Copper Mountain Expert Terrain
Much of Copper Mountain’s expert terrain is above the treeline. Copper’s east side boasts some of the best off-piste skiing in Colorado. Up top on Resolution and Spaulding Bowl, in back for Copper Bowl and Tucker Mountain, and Sierra lift and Union Bowl in the middle, up top.If you want tougher skiing, for moguls try Resolution Bowl; for steep and deep go to Spaulding Bowl or Tucker Mountain, or Union Bowl; and for couloirs it’s Spaulding Bowl. For those seeking the best powder, head off to Tucker Mountain or Graveline Gulch. The upper mountain and east side are home to much of Copper’s expert terrain. Hallelujah Ridge, Bariloche, and Cross Cut are great trails for that transition from blue to black. If you seek marathon bumps, ride the Alpine chair and find out how “Too Much” got its name.
Check out 17 Glade of Upper Enchanted for trees, then head to Spaulding Bowl for steeps and cornice drops. Resolution Bowl is great for endless bumps. Excellent hiking terrain can be found in Union Bowl and on Tucker Mountain accessed from Copper Bowl, which has classic bowl terrain. Go west to Union Meadows for a different type of on-mountain adventure. The ski patrol runs free-and heated-snowcats up a gulch to the ridge of Tucker Mountain.
Experts can ski tour or snowshoe to Janet’s Cabin for the day or an overnight trip. Janet’s Cabin is a 10th mountain division backcountry hut. Copper takes its skiing very seriously, and the free snowcat ride up to Tucker Mountain for an “inbounds/backcountry” experience is not to be missed. Other challenging possibilities might be the knee-pounding bumps of Resolution Bowl, the Steeps of Patrol, and Cornice Chutes, or even the new-school spins in the Terrain Park. With 18 percent of the mountain labeled as expert, there are no shortages of trails to stretch your skills.
Under Colorado law, skiing or entering any trail or area marked by a closed sign is not allowed, nor is entering land adjacent to the well-marked ski area. Graveline Gulch, described below, is the one legal exception to this rule for expert skiers. Graveline Gulch is out of the ski area boundary but has a patrolled entry gate where expert skiers can enter and ski a steep bowl into wide glades. A ski patrol will check you out and you ski a backcountry trail all the way down to a free shuttle on Highway 91, that will be waiting to give you a short ride back to the lifts at the East Village.