Copper Mountain Ski Area History

The history of the town of Copper Mountain starts much further back than the opening of the ski area. Today for the most part, however, the town exists because of the ski area. So for the fun of it let's start way before the opening of Copper Mountain's first ski lift.

Many hundreds of years ago, Native American tribes called this area home. Specifically the Ute and Arapahoe Indians set up camp here, fished in its streams and found its population of buffalo, elk, deer, and bear sustainable. Once the 1800s hit, miners discovered that the area had a great natural supply of copper. In 1880, a camp was developed between the Gore and Ten Mile mountain ranges, at what is now known as Copper Mountain. After some time, the area around Copper Mountain grew less popular among miners and more so among outdoor enthusiasts looking to go fishing for trout and horseback riding along remote trails. Loggers and fur traders also began to seek out financial potentials this magnificent area held.

It was not until 1971 that anyone even thought about skiing at Copper Mountain. In this year, Chuck Lewis looked at its potential and said "I'm gonna build me a killer ski resort." In 1972 he bought 280 acres of land at what would be the base of the resort. He also worked with the forest service to set boundaries for the ski area. Today the ski area encompasses 2,433 acres of skiable terrain.

In 1997 Intrawest Corporation purchased the resort. Sense then it has begun a $500 million project to redevelop lodging units, restaurants, and stores. If you have been to Copper Mountain in recent years, you may not recognize the base of it the next time. But there is no doubt that it will still provide you with a variety of fantastic snow conditions and skiing terrain.