Copper Mountain Travel Guide

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Catching some air © Copper Moutain Resort

Overview: Copper Mountain is the largest resort, in terms of area, in the whole of Summit County Colorado. The resort, owned by Intrawest, which also owns Winter Park (Colorado), Mammoth (California) and Whistler-Blackcomb (B.C, Canada) is incredibly popular and noted especially for its varying terrain and diverse runs. The resort has three villages filled with shops, restaurants, bars and a variety of accommodation. The Village at Copper is the centre of the resort and most of the action takes place around here. The East Village and Union Creek (on the west side) have fewer restaurants and shops. A few years back, Intrawest put a lot of money into the upgrading of the villages, with massive amounts of construction aiding to bring up the standard and reputation to where it stands today. Copper Mountain is now one of the most popular resorts in the whole of Colorado and continues to attract visitors from within the United States and worldwide.
Skiing: Copper Mountain has a lot to offer skiers and riders of all levels. Towards Union Creek are the beginners' slopes where the ski school heads out to teach newcomers, or those simply in need of a refresher course, on the gentler green runs. The Village at Copper is more suited to intermediate skiers and riders while nearby the East Village hides some of the blacks and double blacks for advanced skiers and riders. There are four bowls: Copper, Union, Spalding and Resolution, for the confident and experienced.
Shopping: There are shops located throughout the villages selling a variety of ski and snowboarding gear, clothing, jewellery and souvenirs. The Mountain Adventure Center rents and sells equipment and outwear for adults and children. Copper Mountain Sports is the number one rental store to demo out some new skis as well as handling tuning and waxing requirements. MTN Beach brings the surf to the mountain with popular lifestyle brands such as Quiksilver and Billabong clothing for sale. The Copper Clothing Company will provide all the memorabilia necessary or alternatively, just for gifts. Metals Rock sells a range of jewellery and watches and The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is a must for chocoholics, with a variety of chocolate infused eats and drinks.
Restaurants: There is something for every taste in Copper Mountain spread across the resort, and most of it is reasonably priced. In The Village at Copper, Jack's Slopeside Grill offers a healthy start to the day with nutritional breakfasts, salads and sandwiches. Traditional restaurants include the Imperial Palace, which prepares Taiwanese and Szechuan dishes for lunches and dinners, or McGillycuddy's Celtic style pub, a great restaurant for families. In the East Village, Double Diamond flames up a grill of burgers and steaks and the Grand Hall Market offers bargains on pizzas, beers and Kids Eatz meals. On the mountain there are secluded spots such as the Flyers Soup Shack for a quiet barbeque or quick snacks at the multi-level deck T-Rex Grill or Solitude Station BBQ. There are more options outside of the resort in the towns of Dillon and Frisco.
Nightlife: Although not the best resort for a night out in the region, Copper has a few bars and clubs that will be sure to meet après-ski needs. Pravda, a Russian-styled vodka bar, offers cheap drinks, stays open late and almost certainly turns into a party late at night. Endo's Adrenaline Café has drink specials in the afternoon and usually hosts some live music in the evenings. JJ's Rocky Mountain Tavern, a prospector styled bar, often draws the crowds over happy hours in the afternoons, inevitably lingering on later for a beer-filled follow up throughout the evening.
Activities: There is plenty to do for all ages at Copper Mountain. Snow-shoeing, snow-mobiling, tubing, ice skating, even sleigh rides make up for some of the alternative snow based activities, but away from the cold there is the après-ski Hot Springs Tour to relax the muscles in some of Colorado's geothermal springs or even the Copper Mountain Athletic Club to give them a further workout. Other sports include broomball or curling to get into the spirit of social team-oriented competition. Throughout the summer months, Copper Mountain offers golfing and hiking as well as mountain biking.
Negatives: Copper Mountain can get very busy over the Christmas and New Year period and over Spring Break.