidays and weekends. Just know this part of the mountain is for the more advanced skier or snowboarder!
The groomed runs in East Village can get icy at times so make sure your edges are sharp!
I like to take a couple laps on Andy’s Encore and then take the Superbee Lift back up and drop into the Resolution bowl on good to deep snow days. You can lap this area by taking the Resolution lift. Resolution bowl starts out steep with some rocks drops if you feel like jumping off something. A fun lap is Drainpipe to Highline. High line flattens out and is a wide open run right next to the Resolution chairlift.
If you want an even longer run, take Storm King up to the top of Spaulding Bowl and ride the bowl all the way down to the bottom of the Resolution lift. Either stick to the groomed runs, or cruise through trees as you ride to the base of the resolution lift. Spaulding Bowl has a number of different drop areas. Spaulding Ridge will be much steeper then if you were to take the traverse out and then drop.
Center Village
This will be the main area of Copper Mountain, with the two lifts at the base to get you from point A to B being American Eagle and American Flyer. American Eagle will be steeper and allow you to access the East part of the mountain if interested, whereas American Flyer will have easier runs and is the lift you take for accessing the west part of the mountain. American Flyer will also be the blue bubble chair!
Center Village is where you’ll find the majority of rental/retail shops, restaurants, guest services, and bars too.
If you have a family or small kids, the main groomer runs right off American Flyer will be some of the best. Long, but not steep at all in my opinion. Ride through the Woodward family race course towards the top as you ride down.
Once you get to the top of American Eagle either ride the groomer runs or get on the Elevation Lift to take you even higher up the mountain.
From Flyer I like to take the Sierra Lift and ride Jupiter Bowl or the trees on Timber Ridge. Jupiter Bowl is the terrain that is right under Sierra Lift. It’s a quick lap, but a fun one to warm up the legs on when it’s a good powder day. It’s also fun to run a Sierra lap all the way to the base of Center Village.
Take the catwalk dead straight off of Flyer to get to the Sierra lift. Sometimes, if the area is open, you can drop into the trees on the left side of the catwalk to get to the Sierra lift. That lift is quick so be prepared for that when loading onto the chairlift!
There’s one gondola at Copper and it’s in Center Village. If temps are frigid, it’s not a bad place to escape the wind as you get shuttled up the mountain. Or if your with some friends or family it’s fun to take the gondola up and shoot the shit, have some laughs, and talk about the day.
West Village
The west side is where you’ll find a lot of great intermediate runs as well as beginner runs. On snow days it’s nice to cruise through West Village even though it’s not steep in areas, you’ll typically find some great powder stashes because most people that love powder will ride the upper terrain. Once filled in, which can vary depending on the season, take the Celebrity Ridge poma and Traverse out to Union Meadows. Union Meadows is a wide open ungroomed bowl, but will have some rocky areas, so be careful. You can ride down Union Meadows, ski through some of the trees, and then pop out on a green run.
Timberline and Woodward Express will be the two main lifts in West Village. It will be these two lifts that service a lot of green and blue runs. I love to snowboard through Jack Straw trees! Also located in West Village will be Woodward! A series of progression terrain parks including Peace Park, which I layout in more detail below.
The backside of the mountain
To access the backside either take lifts Sierra > Celebrity Ridge or Rendezvous. Celebrity Eidge is an old school Poma lift.
The backside has a lot to offer if you’re looking for some technical steeper terrain. In 2019, Copper put in the new Three Bears lift, giving access to new terrain off Tucker Mountain. If you go lookers left off the lift there will be more tree’s and it’s a bit steeper in parts. Head lookers right off the lift and the area consists of wide open bowls. The one downside is it can get pretty windy on the back area of the mountain making the snow more wind blown. It really all depends on weather, but it’s just something I’ve noticed when I snowboard the upper areas of Copper.
Regardless this part of the mountain seems infinite and you could spend a good amount of time in this area. There’s trees, cliff drops, and wide open bowls to explore if that’s your thing. With that being said be CAREFUL in these areas as there is unmarked terrain, potential avalanche areas, and rocks.
Looking to do a hike to access some terrain? Take the Mountain Chief lift up and then hike the Ridgeline on your left. If you go all the way to the end of the hike it’s about 20 minutes, but there’s a number of drop areas along the way.
Is the resort good for beginners
Of course! If you are new to skiing or snowboarding I would recommend West Village as a place to start or progress. The west part of Copper will have the best learning area in my opinion. There will be two good beginner chairlifts (Kokomo & Lumberjack).
Does it snow a lot
It depends on the season, Copper can get some good snow storms through out the season. It’s really hit or miss and depends on the year, weather patterns, etc. At times Copper can also get pretty windy and icy because it’s so exposed at a high elevation. The average annual snowfall is 305 inches.
Does Copper have good tree riding
Yea! If the snow is good, the trees are really fun. There’s a group of trees just past Flyers, the restaurant, that are a lot of fun. Locals call this area Mario, because there is some natural log features to jib around on. Jackstraw glades on the west part of the mountain are fun Low angle trees to ski or snowboard through as well. For steeper tree runs, check out the trees as you exit Spaulding Bowl or 17 Glades on the East side of Copper. .
Steep trees can also be found off of the Storm King Tbar by taking the Lillie G traverse and dropping into a wide open bowl that funnels into Upper or Lower Enchanted forest!
What is Woodward and what are the terrain parks like
Woodward is a company that builds terrain parks as well as skateparks across the country. They also offer summer camps for kids/teenagers looking to progress their abilities. I would say they are some of the best in the business and can be found at mountains such as Eldora, Copper, Mt Bachelor, Killington, and Woodward Park City! You can also find indoor Woodward facilities with trampolines, foam pits, and indoor skateparks. It has really changed the game in terms of progression and just making that side of snowboarding or skiing a lot of fun. Copper has multiple terrain parks including Peace Park (a transition set up with hips, snake runs, small jumps and walls to slash and carve around on. Each park at Copper has it’s own level with Central Park being the most advanced park set up.
Central Park
Central Park will have medium sized jumps as well as a pro jump line. Through out the main park you’ll find medium to large sized rails along with Red’s Backyard (an inspired park set up from pro snowboarder Red Gerard’s actual backyard).
As for Preseason, Copper also has one of the best early season terrain parks in Colorado, with the setup being right off of American Eagle. It’s a hike park and it’s a good way to meet people and just hang out and have a good time at the start of the ski season.
Peace Park
Pro snowboarder Danny Davis is the mastermind behind this new approach to a terrain park. Peace Park first started in 2012 where Danny had a park crew build a unique, yet fun set up at North Star California, for a small group of professional Burton Pro riders. His vision continued to grow and each year a group of the best snowboarders would meet up for a week and ride a fun, progressive park that was built just for Peace Park (youtube Danny Davis Peace Park).
The same Peace Park concept was then brought to the general public on a much smaller scale so that the average skier or snowboarder would be able to have fun riding a park that was different. Copper happens to be one of the mountains that has a Peace Park set up, full of unique transitions, wall rides, jumps, and, rails.
Is there any good on mountain dining
Each part of the Mountain will have dining options at the base or on the mountain. There’s a new eating area called Aerie at the top of American. The food is pretty good, with cafeteria style seating on the ground floor and a restaurant that requires reservations on the second floor. Both floors will also have a bar as well as outdoor seating. Aeire has the best views for dining on the mountain! At the base of Center Village there will be Jack’s with a bar and food!
In East Village there is JJ’s Tavern and in the West Village there is more traditional resort cafeteria style food. On the mountain you can also find Flyers, a quick stop for Burgers, Brats, or a drink.
Downtown Frisco
Anytime I visit a ski town, it’s nice to just walk around and see what shops there are, potential places to eat/drink, and maybe take a few photos. Whether your staying in Copper or maybe Breck, I recommend checking out downtown Frisco for an evening after your done riding Copper.
Main Street will be where all of the shops, restaurants, and bars are. Not as big of a town as Breckenridge or Aspen, but it has an old fashion feel and awesome surrounding views. Plus it’s close to other ski resorts in the area such as Breck and Keystone.
Where should we eat
Breakfast
If you’re staying in downtown Frisco, my favorite place is Bread and Salt, but a lot of locals also really like Butterhorn Bakery. Both places will be more classic diner style with Butterhorn having the bakery. These restaurants get busy so be prepared to wait for a table or arrive early.
Coffee shops
Either Camp Hale in Center Village or Rocky Mountain coffee roasters on Main Street in downtown Frisco!
Dinner and Apre’s
Frisco has some great restaurants in the downtown area and also off the beaten path. My favorite restaurant is Pure Kitchen, close to Whole Foods. Their concept is healthy eating with organic farm to table ingredients. They have some really awesome starters, entree’s and cocktails. The music is always really good too! For fine dining and farm to table, I would also check out Frisco Prime, on main street in down Frisco. I listed three other restaurants below that I really like
Peppinos- Some of the best pizza in summit county, Peppino’s is a classic pizza shop that originally started in Leadville in 1998.
Uptown on Main- A nice place to sit down and have a meal in downtown Frisco. Staff is friendly! and the menu is pretty extensive with some great home cooked type meal options. Also a pretty extensive drinks menu.
Prost- German Beer and Sausages. It’s somewhat of a hole in the wall, but worth checking out. Incredible Bratwurst and beer!
Bird Craft- Located inside of Outer Range Brewery, although the menu is small, the food is some of the best in Frisco. It became so popular that they stopped doing online orders, so you have to order at the counter! The Food will be mostly Thai inspired chicken with a few non-chicken items. Definitely worth checking out!
Cielo Oaxaca- If you like Mexican food this will be the best in the county. The food taste like the food you would find in Mexico! , The staff is incredibly friendly and atmosphere has an authentic vibe to it.
For Apres’ at Copper Mountain I would recommend either Sawmill Taphouse, Ten Mile Tavern, or Eagle BBQ all located in Center Village. The Sawmill Taphouse is a pizza spot and connected to the main restaurant is a small hang out area that sells pizza by the slice, a locals favorite. If you have a sweet tooth, stop in at Sugar Lips for coffee, ice cream, or mini donuts with different topping choices.
Bars, Breweries, and Night Life
Looking to grab a drink somewhere after being on the mountain all day? My favorite place is Outer Range Brewery. It has a cool lounge upstairs as well as the main bar downstairs, along with outdoor heated seating. In downtown Frisco there’s Moose Jaw, which has food and feels like a dive bar along, Highside Brewery with a barbeque menu, and Ollies which also has a bar and food.
The only two late night Bars at Copper are Mulligans and High Rockies Whiskey and Wine bar. Mulligans will be open until 2am on Fri and Sat with a DJ and a late night food menu!
What should we pack
There’s a number of things to make sure you have when taking a ski or snowboard trip. Whether you pack these or purchase them when you arrive. Below is a small list of items I recommend having for a winter trip to Copper Mountain
Ski or Snowboard Socks- You’ll want a ski specific sock when going skiing or snowboarding, something with Merino wool, polyester, or a synthetic blend is what I would highly recommend. AVOID anything with cotton or wearing two socks at once. You’re feet will get colder because cotton and two socks at once will not wick moisture or sweat.
Goggles- Having a good pair of goggles is key. Oakley, Smith, Dragon, Anon and Giro are some top brands that make a great product allowing you to see when riding on the mountain. Plenty of Shops in Copper or Frisco will sell good goggles. Some will come with only one lens that work for most light conditions while others will come with two lenses, one for sun and one for Clouds.
Base Layers- Base Layers are going to be just like socks, avoid anything with cotton! I think Burton makes some of the best base layers, which you can find on Burton.com. I personally like their AK base layers.
Jacket/Pants- The key with ski or snowboard pants is to make sure they are waterproof and breathable.
Helmet- Protect your dome! Comfort is the most important part when buying a helmet. It should be snug, not tight and you can find the correct size by measuring around your head in centimeters with a soft fabric tape measure. It’s best to go into a store and try a few different styles on. craniologie in breckenridge will have the biggest selection of helmets and be the closest to Copper Mountain.
Gloves/Mitts-
Sunscreen/Chapstick- Make sure to either pack this or buy some when in Colorado. It’s a must, even on cloudy or snowy days.
Winter Footwear- A good pair of winter boots or footwear is much needed when walking around Colorado!
That’s it for a trip to Copper Mountain. Whether you’re whole vacation is at Copper Mountain or it’s one of the resorts you plan on riding during a trip to Colorado, I hope this guide helps! If you’re looking for other places to take a ski or snowboard vacation, check out Brighton in Utah!
