Copper Mountain Alpine Ski World Cup Races Preview

Aksel Lund Svindal, 2017, Copper Mountain, Colorado. Picture: Matt Power / Red Bull Content Pool

Following the events in Levi and Gurgl, the Men's and Women's teams begin the North American Alpine Ski World Cup Tour at the end of November in Copper Mountain.

Copper Mountain is a mountain and ski resort located in Summit County, Colorado, about 120 kilometers west of Denver. The ski resort opened in November 1972 with 26 miles of trails and five lifts. In December 2009, Intrawest sold the resort's operations to POWDR, a privately held American company that owns and operates ski resorts in the United States and Canada. Based in Park City, Utah, POWDR was established in 1994 by John Cumming, who was an early investor in the clothing brand Mountain Hardwear.

POWDR’s adventure lifestyle company portfolio includes Copper Mountain and Eldora Mountain Resort in Colorado; Boreal Mountain Resort and Soda Springs in the Lake Tahoe region of California; Mt. Bachelor in Oregon; Snowbird in Utah; and SilverStar Mountain Resort in British Columbia, Canada.

Copper Mountain is divided into three villages: East Village, The Village at Copper, and West Village (formerly Union Creek). The ski area is most notable as being designated by the National Forest Service as having the most organized skier layout of any ski resort.

Copper Mountain is part of the Ikon Pass community, which comprises inspiring mountain destinations across the Americas, Europe (Chamonix Mont-Blanc Valley in France; Dolomiti Superski and Valle d’Aosta in Italy; Grandvalira Resorts in Andorra; Kitzbühel and Ischgl in Austria; Zermatt and St. Moritz in Switzerland), Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.

The Stifel Copper Cup will feature four days of world-class Alpine Skiing in Copper Mountain's East Village.

Copper Mountain (USA), a key venue on the Freestyle circuit, is making a return to the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup calendar for the first time in decades. With an upgrade to its lift system, the Colorado venue will host its inaugural World Cup Men’s Super-G on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, followed by a Giant Slalom on the next day. This will be the first time Men have competed there since 1976.

On Saturday, 29 November, Women will make their competitive return to Copper Mountain after 24 years, with a Giant Slalom followed by a Slalom on Sunday.

Over the years, the Copper Mountain ski resort has become a reliable replacement venue for the Alpine Ski World Cup, having hosted races in 1976, 1999, and 2001. The resort has also hosted the U.S. Alpine National Championships on several occasions, including 1976, 1984, 1986, 2012, 2013, and most recently in 2020.

The Copper Mountain ski resort plays a key role in developing alpine skiers through early and late-season race training opportunities.

The U.S. Ski Team Speed Center, located in Copper Mountain’s East Village, is the world’s only full-length Downhill training venue available during the early season. Since 2011, it has supported elite skiers with dedicated Downhill and Super-G training. Copper’s high elevation and north-facing slope aspect also make it the ideal venue for early-season race conditions.

Opened in November 2019, the Alpine Technical Centre has been specifically designed for elite-level Giant Slalom and Slalom training and racing. Situated to the west of the Speed Centre, the Tech Centre comprises two trails: Andy's Encore and Ore Deal. The maximum vertical course set is 450 metres, offering pitches ranging from moderate to steep with a technical gradient.

In March 1976, Copper stepped in to host Men’s and Women’s Giant Slalom and Slalom races after Heavenly Valley, California, was forced to cancel due to a lack of snow. German Olympic Champion Rosi Mittermaier swept the women’s events, and Rosi’s Run at Copper was named in her honor.

Once again, Copper hosted the Women's Alpine Ski World Cup Giant Slalom and Slalom races in November 1999, after Park City, Utah, was unable to hold the events due to poor snow conditions.

The Women’s Giant Slalom and Slalom World Cup races, which were scheduled to take place in Aspen, were relocated to Copper Mountain for a third time due to challenging snow conditions in November 2001.

These races represent the first stop of the Men’s World Cup season in North America and will be the only Women’s World Cup race in the United States for the 2025-2026 winter season.

Copper Mountain (USA)

November 27th Super-G / Men

November 28th Giant Slalom / Men

Thursday, 27.11.2025

• 11:00 am LOC

  
  

Friday, 28.11.2025

• 10:00 LOC 1st run

• 13:00 LOC 2nd run

Copper Mountain (USA)*

November 29th Giant Slalom / Women

November 30th Slalom / Women

Saturday, 29.11.2025

• 10:00 LOC 1st run

• 13:00 LOC 2nd run

  
  

Sunday, 30.11.2025

• 10:00 LOC 1st run

• 13:00 LOC 2nd run

*For the past eight years, Killington Ski Resort in Vermont has hosted the women's World Cup. However, this season's event will take place at Copper Mountain due to the replacement of the Superstar lift, which services the World Cup slope. The women's race is expected to return to Killington in 2026.