Copper Mountain Colorado
Welcome to Copper Mountain, Colorado! A little less than two hours West of Denver and like all of Colorado it's breathtaking!
I had never seen Colorado in the middle of winter and believe it or not this was my VERY first ski trip! I was watching little kids fly past me as I was learning the term pizza-ing and I couldn't help but blame my parents for not taking me skiing when I was younger. Of course, I never knew I was missing out because instead we were camping, hiking and fishing. A much cheaper option for a family of six! Don't worry, I don't blame my parents, (Mom) but just think how good I could have been!?
We left for Colorado at 5am with ten people, in two vehicles and it took us well over the eight hours, but you can't pass up Chick-Fil-a for breakfast! We finally rolled into Dillon, Colorado around 4pm and headed straight to get our ski rentals at Christy Sports and got all set for the following day at Copper!
DAY 1: Snow Globes & Face Plants
The first day at Copper Mountain was the most beautiful! Fresh snow was falling all day and even though it was cold, I felt like I was in a snow globe. In terms of skiiing...I was putting ski's on for the first time in my life. And although I was very proud of myself for getting back up after my 100th time falling, I wished the beautiful powder day had happened on my third day.
Everybody in our group was super excited to get on the mountain. Here is Kelsi with her crooked googles.
I never thought much about actually taking ski school and instead Kelsi's husband Brandon was the most patient human ever as he taught me, and two others how to ski. On our first hill I was terrified! I wanted to quit so bad, but it was so gorgeous and I wanted to stay surrounded by it so bad...so I did...by taking THREE hours to finish my first run!
did ski the whole time with my Lowepro bag the whole time, does that count for anything?
After lunch I was exhausted from my first half of the day but really wanted to get back to the pretty snow globe so I agreed to go on an "easy" one with Collin. It was going pretty good, but everything was still terrifying to me even as I was gaining more confidence. I learned gaining confidence just means you go faster, and going faster means falling harder, and the more tired I became the crazier, faster and harder the falls became. An endless battle really.
Let's just say I ended that run with a grand finale crazy face plant/knee twist that had me crying the rest of the way down. I even had a guy point and laugh at me from the ski lift...come on guy!
On the shuttle bus back to our car I swore to Collin I would never ski again...he just laughed.
DAY 2: Sunny Skiing
Day two at Copper Mountain was nothing like our beautiful snow globe day, but this time I knew what to expect. I started the day out on the run I had ended the day before in tears and finished in half the time and with only a few falls!
It was also a lot busier that day and families were everywhere. The photo of the man walking up the stairs was one of my favorites, as he told me he was a back country skier and I thought, man I would love to ski with that guy. I should have asked him for his life story...
When a break is needed, just throw snow.
I sat at the bottom of one of the hills and photographed snowboarders and skiers flying down one of the hills and I loved watching them, they were all so fearless.
As the day was ending the sun was casting a warm glow on the snowy mountains and I had to stop one last time in the parking lot and take this shot. I believe winter Colorado is my favorite Colorado.
DAY 3: Favorite Ski Day
So, day one was the most beautiful and exhausting, but day three was my favorite ski day! Collin and I decided to ski just the two of us and I was excited this time instead of nervous.
We even went down the run that took me three hours the first day and I did it in less than 30 minutes! I understand that is still bad, but I felt in control and most of all I was having fun!
I also loved getting to the top of the lift with the wind blowing snow everywhere and the grand view of the Rockies in the distance. I knew this would probably be my last time so I sat down and watched as the skiers came in on the lifts and made their way to the different runs. I sat there in all my warm ski clothes and thought, dangit...turns out I do love skiing.
DAY 4: Snowshoe hiking!
We had originally planned on snowmobiling, but when a group of ten doesn't book ahead you're likely to get reservations, so those plans went out the window. The group that hadn't gone skiing on day three went skiing and a few of us decided on snowshoe hiking!
It was actually one of my favorite things and if you've never tried this you should! It was a learning curve getting all strapped in, but once you're in you're good to go. Going backwards is a whole different story though...
We ended up hiking for several hours on a trail that started right on the edge of Copper West and took us on a big circle through trees and fields. If you're wanting to try something else with the family or just get a great workout, I really recommend it. We laughed the entire way as we would randomly fall or see how far we could get in the really deep snow. (The key is high knees!)
Until next time Colorado and maybe we stick to rock climbing next time!
-Tara
TARA SHUPE
Is a Humanitarian Photographer and Video Storyteller, constantly traveling with a camera attached to the hip and a notebook in her pocket. With over 10 years of experience in the field, Tara approaches each story intimately with a hope for inspiring others to think beyond their comfort zone.
The Captain of our military escort was very into selfies, so I had promised him a photo with my camera, which of course led to most of the unit, but it gave me a chance to play with my newest lens: The Petzval 55 Mark II