Copper Mountain Resort is The Athlete's Mountain. Located in Summit County, Colorado, about 75 miles (121 km) west of Denver on Interstate 70, the resort opened in late 1971. Iit was owned and operated by Intrawest until Dec. 2009, when operations were transferred to Powdr Adventure Lifestyle Co. The ski area features beginner slopes on the western side of the mountain, intermediate slopes in the center, and expert terrain on the eastern side. Advanced "double black diamond" slopes are located on the two peaks above 12,000 feet (Copper and Union Peaks), including four expert-only bowls: Copper Bowl, Union Bowl, Spaulding Bowl, and Resolution Bowl. Copper Mountain Ski Resort has 2,465 acres of in-bounds terrain under lease from the United States Forest Service, White River National Forest, Dillon Ranger District. Elevation Base: 9,712 ft (2,960 m) Summit: 12,313 ft (3,753 m) Trails Acres: 2,465 acres (9.98 km2) Vertical: 2,601 ft (793 m) Trails: 140 total Average annual snowfall: 279 in (710 cm)