Hello

We are planning a trip to the Breckenridge/Copper Mountain area in early February (Superbowl Weekend) and need some advice. We are relatively inexperience skiers (been a total of 3 times) and will have a couple of children with us this time (ages 6 & 8) who have never skiied. before. Which of these two (or possibly another area) would be recommended where the boys can get some lessons and the adults will not be intimidated by the courses and have plenty of greens and "easy" blues to choose from? We would like an area or resort which also might not be as crowded, if there is such a thing. We plan on being there Thursday-Sunday.

Looking forward to suggestions.

Thanks a lot.

Both Copper Mountain and Breckenridge have easy trails and a ski school.

Breckenridge is a town with shops and restaurants. Copper struck us as more a series of condo developments, without many restaurants.

If you ALL take lessons, you will maximize your total experience, and move your skiing skills forward by light years, EVEN with a lot of nice cruising greens.

Both Breck and Copper offer plenty of greens and easy blues. In that regard it's six of one and a half a dozen of the other. Take your pick.

As far as crowds go......Thursday's are not particularly crowded at either. Friday MAY be a little more crowded than Thursday, but not by much. Saturday will probably be the most crowded at each resort as "day-trip" skiers from the Denver area head up to both resorts on that day. Crowds will be comparable at each resort that day. I skied Breck last Super Bowl Sunday, and despite the fact that the game didn't start until about 4:30 pm local time, it was very uncrowded on the slopes all day long. By noon we were virtually alone on some of the runs (including blues) that we took. It was almost scary to look up the hill and see it as empty as it was.

To specifically address your questions and concerns ------

the boys can get some lessons and the adults will not be intimidated by the courses and have plenty of greens and "easy" blues to choose from.


Copper Mountain would be your best choice. Without question Copper Mt has the best skier separation. As you face the mountain all the green slopes are to the right (west, blues in the middle, and the blacks on the left. One of the few mountains you can ski without worrying about accidentally making a wrong term on being on a slope beyond your ability. Second, it a small resort with a convenient shuttle bus system which means you will not need a car to get the kids to ski school and yourself on the slope from any condo in CM. For a short visit there are enough restaurants to take care of you but if you want a high end restaurant it is ten miles to Frisco and 25 to Vail.

Ski school is located at the west end (Copper Junction) and it is convenient enough that you could easily check on the kids at noon.

Crowds will be about the same for Copper and Breck and Super Bowl weekend is generally light.

Breck is much bigger and more complicated to use just because it is more spread out. Copper is a little easier to access simply because it right off of I-70. For a short, learn to ski week, my strong recommendation would be Copper.

One note of caution -- traffic returning to Denver late Sunday afternoon and evening can be bumper to bumper and very slow for at least 50 miles. So allowing an extra two hours for your return on Sunday would not be unreasonable.

We liked Keystone. They have a children's ski school that is separate from the one for the adults. They may all be that way but we only experienced Keystone. IMO, compared to Breck and Keystone, Copper's amenities seemed limited but that may be what you prefer.

I endorse the advice from fmpden. Very good explanation of Copper Mountain ski facilities and I-70 conditions. I have experienced all three mountains ( Breck,Copper and Keystone) and Copper Mt. is the best fit in regard to your requirements.

I third the advice from fmpden. Copper will also have fewer crowds than Breck. It's more of a locals mountain and less of a destination resort. They have condos and some amenities but it's not a full blown resort town like Breck and others, which keeps crowds down. So it's not where you'd go if nightlife and tons of shopping is most imporant to you, but for your needs, it's perfect. We took a ski trip with a big group of my husbands family--kids, teens, adults--and everyone loved it.

Thanks everyone for all of the comments. Even though we've booked a condo in Breckenridge we may try and check out Copper Mountain as well. Thanks to the poster about the traffic on I-70. Since our flights leave about 3:30 we will probably leave around 12 noon. Should that be sufficient to drop a car off and make our flight?

That doesn't leave much margin. Plan on a solid two hours to DIA and car rental drop. That puts you at the airport check in area around 2 to 2:30. Personally I would leave by 11:00.

I think it's a bit tight especially if you happen to run into any problems on I-70...road accidents, bad weather and/or heavy traffic.

I agree. You should plan to leave earlier. We always leave Breckenridge 4 hours before flight time under normal circumstances. If it is snowing on a Sunday afternoon, allow more time.

Because Breck and Copper have different owners, you'd probably have to buy a one-day pass if you decided to spend a day at Copper. It may make more sense to just ski at Breck, with a multi-day ski package.

I prefer Breck to Copper, even though there is more seperation of the different levels of skiing at Copper. It's easy enough to find the difficult level of runs that you prefer to ski on at Breck.

Hi, am new, just found this thread. We are travelling in Feb to Breck. to introduce our 7-yr old to skiing. THought we'd try two days , at least, at Copper to use their ski school. any feedback would be most appreicated, tips for making this trip a success so that she wants to come back! it will just be the 3 of us. at Tahoe when she was small, they had a parents "share" ticket that we both skiied on for one day, taking turns hanging out at the lodge with the little one, and the other hitting the mountain. Didn't know if there might be something along those lines, so that if she graduates from school to the greens in a day or so, we could take turns on the whole mountain, vs. the bunny slopes, at a reduced price? Doesn't have to be at Copper, we will have a car....

Just committed to renting a condo in Copper in March. As ski virgins, hope all is well. This decision made on the recommendations we received here on Fodors.

Sure hope the temperature is moderated from what it is now!

As the majority has recommended, Copper is your best bet for beginning skiing. It has been awhile since we were in the beginning business. I am sure that the Copper Mt web site will explain the ticket options. Copper has had a reduced ticket that is limited to the green slope out of Union Station. Don't if that is still available. Second, Copper has had a very good beginning skier package that included lessons, lift pass, rentals for about three days as I remember. Again, don't know if still available. Not aware of any type of "shared" ticket. I will poke around and see what I can find for you. Probably will be there is next week so will see if I can find the latest info for beginners.

thanks! do you know anything about coupons that are for BOGO for adults? It seems it would be legit as you actually buy the passes on site, it's just coupons that are on the internet. Also, I started a differnt topic concerning dog sled tours in the area, wondered if anyone had any experience there?

As a former Summit County resident I would suggest Breckenridge and Keystone. Breck, as it is known in the area, is "shallower" and a great place for a family to start skiing. Keystone (which is about 15 to 20 minutes away via Swan Mtn. road in good conditions) is steeper and a good step up. Keystone and Breck are both Vail Resorts and share lift tickets. A full day lift ticket bought at Breck will also work at Keystone and vice versa. The Peaks program is a good idea if you are looking to ski for multiple days and make Colorado an annual trip. You earn points toward free lift tickets and it's free to join. More info on snow.com, the Vail Resorts website. Just be sure to ask whether or not your lessons include lift tickets or not before buying anything! Hope you enjoy the county!

Check to see if you can get a hold of a Gold C book, there are numerous lift ticket discount coupons in it... 12-22$ per ticket discount!

Breck is a great town for restaurants, shopping, etc. Many like skiing Breck, but for me, my favorite is Copper Mountain. You don't have to stay in Copper, you can find plenty of lodging through the area in Copper, Frisco, Breck, Dillon, and Silverthorne. Check out condo options at VRBO.com You can also go to ebay.com to find coupons discount skiing at Copper Mountain.