Copper Mountain's summer hike park keeps Colorado ski season alive long after winter ends
While most Coloradans have traded ski boots for hiking shoes, a dedicated group of skiers and snowboarders is still carving turns and hitting rails at the Copper Mountain hike park.
Even after a winter marked by aggressively below average snowfall, Copper Mountain has managed to keep snow on the hillside by moving it from its 22-foot superpipe and stockpiling it for summer use.
"Basically just move it to where the hike park is sitting now, pile it really high so that we can have people riding on it for as long as possible," said Copper Mountain Communications Coordinator Molly Glandt. "Sometimes that's well into September."
The park attracts a devoted crowd willing to hike laps in snow pants while temperatures climb well into summer.
"My husband grew up skiing Copper back when the hike park used to be a thing," said skier Amanda Hackett. "We've been back ever since they started back up. We actually bought our house in Leadville to stay around Copper."
For many riders, summer skiing is about more than just staying on snow.
"In the summer, it honestly helps condition your body," Hackett explained. "All of those hikes make all of the tricks well earned, and it gets us ready for the winter."
Others say it's the community that keeps them coming back.
"Everyone's homies here," snowboarder Gustavo Medina said. "If you don't have a friend, you make a friend. Everyone helps each other."
Copper says the hike park is currently open Thursday through Sunday. During the week, crews reshape features and preserve the snowpack to extend the season as long as possible.
"It is a bit weird when you walk outside, and it feels like 90 degrees, and you see people out there in snow pants riding on the hike park," Glandt said. "But it's pretty cool to be able to always be riding on snow."
Day passes for the hike park cost $25, while a season pass is available for $249. Copper Mountain plans to keep the park open for as long as conditions allow.
