Play Forever Lift Ticket Giving Program Raises Funds for Community Organizations
COPPER MOUNTAIN, CO – Copper Mountain is celebrating the season of giving with the return of the Play Forever Thursdays program.
Play Forever Thursdays, a community-based fundraising effort, directs $5 from every $99 discounted Copper Mountain lift ticket purchased online and in-advance to 21 community non-profit partners on select Thursdays throughout the 2023–24 winter season. The program will begin on December 21 and resume on Thursdays between January 11–April 11, 2024. Play Forever Thursdays partner organizations will have an on-site presence at Copper on their select Thursday to speak with guests about their program’s objectives, volunteer opportunities, and more. New this winter, Copper will host an enabling participation day, an adaptive day, and an International Women’s Day celebration with partner organizations on select dates.
Play Forever is part of POWDR and Copper Mountain’s corporate responsibility commitment to protect the environment and support the community. Since 2020, Copper has donated over $500,000 and partnered with 30 non-profits, including seven new organizations this season, through the Play Forever Thursdays program. Last year’s Play Forever Thursdays program was the resort’s most successful lift ticket giving program since the program’s original launch, with over $150,000 going to partners.
Proceeds from Play Forever lift ticket sales will benefit organizations whose focus is to provide local relief, promote on-mountain inclusivity, and support environmental causes.
Local Relief: provide localized aid to the Summit, Lake or Eagle County communities in times of need.
Enabling Participation: create a welcoming place for all—including youth, diverse populations and adaptive athletes—to participate in the outdoor adventure lifestyle.
Environment: support organizations that are focused on protecting the environment through sustainability, education, and action.
Learn more about Copper Mountain’s 2023–24 Play Forever Thursdays program, including scheduled dates and information about partner organizations, at CopperColorado.com. Local organizations can also request in-kind or financial support throughout the year from Copper Mountain through Play Forever at CopperColorado.com.
Photo courtesy of Copper Mountain
Roll the ‘Dozer, Tiny Snowplow
Echo Mountain‘s new snowstake features the world’s cutest snowplow. We don’t know whose idea this was but helmets off to ya, you genius, you!
Video courtesy of Echo Mountain
Aspen Puts a Little Boogie in Your Snow Boots
ASPEN SNOWMASS, CO – Aspen Snowmass announces the return of the Bud Light Hi-Fi Concert Series as part of the Stifel Aspen Winternational, March 1-3, 2024. Headliners will include Shakey Graves on Friday, March 1, The Revivalists on Saturday, March 2, and Jes Grew closing out the weekend on Sunday, March 3.
The evening concerts are scheduled to take place in downtown Aspen at Wagner Park. All Wagner Park Festival events are free and open to the public. Shakey Graves will perform at 7:30pm on Friday night; The Revivalists are slated to perform at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night; and Jes Grew will go on stage at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. Other events including après ski entertainment, local food vendors, race bib draws, and the Roch Cup presentation will take place throughout the weekend.
The Bud Light Hi-Fi Concert Series will be a highlight of the 2024 Stifel Aspen Winternational celebration, which is the wider community event encompassing the entire weekend of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup. For details on these and other upcoming Bud Light Hi-Fi concerts, visit the Aspen Snowmass website.
VIP tickets for the concerts are available for purchase and will include access to The Wagner Lounge, which will offer premium seating, a private bar, private bathrooms and more. To learn more about The Wagner Lounge VIP experience and purchase VIP tickets, click here.
Photo courtesy of Aspen Snowmass
Copper Kicks Off World Cup Competition
Watch the best athletes in the world air it out
COPPER MOUNTAIN, CO – This week, Copper Mountain welcomes the return of the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix and Visa Big Air. From December 13–16, the world’s best freeskiers and snowboarders will compete in World Cup halfpipe and big air events. Spectators can watch the action for free from the resort’s Center Village.
Athletes including David Wise, Maddie Mastro, Red Gerard, and more have descended on Copper and have been training there ahead of competition this week.
Copper is proud to be the Official Training Center for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard team, supporting athletes of all levels and disciplines with year-round training and competition opportunities. For this week’s competition, Copper constructed two venues, including a big air jump and a 22-foot superpipe, which is currently the only superpipe open in North America this early in the season.
Looking for an Earth-friendly way to get to the mountains and catch the last day of competition? Giddyup, Grand Prix-goers! Snowstang offers round-trip service from Denver to Copper Mountain on Saturdays and Sundays and certain holidays for $25 per person.
Photo courtesy of Copper Mountain
Hop On the Bus, Gus!
Snowstang Gallops Into a New Season
Saddle up, savvy skiers: Snowstang, Denver’s city-to-slopes bus service, starts running on Saturday, December 16!
Snowstang has Denver Metro Area stops at Denver Union Station, Federal Center Station, and Wooly Mammoth Park & Ride. Hop on board for service to the following CSCUSA member ski areas:
Steamboat Springs (service leaves Saturday and returns Sunday)
Round-trip tickets are $25 for A-Basin, Copper, and Loveland. Steamboat round-trip tickets are $40.
Tickets are now live, and individuals who use the promo code LAUNCH23 now through the end of the year will receive 25% off their tickets; purchasers must buy tickets and travel by December 31.
Photo courtesy of the Colorado Department of Transportation
Off We Go—Into the Wild Blue Yonder
Sunshine Peak Terrain opens December 13
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO — Nearly 20 inches of snow fell at Steamboat Ski Resort over the last four days and more than 50 inches in the month of December so far. Combined with snowmaking efforts, the recent storm sets Steamboat up to open more terrain and officially debut the completed Wild Blue Gondola at a public celebration on Friday, December 15.
North America’s longest and fastest gondola will take skiers and riders from Steamboat Square, past the Greenhorn Ranch mid-station to the top of Sunshine Peak at 10,384 feet, on a 13-minute ride and will change the way skiers and riders access Steamboat Ski Resort’s most popular terrain. Wild Blue is a unique machine as it has the ability to operate as one continuous ride, or two separate machines minimizing the impacts of weather; for example, the lower section can operate independently if winds are too high at the top of the mountain. All in, Wild Blue Gondola is 171 cabins spanning 16,000 horizontal feet and 3,371 vertical feet.
The resort will celebrate the completion of Wild Blue Gondola with a grand opening at 9:00 am on Friday, December 15, at the lower terminal adjacent to Steamboat Square. There will be videos of the construction progress, a ribbon cutting, and a countdown. At the new top terminal of Wild Blue Gondola, guests will be greeted with free cookies and commemorative Wild Blue gifts, while supplies last. A lift ticket and ski or snowboard equipment are necessary for riding Wild Blue Gondola to the top; foot passengers with a paid ticket are allowed to ride to Greenhorn Ranch mid-station.
In preparation for Wild Blue Gondola debut, the resort will open the Sunshine Peak area of the mountain, including four lifts and 21 trails on Wednesday, December 13. Sunshine, Sundown, South Peak, and Elkhead will serve as access to trails including High Noon, One O’Clock, Two O’Clock, Westside, Rolex, and Closets and Shadow to Duster.
Steamboat’s popular First Tracks program will begin for the season on Saturday, December 16, utilizing the new Wild Blue Gondola for early access to the Sunshine Peak area of the mountain. First Tracks guests will now load Wild Blue Gondola between 8:00–8:15 am, with the most direct access to the top of the mountain, ahead of the resort’s official Steamboat Gondola and Christie Peak Express lift opening time of 8:30 am. Wild Blue Gondola will then close to accommodate SnowSports School and re-open to the public at 9:00 am.
With the additional 600 acres and 5 lifts opening this week, the resort will be 30 percent open, with more than 60 trails, 16 lifts, and 1,100 acres. As conditions allow, crews will continue to open terrain and lifts. Skiers and riders should be aware of tree wells and keep a safe distance from the base of trees in this newly opened area. Skiers and riders also need to obey all closed signs, as natural hazards exist in areas that remain closed.
For real-time updates on lifts and trails visit steamboat.com or the Steamboat mobile app.
Photo courtesy of Steamboat Resort
Copper Mountain Unveils Aerie Lodge
COPPER MOUNTAIN, CO – This week, Copper Mountain proudly celebrated the grand opening of its much-anticipated mid-mountain lodge, Aerie, with a ceremony attended by employees, partners from the U.S. Forest Service, contractors, and community leaders, all of whom played crucial roles in bringing this project to fruition.
Nestled at the top of the American Eagle lift, the aptly named two-story, 25,000-square-foot lodge is poised to redefine on-mountain dining experiences in Colorado. Aerie features a variety of cuisine options from a coffee shop with freshly baked pasties to multiple bars, a private event space, a five-station food hall offering items like stone-fired pizza and ramen station, and most notably, a signature sit-down restaurant, Forage and Feast. The gondola unloads on the second-floor deck, providing a seamless transition for all guests, whether they arrive by foot or ski or board.
Aerie will host a variety of special programs throughout the season, including holiday dinners, beer pairings, and moonlight dine and ski events.
Christmas Eve Dinner at Forage & Feast Take the gondola to 11,200′ for dinner at Forage & Feast—and not just any dinner! The five-course meal will feature fresh, local, organic ingredients. Dinner seatings start at 7:30 pm, and guests are welcome to arrive prior to their reservation to view the 7:15 pm fireworks show and enjoy a cocktail at the Forage & Feast bar.
Aerie New Year’s Eve Celebration & Fireworks Ring in 2024 close to the clouds at Aerie’s mid-mountain New Year’s Eve celebration. Travel from Center Village via gondola starting at 5:45 pm to the new Aerie Lodge, where scenic views and baked brie, charcuterie, crudités, and hand-passed appetizers will be waiting for you and your crew. Dinner food station selections start at 6:45 pm and include grilled tomahawk and cauliflower steak, a raw seafood bar, portobello fries, baked oysters, and roasted chicken and veggies, but be sure to save room for decadent desserts from the Copper bakeshop. During the evening, the lower level will boast a live band, and the upper level will offer a DJ and a more relaxed setting. Ring in the New Year at 10:00 pm MT with a champagne toast and exclusive viewing of a jaw-dropping fireworks show.
GEORGETOWN, CO – Thirty-seven fifth graders from Laredo Elementary in Aurora, Colorado, hit the slopes at Loveland Ski Area on Tuesday, December 5, thanks to a partnership between the ski area and the Chris Anthony Youth Initiative Project.
Founded and led by Chris Anthony, a Colorado native and Snow Sports Hall of Fame inductee, the Project’s mission is to enhance quality of life by introducing youth to educational enrichment opportunities. In addition to placing mentors in classrooms, connecting students to experiential opportunities beyond the classroom, offering financial support, and creating educational tools that enhance the overall classroom experience, the 501(c)(3) foundation brings students like the lucky fifth graders of Laredo Elementary to the mountains.
Since they teamed up in 2018, Loveland Ski Area and the Chris Anthony Youth Initiative Project have made it possible for nearly 700 elementary students to experience skiing on the snow, many of them for the first time. The Chris Anthony Youth Initiative Project has multiple trips planned at Loveland Ski Area each month of the 2023–24 season.
For more information about the Chris Anthony Youth Initiative Project, visit www.chrisanthony.com.
Learning to Ski Means Learning the Code
Photo courtesy of Loveland Ski & Chris Anthony Youth Initiative Project
Monarch Will Open December 6
SALIDA, CO – After reporting nearly two feet of snow over the December 2–3 weekend, Monarch Mountain will open for 2023–24 season on Wednesday, December 6.
As one of the few remaining ski areas in Colorado that does not make any snow, Monarch relies completely on natural precipitation to open its 800 acres of terrain. With a base elevation of 10,790 ft, they see an abundance of all-natural snow throughout the ski season. The resort will announce the amount of terrain and number of lifts they plan to open this week.
Notable developments made at the ski area over the summer include restrooms in the Paradise Parking lot, gladed terrain in the Mirkwood zone, improvements to the base area, and the acquisition and remodel of the Monarch at the Crest property. The visitor center and sports shop, located two miles west of the ski area, will be open on the weekends and peak times, with continuous shuttles running throughout the season.
Opening day lift operating hours will be from 9:00 am–4:00 pm. The Rental Shop, Sidewinder Saloon, Java Stop, Ski and Ride School, and Elation Sports will all be open.
