Colorado Best Beginner Terrain In Colorado

[Green08]

Downside of Beaver Creek is that the beginner area is at the top of the mountain. My sister-in-law was terrified of that idea. The view is great, but the fear--and you mentioned fear with Keystone--is that the end of the beginner run is not the bottom.

Beginner terrain at a lot of places is going to be suspect in early April. Copper's operations out of West Village and the main beginner terrain is going to shut earlier. Out of Center Village there are nice options but runs down the American Flyer are very long (think approaching Schoolmarm), and runs off the Union Creek lift also will include lots of Park skiers in that "naturally" divided terrain.

Peak 7, 8, and 9 and Breck late in the season are probably the best beginner areas I have seen in Colorado. But, if you don't like the upper mountain or Peak 6,....well

 

[Magi]

@Magi is a terrific instructor and WP does have a very good beginner area with its own lifts at mid-mountain. But that may be too beginner for your wife and the remaining greens can be quite steep.

You didn't mention lessons, but I also strongly recommend considering lessons and investigating the quality of the ski school. It is such a huge temptation for a SO (vs a teacher) to, in their enthusiasm, push the envelope and not allow a beginner to own the level they've attained before moving them up.

Thanks! Hope your Granddaughter is psyched to come out again this winter.


I will agree that while some of WPs green terrain starts looking decidedly teal... the progression from totally flat to ready for blue terrain is very gentle with small steps (and it goes the other way, we have a couple blue trails that are kinda teal). Part of why I like teaching there, there's not moment of "welp - now comes the huge jump". Especially fun is the amount of green tree terrain we have.

For the record, order of trails in ascending difficulty, there are other options at almost all of these stages for variety if desired:

Marmot Flats
Bill Wilson's Way
Porcupine -> Turnpike/Village Way
Jack Kendrick -> Full Easy way
Jack Kendrick -> Easy way -> Lower Kendrick
Jack Kendrick all the way (Any green trail is now within your grasp - sky's the limit)​

And I'd re-emphasize that WP's pretty tough to beat for April snow. No reason we couldn't have been open through June this past year.

 

[Nancy Hummel]

Breck. Silverthorne plus easy blues on Peak 9.

 

[dbostedo]

Copper starts closing terrain then even though it stays open, so that would be something to check.

I've skied Copper in mid-April the last couple of seasons, and the only thing that's been closed was Copper Bowl. Do they close more than that in other years (Woodward, Kokomo, and Lumberjack in particular for the OP)?

 

[mikel]

^ yep and if I remember correctly lumberjack was probably roped off when you visited this past season. Tentative closing date for this season is the 19th.

 

[James]

I thought Cooper, as in a barrel maker, not Copper like the metal, was the beginner area.

Cooper (not Copper). All natural snow, wide open trails, arguably one of the better ski schools around at bargain prices and a retro vibe that is real and fun. Plus time spent in Pb (Leadville) will add years to your life. The ONLY negative for a beginner is altitude. Pb is at 10K ft, the ski area as well.
...
If you do end up in Summit County and want to learn how to like Breck, let me know. I wouldn't say it is paticularly good for beginners, though, although midweek in non-holiday periods there is plenty of beginner terrain that isn't overcrowded.

 

[Doug Briggs]

I thought Cooper, as in a barrel maker, not Copper like the metal, was the beginner area.

Huh? Isn't that what I wrote?

Cooper (not Copper). All natural snow, wide open trails, arguably one of the better ski schools around at bargain prices and a retro vibe that is real and fun. Plus time spent in Pb (Leadville) will add years to your life. The ONLY negative for a beginner is altitude. Pb is at 10K ft, the ski area as well.

Yes. I recommend Cooper, two 'ohs', one 'pee', for beginners. Do you need this:


Or perhaps this?


Or maybe I do.

 

[Lofcaudio]

I always find it helpful to refer to both of those places by their full names so as to reduce the possibility of any confusion:

Copper Mountain
Ski Cooper

Telluride, which really does have the best beginner terrain in all of Colorado, will be closing on April 5, 2020. That date has nothing to do with snow and everything to do with customer demand. Telluride is high enough that it usually has great conditions right up till closing day.

 

[James]

Huh? Isn't that what I wrote?



Yes. I recommend Cooper, two 'ohs', one 'pee', for beginners. Do you need this:


Or perhaps this?


Or maybe I do.

Have you read the thread?
Everyone is blathering about Cu.
How late does Ski Cooper stay open?

 

[Doug Briggs]

Oh. Sorry, I misunderstood your post. I thought you were remanding me. But you were using my post to support your statement. I haven't taken Evelyn's course. Yet.

They are open into April, IIRC. Last season they were open with feet of snow still on the ground. While only natural snow, in a decent to excellent year they get plenty of snow to cover their not very steep terrain.

 

[Doug Briggs]

I always find it helpful to refer to both of those places by their full names so as to reduce the possibility of any confusion:

Copper Mountain
Ski Cooper

Telluride, which really does have the best beginner terrain in all of Colorado, will be closing on April 5, 2020. That date has nothing to do with snow and everything to do with customer demand. Telluride is high enough that it usually has great conditions right up till closing day.

Cooper has officially dropped the Ski although their web site domain doesn't reflect that. Note their logo is just Cooper now.

 

[Blue Streak]

Ski Cooper really is a gem, but for God’s sake, marketing is not their long suit.

 

[tball]

I am working on planning a family ski trip for April 4-11. My wife hasn't skied in 10 years and she had never really progressed beyond green trails out west. Her first week on skis she had a terrible experience at Keystone which was my fault. I took her there on her second day on skis and it was a 3 hour trip down Schoolmarm so she is terrified of that place now. She has done fine at Breck, Alta, and Snowbasin. I like the town of Breckenridge but the mountain not so much. I am thinking Copper is the likely destination because its always been a great mountain for me but I never really paid attention to the green runs there. Are there any other destinations I should be considering like Vail, Beavercreek, or Steamboat?

The beginner side of Copper Mountain is fantastic with true beginner terrain off the Kokomo and Lumberjack lifts.

The last few years Copper has kept the entire mountain open through the USASA Nationals competition. It finishes up April 8th, 2020:

Freeski Nationals: April 4th, 2020 thru April 8th, 2020 ( 1 day of training, 4 days of competition)
https://usasa.org/nationals/2020-nationals-general-info/2020-general-information​

It's really fun to be at Copper during the competition. There's a great skiing vibe and it's fun to watch the kids in the competition. The only downside is it might be difficult to find lodging, so book early. The slopes are not crowded, just the base with the competitors and their families.

On April 9th, 2020 they will probably close Copper Bowl and a few other lifts including the Lumberjack lift if they do the same as previous years. There will still be plenty of great skiing for your family including the Kokomo lift.

You can see how easy the Kokomo terrain is in this video of our kiddos a couple of years ago (the lift was since upgraded to an HSQ):


The runs off Lumberjack are a similar pitch and very uncrowded.

Fast forward a couple of years and here's our son getting air in the little terrain park you see in that video


^^^ That was on April 14th, 2019.