Copper Mountain could be getting a lot bigger in the coming seasons. On Feb. 27, White River National Forest (WRNF) approved a master plan to expand the resort by more than 500 acres. The plan also includes eight upgrades to existing lifts and six brand-new lifts — one of which would be the highest in North America.
It is an ambitious growth proposal and one that the resort now has the green light to pursue.
“The upgrade plan works to improve circulation around the mountain with updated lift infrastructure, as well as provide guests with access to new and unique terrain within Copper’s existing Special Use Permit area,” SE Group, which designed the plan, stated in its summary.
Currently, the resort encompasses 3,641 skiable acres. The expansion would boost that by 14%, bringing the total to 4,154 acres. Copper aims to increase out-of-base lift capacity and better disperse visitors across the mountain. With that added terrain and new and upgraded lifts, the resort’s carrying capacity would go from 11,870 to 15,360 skiers per day.
It won’t take cars off I-70 or make parking any easier. But if this conceptual master plan comes to fruition, it could help break up and scatter crowds across Copper Mountain more effectively.
Copper Mountain Expansion Plan
Updated Lifts
The master plan outlines a list of hopeful improvements and updates to Copper Mountain — including restroom improvements, restaurant upgrades, adding utilities, new MTB and hiking trails, and much more.
It is still conceptual, even though it got the WRNF stamp of approval.
However, two of the lift upgrades outlined in the plan have already been approved and just need to be implemented. Alpine Lift on the far eastern side of the resort would be replaced and extended to access more terrain. Similarly, the notoriously slow 43-year-old three-person Lumberjack lift on the far west side of the resort would be replaced with a high-speed six-person lift.
Other lift upgrades outlined in the Master Plan include upgrading Superbee, Excelerator, Mountain Chief, and Black Jack lifts, as well as upgrading and extending Alpine Lift and upgrading and realigning Rendezvous Lift.
New Lifts, Tucker Gulch Expansion
While the resort has yet to approve it, the most notable upgrade in the plan is a new lift called “Jaques East.” This 5,900-foot four-person chair would access terrain within the Tucker Gulch drainage. Its terminus at the top of the 13,150-foot Jaques Peak would make it the highest lift in North America.
The plan proposes adding a shorter three-person chair called Thunderbird to the same area between Jaques Peak and Tucker Mountain. Between Jaques East and Thunderbird, Copper Mountain would add 513 skiable acres of intermediate and advanced terrain to its map.
“The Tucker Gulch expansion is designed to emphasize the high alpine experience,” SE Group wrote in its plan. “The vast majority of the terrain is above treeline, lee to the predominant westerly winds, and well-suited to provide a breathtaking but accessible guest experience.”
Other new lifts proposed in the plan include a high-speed quad called Union Meadows. It would access Jaques East, and load near the Timberline Express lift. The plan also calls for a Superpipe surface lift in Center Village and a Terrain Park lift in Central Park. Those lifts would help athletes make faster training and competitive runs on Copper’s pipe and park features.
Finally, a new four-person lift called Sail Away Express would access Sail Away Glades. It would help relieve crowd pressure on the American Flyer and American Eagle lifts.
Copper Mountain Expansion: More to Come
Copper Mountain’s Special Use Permit (SUP) area encompasses 7,343 acres surrounding the resort. The Tucker Gulch expansion would increase the skiable terrain at Copper to 4,154 acres. That still leaves 3,189 acres of potential terrain undeveloped. And Copper Mountain has a vision to continue expanding.
“In the next ten years, CMR’s goal is to capitalize on the tremendous potential of the resort’s existing Special Use Permit Area (SUP) to meet the ever-growing demand for developed recreational skiing as a regional and destination resort,” SE Group wrote under the Plan Vision and Goals section of its Master Plan. “Copper plans to expand its operational boundary within the current SUP area and upgrade the guest experience with numerous mountain facility upgrades.”
In August 2024, Copper’s parent company, POWDR Corp., sold Killington. It also announced pending sales of Mt. Bachelor, SilverStar, and Eldora, with JP Morgan Chase managing the process. Should the money from those sales find its way into Copper Mountain’s coffers, these expansion plans and any others could be within the resort’s grasp.
