Copper Mountain, One of the Best Family Ski Resorts

I recently toured a few of the Colorado ski resorts that reside off I-70, that concrete artery that carves into the mountain from the state’s capital city. And while my heart will forever reside in the above-treeline bowls of Arapahoe Basin, my visit to Copper Mountain made it clear to me that this resort may be the best family resort going. 

First and foremost, the terrain. But it’s not just because 21 percent of the resort is dedicated to beginners—loads of resorts probably boast more green runs then Copper.  It’s the composition of the resort that rises this resort above the rest.

The natural geography of the mountains on which Copper resides isolates the different skillsets, with the green runs congregated to the western slopes,  the intermediates in the middle, and the experts cornered off in the eastern region and the upper bowls. This means that black-diamond daredevils (or chaotic skiers who think they can handle a double-black) won’t come crashing into a school of newbies. In fact, the ski and board school itself is separate from the main village—and Copper provides gratis shuttles to help parents get to the main mountain after they’ve dropped off their down-swaddled tykes. (Classes are held in two age groups: 3- to 5-year-olds and kids over 5.) They also offer seasonal youth programs (also divided by age group) and a snow-tubing hill for those who want to pass on the skiing or boarding experience.

Logistics are also refreshingly simple. Access to the resort is a breeze; I-70 is literally a stone’s throw away, but the resort itself has a separate access road—as well as a church and a fire department, for that matter.  Lodging options are quite varied, but properties with kitchenettes and full kitchens are readily available. As with all other Intrawest Resorts, there’s a pedestrian village, which means no-stress,  easy access to restaurants, stores, and the slopes from the main village. And free bus shuttles between the main village and the quieter East Village, Union Creek, and the higher-end properties scattered at the resort base.

Year-round the place also gets top marks, from its live concert series in the summer to its climbing wall, go-cart course, and all variety of warm-weather attractions. But we’ll save that praise for when the snow stops falling—which, at this rate, could be June. -- Nathan Borchelt

Away.com’s Resort Profile of Copper Mountain

View a Photo Gallery of Nathan’s Trip to Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, and Copper.

Got your own favorite family resort? Have a list of must-have’s for a resort to even qualify? Speak your mind in our comments section below.

Comments

[duncanbloor]

I went their with my family two years ago now and it was some of the best skiing we've ever had! The facilities / safety seemed a lot safer than when we go to france although on the negative side, we didn't find much in the way of apres ski? did we miss something? And we could only get family travel insurance through the insure with ease website.

Still, that said, we had a fantastic time there and I'm really looking forward to going back once we've saved up enough