Against all odds the snow will be ready for World Cup ski racing at Copper Mountain this Thanksgiving weekend.
On Sunday, Nov. 16, the International Ski Federation confirmed “positive snow control” on the World Cup venues above East Village. That means all three venues are ready for alpine ski racing – slalom, giant slalom and super-G.
Snowguns at Copper have been churning almost nonstop since late October. On Instagram, through its Copper World Cup account, resort managers claim, “our mountain operations team has taken full advantage of the cold temperatures to produce top-to-bottom snow coverage, painting the mountain white for the Audi FIS World Cup racecourse, alpine training venues, and public terrain.”
In most seasons, Copper gets at least a small assist from Mother Nature. Not this season. Before 3 inches last night, Copper claimed only a trace of natural snow since Oct. 28. Before that, Summit’s official record-keeping weather station saw less than 6 inches of snow. Temps have been unseasonably warm — as high as 58 degrees Fahrenheit (14.5 Celsius) the same day as the snow-control green light.
The 2025 Stifel Copper Cup, Nov. 27 to 30, is the first scheduled alpine World Cup event for men and women in Copper’s 53-year history. But Copper is no stranger to early-season racing. For years international teams have trained on the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center venue – a full-length downhill track from Andy’s Encore to Rosie’s Run – and dozens of youth ski clubs train year-round on the Copperopolis venue beneath Excelerator Lift.
Starting now hundreds of World Cup skiers are in Summit for two weeks of training before racing opens Nov. 27, Thanksgiving Day, when men compete super-G. Team USA superstar Mikaela Shiffrin will be on snow Nov. 30 for the slalom, fresh off a 102nd career victory at Levi, Finland.
All events are free for spectators.
Copper Cup schedule
Thursday, Nov. 27 – men’s super-G (first run 10 a.m.)
Friday, Nov. 28 – men’s giant slalom (first run 10 a.m., second run 1 p.m.)
Saturday, Nov. 29 – women’s giant slalom (first run 10 a.m., second run 1 p.m.)
Sunday, Nov. 30 – women’s slalom (first run 10 a.m., second run 1 p.m.)
Preview image via Copper World Cup on Instagram.
