25% Intermediate - 36% Advanced!
In the US, trails are divided into four separate categories – Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Expert – making it difficult to accurately assess just exactly how many are suitable for the average joe skier. If it’s perfectly-groomed carving slopes you’re looking for (these are intermediates in the US, which means blue!), you’ll want to head over to the American Eagle lift and the area surrounding the Timberline Express, where you’ll find some variety. If you’re in the mood for some moguls or ungroomed slopes (this terrain is categorized as advanced and marked by a black diamond!), we recommend Far East, Too Much and Triple Threat off of the Alpine lift. The black diamond runs off Resolution shouldn’t be a problem for intermediate skiers either. Trails marked by two diamonds (the so-called double diamond runs), should only be attempted by true experts. Copper Mountain was very close to receiving our best rating of 5 stars in the Intermediate category. The single fault: the lifts, though not too bad for American standards, just aren’t nearly as comfortable as European ones.