After significant upgrades to the family and learning side of the resort the last couple seasons, Copper Mountain is focusing on improving the high alpine experience by easing access to the top of the mountain. One of the biggest changes is the replacement of the Storm King Poma with new T-bar to speed skiers and snowboarders to Spaulding Bowl, Upper Enchanted Forest and Copper Bowl.
Altogether, Copper is spending about $7 million on improvements, including the Woodward Barn renovation. A new West Ridge platter-pull lift near the top of the Sierra and Mountain Chief chairs will enhance access to Union Peak, Union Meadows, West Ridge and Copper Bowl.
Other projects include improved access to Lower Enchanted Forest, improved ski-out in Spaulding Bowl and rock work in the Sierra pod to enable earlier openings of some of the resort's upper terrain.
Winter Park, which shares a ski pass with Copper Mountain, is offering snowcat rides to The Cirque, featuring easier access to 1,332 acres of off-piste terrain. A pass for the 48-passenger Cirque Sled is just $10 and is good for unlimited rides all season long.
Other resorts around Colorado have also invested in upgrades. In Summit County, Arapahoe Basin is completing and Loveland has improved services at the high-elevation Ptarmigan Roost Cabin at the top of Chair 2.
In the San Juans, Silverton Mountain will start offering overnight heli-touring trips for $429 per person, per day. The trips include a heli drop onto a peak with a guide and within the ski area’s permit boundary, followed by a full day of skiing or snowboarding. After an overnight camp in a six-foot dome tent, another day of heli-served skiing follows, culminating with a top-to-bottom finale from one of the stunning peaks in the area.
Also in the San Juans, Wolf Creek Ski Area is replacing the Treasure Lift, which is one of Wolf Creek’s main lifts connecting guests to a wide variety of terrain, with a new Doppelmayr detachable high-speed quad. In the next few years, Wolf Creek will also add a new lift to eliminate the long slog from the base of the Alberta lift back to the main base area.
After a successful first season, the Ridge Cat will again offer free cat skiing access to some of Loveland’s most exciting terrain on the north side of The Ridge. With one of the longest ski seasons in Colorado, the Ridge Cat will see plenty of action as it works overtime to take skiers to the resort’s powder stashes.
Filed in Colorado News | Copper Mountain News | Summit County News | Skiing/Snowboarding | Winter Activities |