If you're a freerider then Copper is definitely one of the best resorts in the states; its not quite as good as Squaw Valley, Snowbird or Jackson Hole though. It shouldn't be crossed off the intermediate or beginners list though, as there is some great skiing here for all.

There is a very welcome feature of having a large and free area of snow cat skiing (ie you can ride in a snow cat for free)!! This is definitely not to be sniffed at and if you manage to catch Tucker Mountain, the area in question, then you are in for a really kick ass time.

Copper is a mountain which caters for all skiers well, but can't help that it has some slightly steeper terrain than many of the more rolling resort hills nearby. I would implore beginners and intermediate skiers not to be put off too much by the piste map which suggests that even the nursery slopes are on a “falling off the face of the earth angle”. There are some great beginner runs, but they aren't all that numerous. They are quite long though and the Highpoint- Easy Feeling combination run will allow shaky skiers to get almost a full length of mountain in vertical descent.

Intermediates have slightly more choice than beginners and generally have the run of the middle section of the mountain. There are some particularly good opportunities for testing yourself at a little bit of tree skiing beside almost any of the runs as you're never far from the greenery. I would recommend the Timbre Ridge ski run for getting amongst the trees as everything is very spaced out up here so there's plenty of room for manoeuvre and error.

Expert skiers can get onto the steep terrain all the way down to the level of the village, which is quite an unusual feature. The lower mountain offers some brilliant steep tree skiing which is so much fun on those cloudy powder days when the upper mountain is in a complete white-out state. When the sun comes out (which it seems to a lot) the upper mountain offers some of the best lift accessed open bowl skiing in the USA. There's plenty to jump off as well with a plethora of windlips and ridges abound.

For the freestylers there is some world class park riding in Copper Mountain courtesty of the “Catalyst” terrain park. The features here are pretty ornate (although not as good as the very very best) and cater very well for all abilities. The halfpipes are very well maintained and the park scene isn't too ridiculously busy when compared to many other top freestyle venues.

Copper is a great place for all, but definitely tilted towards the freerider; I hope you like trees though! There's plenty of fun to be had in the village and its not the busiest or most expensive resort around. Definitely a winner.