Copper Mountain Family Ski Vacation
If you are planning a family ski vacation in Colorado, there are plenty of options. I was a little overwhelmed when looking online at all mountains and resorts. Luckily, we have some friends from Colorado who gave us some suggestions and steered us to the two they thought we would like the most — the first one being Copper Mountain. So after flying into Denver and staying two nights in the Mile-High City, we hit the road! Copper Mountain is a just a short, two-hour drive from Denver (depending on weather conditions, of course,) which was also one of the reasons it was recommended to us.
Copper Mountain Lodging
There are several options for lodging at Copper Mountain. We stayed at Ten Mile Haus, which is in the Ten Mile Neighborhood and very close to the Center Village. I highly recommend staying near the Center Village if you are traveling with kids. It is close to the slopes, ski & ride school, and shopping, and it has plenty of dining options. Two other accommodations that are very close to the Center Village are Passage Point and Tucker Mountain Lodge.
Our two bedroom condo was two floors and had a nice size living room, kitchen and dining area with all the amenities of a vacation rental. We also had a garage for parking and free wireless internet. All Copper Mountain Lodging guests have access to the Athletic Club, which has an indoor pool, hot tubs, saunas and the Copper Spa. We were a very short walk over to the Center Village and were very happy with the Ten Mile Haus condo. It was cozy and had everything we needed.
Family Travel Tip:
There are three main villages, East, Center and West. Copper Mountain has a free shuttle that will take you to the different areas of the mountain. However, staying near the Center Village is ideal if you are traveling with small children.
Ski and Snowboard Rentals
The first time our kids had snowboards on was two years ago at Mammoth Mountain, so getting them back on boards was long overdue!
You can rent skis and snowboards for the entire family at Copper Sports. We picked up all of our rentals the night before — this is a huge time saver in the morning, and I highly recommend doing this. The rental process always takes a little while, so make sure the kids are well fed or it can be a painful process! You will have to take your things back to your condo, so if you can bring a large bag for the boots it might help lessen the load.There is an overnight equipment storage option if you’d prefer.
Family Travel Tip:
Copper Sports is also where you will purchase your lift tickets, get your rentals and enroll in ski or snowboard lessons. They sell clothing, ski masks, toe warmers and lots of ski gear It’s a one-stop shop for everything you need to get yourself on the mountain.
My husband and I were able to rent demo boards, which was great! I checked out the Burton Snowboard Lip Stick and I loved it.
Ski & Ride School
Our kids spent two days of Ski & Ride School. They had the same instructor both days, which I really liked. She was able to see their skill level and carry over things they learned from the day before. You child’s lesson includes rentals, lift ticket, lunch and a GPS tracking system. Lessons are from 9:30 – 3:00, and they will be grouped with other children their age and skill level. They also have a Ski and Ride School shuttle that takes the kids over to the Green Acres where they start their lessons. Parents can also ski or ride down to Green Acres to watch some of the lesson if they want, too!
Family Travel Tip:
Be sure to pick up your kids on time and tip your instructor.
Copper Mountain Shopping
If you forget your hat, face mask, goggles or just need a new pair of warm socks, the Copper Sports has plenty of gear and warm clothing to choose from. We actually had to buy goggles and warm socks for our kids, and we found some great options here. Kelly’s Closet is a cute shop for stylish clothing and accessories for women and kids, and the store Kokomo is a fun shop for souvenirs and Colorado inspired gifts.
Copper Mountain Coffee
I know a lot of families stay in condos that have kitchens so it is easier to just make breakfast and coffee right away before heading out, but there are two great coffee options right near the Center Village chair lifts. Camp Hale is inside Copper Sports and a great place to grab a cup of coffee and a quick breakfast before the kids go to ski school, or if you need another cup of coffee after all that work just getting the kids off to ski school in the morning! Camp Hale has two other locations on the mountain: one at the East Village in Copper Station and in Solitude Station at the top of the American Eagle chair lift.
Another place to grab great coffee is the Belgian Bean. They also make waffles with a variety of toppings, oatmeal and a selection of pastries.
Through out the Center Village there are plenty of other retail shops and McCoy’s Mountain Market, which is the only place to pick up some basic groceries, snacks and beer. The market is small and might not have all the items you need depending on how long you are staying.
Family Travel Tip:
Stop at the grocery store before getting to Copper Mountain or plan on going into the town of Dillon the first day for all your grocery shopping needs.The prices will be better, and there are more options.
Copper Mountain Center Village
The Center Village is the hub of the mountain and very easy to walk around, with plenty of dining options. At night they have a few fires going for people to hang out around. There is also a rock climbing wall and ice skating rink — the ice skate rentals are $10. There is also the Alpine Zip Line, which is 300 feet in the air and goes across the frozen lake. Cost is $10 and open 2:00pm – 6:00pm.
Kids Night Out
When you spend $30 (per child) in the Village you receive 3 hours of FREE childcare from 5:30pm – 10:00pm. This service is for children who are potty trained to the age of 12 years old. You must make a reservation 48 hours in advance and show your receipts of purchases made at the Village shops or restaurants. For more details go to Kids Night Out.
I found Copper Mountain to be very easy to navigate, and it has a very laid back vibe. We were there early in the season, so it wasn’t too crowded and luckily we never had to wait in any long chair lift lines. It seems to be a bit younger of a crowd, but it was also very family friendly. We felt like we belonged here. It was a even mix of skiers and snowboarders, which is always nice to see. A lot of times, at other mountains, I feel more like the minority.
Copper Mountain is known for its naturally-divided terrain, which is really nice to keep people with the same skill level on certain sections of the mountain. It progressively gets harder as you make your way from the West Village over to the East Village.
The West Village has the Kokomo Chair lift that is great for families and beginners. This is where you will find most of the green runs. Since we were there in early season this section was not open for us, so we were unable to take the kids up the chair lift with us, which was a bummer, but more reason to go back! My husband and I loved all the blue runs and felt really comfortable on this mountain. We hadn’t snowboarded in almost two years and Copper was the perfect mountain to pick back up again!
Have you been to Copper Mountain?
Disclosure: This was a media stay and parts of this trip was comped for the purpose of reviewing the mountain and all it has to offer families. All my thoughts are my own and I share this with you to help you find your next family ski vacation.
Comments
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Good tips, going in one month after Christmas. First time skiers. Staying in Center Lodge. You mentioned Dillion for grocer, is that the best coming from the Airport? If so any other tips ?