Photo from Woodward Copper
Copper Mountain Resort has opened the Red’s Backyard hike-to rail garden in similar fashion to last year.
The rail garden opened late last week in the same location as last year looker’s right of the Woodward Superpipe just above the Center Village base area.
Copper Mountain spokesperson Taylor Prather wrote in an email that the hike park is once again free for guests to ski or ride as long as they pick up a free ticket and sign a waiver before accessing the rail garden, which is segmented off with red fencing from other base area ski runs.
Photo by Liz Copan / Studio Copan
Several outbreaks have been reported among ski area employees in the first weeks of ski season, including one at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area and two each at Keystone Resort and Breckenridge Ski Resort. All of the outbreaks were initially reported by public health officials as two cases each.
In their state-approved operation plans for the season, each ski resort was required to address plans for isolating and quarantining employees who are sick or exposed to COVID-19 in the workplace, including sending the employee home and identifying other employees who might have been exposed
.
But for workers who live in employee housing, the process is a bit more complicated.
Photo from Copper Mountain Resort
The storm that swept through Summit County over the weekend brought about 2-6 inches of snow to the towns with more accumulation on the highest peaks, according to Bob Kleyla, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in Boulder. Kleyla said the totals were in line with the forecast.
As of Sunday, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area recorded a total of 4 inches from the storm system. Copper Mountain Resort reported 7 inches, Keystone Resort recorded 9 inches and Breckenridge Ski Resort tallied 12 inches, the highest ski area total in the region.
There are a few more chances for snow this week with fast-moving weather systems, Kleyla said. There is a decent chance of snow Monday afternoon through Monday night, a storm on Wednesday and another late Thursday into Friday. Each system could bring another 3-6 inches of snow, according to the forecast. Overall, Kleyla said there is a better chance for precipitation this week compared to last week.
Aaron Blunck of Crested Butte competes in the freeski finals at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix World Cup at Copper Mountain Resort in December 2019. Though this month’s event was canceled due to COVID-19, American and international athletes are currently training at the Copper pipe.
Photo from U.S. Ski & Snowboard
Despite the cancellation of this coming week’s U.S. Grand Prix World Cup events at Copper Mountain Resort due to concerns amid the novel coronavirus, Copper Mountain is hosting athlete training on the Woodward Superpipe through Dec. 23.
U.S. pro and rookie team halfpipe snowboarders and skiers began dropping into the only Olympic-sized superpipe currently open on the continent on Monday, Dec. 7. Copper Mountain Resort spokesperson Taylor Prather said in an email Saturday afternoon that the resort continued with training in the superpipe but not the annual Grand Prix World Cup competition because the resort “remains committed to athlete progression and development t
Breckenridge Ski Resort on Friday, Dec. 11, opened Peak 7 for the first time this winter via the Independence SuperChair.
Vail Resorts spokesperson Sara Lococo wrote in an email the resort’s C-Chair will open Saturday. Lococo added the resort’s new trails for the weekend include Pioneer, Fort Mary B, Angel’s Rest, the lower portion of Monte Cristo and Lower Four O’Clock.
The Gondola Ski Back also will open this weekend for skiing and riding into town.
The expanded terrain at Breckenridge takes the resort up to 20 lifts, 30 trails and about 500 acres of terrain across Peaks 7, 8 and 9.
Over at Keystone Resort, the Wayback lift opened Friday as well as the popular Anticipation ski run off the backside of North Peak.