With big changes to the mountain this season and next year, Copper Mountain continues to position itself as one of the best mountains in Colorado. According to Sky-Hi News, Copper is creating the “Western Territory”, an area on the most western portion of their base that is devoted towards beginners. The new terrain zone will feature “two new family-friendly adventure zones, two new trails, and a connector trail that offer skill development and animation to help families learning the sport.” Copper Mountain will also keep free unrestricted parking at Alpine and Far East parking lots this season.
But wait, there’s more! Next season will likely see a major lift replacement in the Western Territory at Copper Mountain in Summit County. The Summit Daily reports that on Monday, the U.S. Forest Service approved Copper’s plan proposed from earlier this summer to replace their Lumberjack Triple chairlift with a high-speed quad.
The new lift would be 4900 feet long, have a vertical rise of about 765 feet, and would be able to service 2400 skiers and riders per hour. The plan is to move the top terminal of the lift up the hill about six hundred feet, widen trails, and add some additional beginner terrain with a new Middle Roundabout Bypass Trail. The plan also aims to add new snowmaking coverage in accordance with Copper’s water agreement with the U.S. Forest Service. This portion of the mountain also features a backcountry access point.
Copper Mountain has been undergoing major infrastructure upgrades over the past couple of seasons. In 2018, they added the American Eagle chondola (a mix between a gondola and a six-person chairlift) and the American Flyer( a high-speed six-pack bubble chair). In 2019, they added a fixed griped triple (Three Bears) to service Tucker Mountain, home of some of the most challenging terrain at Copper. During this past season, they introduced the Element 29 hotel in their base village, adding to their on-mountain lodging offerings. They also added new employee housing in 2020 called Sky Chutes Landing. In the 2022-23 season, they will introduce a new Mid-Mountain Lodge.
