7 facts about Copper Mountain

Last week I shared my ranking of all the Colorado resorts currently on the Epic and Ikon Passes. Coming in at #4 was Copper Mountain, and while I already knew a few things about the resort I was surprised to learn more about how it’s continued to grow over the years. So here’s 7 facts about Copper that I found most interesting:

1. Almost an Olympic venue

Copper was always looked as a spot for racing to take place, and was part of Denver’s 1968 bid to host the 1976 Olympics, before the resort has even officially started construction. Even though Denver ultimately didn’t end up hosting the Olympics, this helped put Copper on the map as an area that would make for a great resort.

2. Humble beginnings

Copper was suppose to open to the public in 1971, but the ski lift construction wasn’t complete and the opening had to be delayed. Instead, the mountain shuttled about 500 skiers for the 71/72 season, 10 people at a time in the single snowcat that was available. The resort would then officially open on Dec. 5th, 1972 with 5 lifts and 22 trails.

3. Racing right away

In 1976 Heavenly, based in Lake Tahoe, was meant to host a World Cup Alpine race. Due to a lack of snow that season the race had to find an alterative venue, and Copper was selected.

4. Dumb and Dumber

While Lloyd and Harry might have said they were going to Aspen, all of the mountain and skiing scenes were actually filmed at Copper. The chair lift scene is on E-Chair, which is now the Excelerator quad.

5. Six at a time

In 1998 the Super Bee chairlift opened, which was the first 6 person chairlift to open in Colorado.

6. Stayin’ busy in the summer

Copper is the only resort to host on-mountain summer camps in Colorado, with the only other spot in the US being Mt. Hood out in Oregon.

7. Super Pipe

Copper is also only one of three mountains that offers a 22ft, Olympic sized halfpipe in the US. The other mountains are Aspen, in Colorado, and Mammoth Mountain, in California.

So there you go, a few facts about The Athlete’s Mountain. If there’s something you’d like to see more or less of, or something that you’ve particularly enjoyed, let me know on Instagram @codylwheat. Your feedback is appreciated, and I’ll get back you as soon as I’m able. Wishing you all the best.