Copper and Breckenridge kick ski season off with plenty of powder

Everyone loves a powder day, especially when that day happens to fall on the first day of the season for a ski resort.

Skiers and riders at Breckenridge Ski Resort and Copper Mountain Resort were gifted with plenty of fresh snowfall on their first days of the 2024-25 season on Friday. Over the past five days the two Summit County resorts received more than 2 feet of snow, giving way to prime skiing and riding conditions to kick off the season.

Copper Mountain Resort

When the American Eagle Chairlift at Copper Mountain started running at 9 a.m., the first tracks were deep — and there were free refills throughout the day.

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“Vibes are high, we’re really stoked to be open,” Copper Mountain communications manager Olivia Butrymovich said. “We’ve had 31 inches of snow since Sunday night’s huge storm dropped 20 inches on the resort. So, it’s great to be open. Our teams are happy to be open.”

Skiers and riders at Copper had access to three trails on opening day: Rhapsody, Fairplay, and Main Vein, all intermediate difficulty. The Easy Rider learning area and a Woodward American Eagle Terrain Park with a dozen features was also open.

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Parker resident Caitlynn Feist said she woke up early Friday to drive up to Copper with her boyfriend, her boyfriend’s brother, her dad and “the whole crew.” Snow continued to fall as Feist waited in line for the first run of the day.

“Moods are hype. It’s a vibe,” Feist said. “I’m just looking forward to having a good season with all my friends and my family, having fun.”

As they descended from the top of the American Eagle Chairlift, skiers and riders sprayed clouds of powder into the air. At the bottom of the hill, laughter rang out as friends ended their run with high-fives and fistbumps.

As the season continues, Copper will be looking to open Green Acres — a beginner trail — next, followed by whichever trails have the most snow cover, Butrymovich said. Throughout the season, the ski area will be hosting events most weekends, she said. It will also be hosting the X Games Street Style Pro in December.

“Twenty inches of snow really just set us up nicely for opening day,” Butrymovich said. “It just provides a great base for the rest of the season.”

Breckenridge Ski Resort

With people munching on complimentary doughnuts and vibing to loud music, Breckenridge Ski Resort began spinning chairs on the Colorado SuperChair promptly at 9 a.m. Friday.

After a short lift ride to the middle part of Peak 8, Breckenridge’s 2024-25 ski and ride season quickly got underway. Soon people were seen streaming down the mountain and plunging deep into the powder fields sprinkled to the side of the resort’s two, opening day runs: 4 O’Clock and Springmeier. 

In addition to the two, opening day intermediate trails, skiers and riders got the opportunity to perform tricks in a hike-to terrain park toward the bottom of the Springmeier trail. Five SuperChair was also running throughout the day, helping to cut down on the wait times at the base of Peak 8.

“The snow keeps surprising us this week,” senior communications manager Sara Lococo said. “It is dumping right now and I don’t feel like that was really in the forecast. We got more than 2 feet this week to set things up. I think that is awesome — it gets people hyped for the winter season.”

The fresh snowfall was what Justin Jones was most looking forward to while making the drive from Colorado Springs on Thursday.

“It makes me happy,” Jones said. “It also makes me want to buy another hotel room. I am excited. It has been a long summer. It has been hot. I don’t like the heat, so the more snow the happier I am.”

The snow and the cold temperatures will aid Breckenridge in opening up new terrain as quickly as possible. Like previous years, Breckenridge will now focus on opening up the Peak 9 base area, which features a lot of the resort’s learning areas and green-level trails.

“We always start here at Peak 8 and we are looking in good shape to get Peak 9 for next weekend,” Lococo said. “What that will probably look like is our Quicksilver chair and our SuperConnect as well as Snowflake. More will then come online as we progress, but that is what is looking like what will happen for next weekend and we will keep going from there to get all five peaks open.”

For Breckenridge Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jon Copeland, he could not think of a better way to kick off a new season than with fresh snow.

“I am a skier, so I just love getting out,” Copeland said. “I love getting out and I love seeing our community. I have seen so many people I have met in town, that I know in town. That just is super special to see. … To not only have all the snowfall in the last week, but to have it snowing this morning, is just poetic on the first day of the season.”

Breckenridge and Copper will now be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.