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Copper Climate Change C
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Copper


Ikon Pass

Copper Mountain


Ikon Pass
Copper El Niño ≈
Copper Climate Change C
Copper Snow Totals
Copper Lodging Map M
THE
LOW
DOWN
Copper Key Knowledge: Copper tends to be quieter than some of the other ski resorts in the I-70 corridor of Colorado, so it can be a good bet for a Saturday or Sunday. The place holds lots of great terrain and its snow stays fresh late into the season because so much of the ski resort is north facing. The village at Copper Mountain has gobs of on-hill lodging options, making it a great family pick.
Copper skiing by month:
Copper
By Month
Data show that March is the best month Copper for overall snow quality.
DEC
Copper
in December
JAN
Copper
in January
FEB
Copper
in February
MAR
Copper
in March
APR
Copper
in April
Copper winter weather:
Copper
Winter Weather
How often it snows vs. rains at Copper, how cold it gets, and how much winter sun to expect.
Snow vs. Rain
Precip on 31% of days
Highs & Lows
Coldest week: 0°F low
Winter Sun
84% of possible sun
El Niño
+0% snow in El Niño winters

Core Strengths

Copper
Travel Ease
87.1
Overall
78.1
Snow Quality
74.1
Overall
Overall PAF Score

Overall
Rank

31

Rank in
Region

23

Rank in
State

12

This resort is often compared with:

Crested Butte
Vail
Breckenridge
Copper Snow Quality Across Full Winter
Click ON/OFF:
Copper Snowfall Last 10 Days (inches)

Powder
Forecast

Powder Forecast
ZRANKINGS EXCLUSIVE
Thursday
Day
0"
Night
0"
Friday
Day
0"
Night
0"
Saturday
Day
0"
Night
0"
Sunday
Day
0"
Night
0"
Monday
Day
0"
Night
0"

Snow

True*
Annual Snowfall

278"

True Snow: 278" per year
Snow Quality Rank

25

Accounts for resorts' snow quantity, moisture content, latitude, elevation, and slope aspects.

Dump Potential Rank

74

Copper Mountain is ranked No. 74 in North America for its total snowfall during an average season.

Historical Powder Odds
Daily Lottery

% of days with more than 6" of snow

10.5%

Extended Stay

% of months with more than 90" of snow

3.8%

Drought Threat

% of months with less than 30" of snow

21.1%

*Special thanks to Tony Crocker and Bestsnow.net.

Dump Potential Rank

74

Copper Mountain is ranked No. 74 in North America for its total snowfall during an average season.

Snow
Quality
Rank

25

Accounts for resorts' snow quantity, moisture content, latitude, elevation, and slope aspects.

Total Snow Score

This score accounts for total snow quantity, its moisture content, the resort's latitude, elevation, and its slope aspects, which affect total snow preservation.

Comparables

Copper Mountain

Christmas at Copper

Will there be snow for the holidays? Here's what the record says about Copper at Christmas.

65% of the mountain open on Christmas, on average
25% of years it's less than half open by Christmas
1,340 hours cold enough to make snow at the base, Nov–Dec, in a typical year

Opening figures are ZRankings' analysis of past Christmas seasons. Snowmaking hours come from 40 winters of hourly weather data at the resort's base. Copper's full climate profile →

The Skiing at Copper

75 miles west of Denver, I-70 manages to obtain a true east-west bearing just long enough to frame a ski resort with a dominant north-facing aspect: Copper Mountain. This charm of geography yields a mountain with 60% north-facing terrain, a mark that exceeds Vail, Beaver Creek and Telluride. Combine this with Copper’s healthy summit elevation and you get a mountain that punches above its weight class.

Copper benefits from speedy lifts that quickly deliver you to big blue groomers with nice fall lines. The upper bowls get tracked up pretty quickly on the weekend, but are wide open and ski well on weekdays and during storms. Over the years, Copper has also put a lot of effort toward expanding its high-country access via a snow cat program that gives free lifts to adjacent Tucker Mountai. It works better than we had expected; definitely worth a traverse.

Overall, the mountain skis a lot like Keystone, but the logistics feel somehow easier. Lifts take you where you want to go and the terrain is continuous enough that you don’t get stuck in holes that are cut off from the rest of the mountain. We don't like being cut off.

The Town: Copper
Like many I-70 resorts, the ski resort of Copper was born the same year as “the town”. The architecture is standard Colorado fare and the vibe is decidedly straightforward. Many of the restaurants feel like they’re brought to you by the owners of Rock Bottom Brewery, with the notable exception of the Belgian Bean, which serves up made-to-order handheld Belgian waffles.

In spite of having a somewhat homogenous, corporate feel, the base has enough options to check the boxes and keep you sustained during your stay. And the town of Frisco, which has a genuine Main Street and a healthy supply of quality restaurants, is only six miles down the road.

A Few Words on the Snow at Copper
Copper Mountain’s snow record is typical for Colorado. 11.1% of winter days with 6 inches or more of snow and 20% of winter months with 30 inches or less are middle of the pack for western destinations, while 4% of months with 90 inches or more is on the low side. Snow density as in most of Colorado is as light as it gets. Among the big Front Range resorts, Copper tends to be less busy than Breckenridge, Vail and Keystone.

Accumulation and Preservation

Copper averages 65% open at Christmas, and is less than half open by Christmas in 25% of seasons. The steepest terrain on the upper mountain is often not open until mid-January. Even by Colorado standards Copper's snow preservation is outstanding. It’s over half north facing and ski elevation is 9,700 – 12,300 feet. Surfaces are mostly packed powder well into April. Copper is one of the best late season resorts in North America up to its late April closing date.