Copper Mountain Resort‘s recent Master Development Plan, submitted to the White River National Forest, is a doozy. Massive terrain upgrades, chairlift replacements, utility improvements, and what could become North America’s new highest chairlift are all included, in addition to a host of other highlights.
Notably, Copper Mountain aims to add a 500 acre terrain expansion on Jacque Peak and Rose Mountain in a drainage known as Tucker Gulch. The expansion would consist mostly of advanced and expert-level terrain, including open bowls, steep couloirs, and a rolling valley floor, and a blue traverse would connect Copper Bowl and the new Jacque Peak.
With the planned Jacque East chairlift, the terrain on Jacque Peak would become the highest lift-served ski and snowboard terrain in North America, reaching above 13,000 feet. Remote avalanche control systems, permanent snowfences, a ski patrol outpost, and permanent boundary markers would likely be necessary for the new area.
In addition to the new terrain, Copper Mountain’s plans include several new and upgraded chairlifts. Eight existing lifts would be upgraded; Alpine, Excelerator, Timberline, Lumberjack, Rendezvous, Super Bee, Blackjack, and Mountain Chief (Alpine, Excelerator, Lumberjack, and Rendezvous would be extended or realigned).
Three new detachable lifts would be built on the mountain, including Sail Away, Union Meadows, and Jacque East, in addition to two new fixed grips: Terrain Park Lift and Thunderbird. Plus, a new SuperPipe surface lift would make halfpipe training and competition easier.
The above lift and terrain upgrades only scratch the surface of what’s mentioned in the Master Development Plan, which can be read in full here. None of these plans have been officially announced by the resort outside of the Master Development Plan.
