Cumulatively our family of four (with kids ages five and nine) has now been skiing for more than 50 years. Most of those years have been spent skiing Vail and Beaver Creek. And it has been several years since my husband & I have ventured to other ski resorts. But when such an opportunity arose this March we grabbed it to experience Copper Mountain skiing.
We ventured a short drive over Vail pass to experience a different Colorado ski resort and had so much fun! Copper Mountain is a fantastic ski resort for families with much more to offer than just skiing. Here are our 5 tips to make the most of your Copper Mountain family ski vacation.
Disclosure: Consideration provided by brands mentioned in this post. All opinions are our own.
5 Fun Things to do at Copper Mountain with Kids
From music and activities at the base area to speeding down the mountain on skis, tubes or alpine slide Copper Mountain is full of family fun.
Copper Mountain Skiing
Okay, so this is a given. You’ve traveled to Copper Mountain for a family ski vacation. You are going to ski (or snowboard). But we are putting it number one on our list because it really is a great mountain, particularly for families with beginner skiers.
The trails are laid out from east to west starting at a higher difficulty to lower. The trails are grouped together by difficulty. Blacks are on the east side, blues and greens in the middle and all greens on the west side. This means there is very little chance of a beginner skier ending up on black trails which can easily happen at resorts that have more of a mix of trails throughout the mountain.
And, the trails are long and expansive, which our family loved. We also happened to be there on a day when Mother Nature had graced Copper Mountain with 8″ of snow overnight and then the sun came out and blue skies opened for the perfect day.
Copper Mountain Tubing
Our entire family ages five and up all absolutely loved Copper Mountain tubing hill. I would consider us veteran sledders. But this was a whole different experience. We grabbed a tube, let the magic carpet hoist us up the hill and then zipped down one of the five lanes in a square formation with four tubes held together by our hands holding the straps.
The banked curves add an extra thrill. And, the snow storm that came in at the end of our hour completed the experience. It was certainly an adrenaline rush.
While snow tubing is a blast, sledding is a great way to wear the kids out. If you don’t want to splurge on tubing then just hit one of the nearby Breckenridge sledding hills!
Ride the new Alpine Coaster at Copper Mountain
The winter of 2017/2018 Copper Mountain debuted the new Rocky Mountain Coaster. If you don’t know what an alpine coaster is, you should. We are huge fans.
It is like a roller coaster but you drive your own cart which is attached to the rails of the track, and it is set in the middle of a natural mountain environment rather than a concrete jungle. This raised alpine coaster track runs along the natural curvature of the mountain. It dips, zigs, zags and makes 360 degree turns all the way down the track.
Visit Woodward Barn
We know families who regularly make the trek over the pass to take their kids to the Woodward Barn. While the building may look a little like a barn, what is inside is very different. Woodward Barn is a training facility with indoor ski and snowboard training, skateparks, Olympic-grade trampolines, foam pit jumps and more. Sign up for a two-hour intro session and make sure to bring your ski/ snowboard boots and a helmet!
Enjoy an Après Treat at Copper Mountain
The villages at Copper Mountain have a variety of restaurants as well as specialty sweet shops. Treat the family to mini donuts covered with chocolate sauce and sprinkles at Sugar Lips Mini Donuts. Enjoy a freshly-baked cookie from Mary’s Mountain Cookies. Or, let the kids pick out bulk candy at City Pop Gourmet Popcorn & Candy.
Go Ice Skating
When West Lake freezes over in the winter, typically in December, it opens to the public for free ice skating. Bring your own skates or rent them from City Pop for $10 each. Or, spend $40 in the Village at Copper’s restaurants or shops, Sun-Thurs and receive a free ice skate rental. Be sure to bring your receipt.
There are several other nearby ice skating arenas that you could check out. Some are even free if you bring your skates.
You had me at tubing. I cannot ski and the one time I tried my wrist ended up in a cast lol. I do love tubing though and can totally see myself doing multiple runs on that hill. Thank you for coming to Fly Away Friday! See you tomorrow!
Every time I visit your blog, I think “I need to go to Colorado”. I don’t think we have time this year but I’ll have to book it as a priority for 2019! Thanks for joining Fly Away Friday, see you tomorrow! xo