The 2022-23 ski season was a big year for Copper Mountain. The ski area celebrated its 50th anniversary season and hosted a variety of celebratory events along with a handful of world class ski and snowboard competitions.
At the end of an eventful winter, improvements to Copper were announced. The single largest investment in over a decade would be built during the summer months along with other improvements to parking, new trail additions and lift upgrades to Copper.
The Aerie
One of the most notable improvements to Copper is the construction of its new mid-mountain lodge – The Aerie.
The new 25,000-square foot wood-paneled building is located at the top of the American Eagle lift and aims to revolutionize the dining experience at Copper.
Construction began in winter 2022-23 with the majority of progress made throughout the summer months. As the ski season rapidly approaches, the project is on schedule to open in time for the ski season.
Once the construction is finished, the lodge will be home to Forage and Feast – a full-service restaurant, bar and lounge. The lodge will also have a private dining area for events, a cafeteria and coffee shop. Visitors can enjoy 270-degree views of the Gore and Tenmile mountain ranges.
For those who don’t ski and ride, access to The Aerie is still possible. The gondola will unload on the second-floor deck for easy access to the lodge.
The Aerie will be used for several events at Copper including the Moonlight Dine and Ski as well as special New Year’s Eve, Christmas and Valentine’s Day dinners.
Far East Lot
With the increased popularity of the ski area, there have been times the parking lots filled to capacity leading to developing a plan for another one of the improvements to Copper.
Resort president and general manager Dustin Lyman came up with the solution of expanding Copper’s Far East lot which is located along Tenmile Creek, across Highway 91 from the resort.
This expansion adds 900 additional parking spaces increasing the capacity of the Far East lot to over 2,000 vehicles. The expansion is anticipated to greatly improve the flow and traffic heading into the resort.
Several shuttle pickup spots and restaurant facilities will also be added to the improved Far East lot.
Two new buses have been added to the COBUS, increasing frequency and the quality of transportation to and from the resort.
Parking at the Alpine and Far East lots will remain free.
Snowmaking and Trail Upgrades
In an effort to open up areas of the ski area earlier, Copper is upgrading and replacing parts of its existing snowmaking infrastructure.
New automated tower snow guns will be installed in Central Park and on the west side of the mountain.
Trail improvements and upgrades will be made by the widening of the Upper Carefree trail and enhancements to the Lower Enchanted traverse near Lyman Lane.
Two new ski trails will also be added before the start of the season, increasing the trail count to 157 trails and 2,507 skiable acres.
Village Upgrades
A new child care facility is set to open this winter in Copper Village. for community members and employees. The center provides more than 45 child care spots for Copper residents and employees.
New lifts
Copper is already looking ahead to improvements scheduled for the 2024-25 season with the upgrades of the Timberline and Lumberjack lifts.
The process replacing the Timberline Express lift with a six-pack, high-speed lift will begin this winter.
“The Timberline pot of trails is the best pot of blue terrain in the state of Colorado,” Lyman said. “That is why we are putting in that six-pack over there so people have shorter wait times and can access that terrain.”
As of right now, Lumberjack doesn’t have a timeline for the upgrades.
