Did you know Colorado boasts an action sports and youth paradise right in our backyard? Woodward Copper offers year-round skiing and snowboarding on real Colorado snow, plus a 19,400-foot indoor training facility for the whole family with skateparks, Olympic-grade trampolines, foam pit jumps, indoor ski and snowboard training and more.
If you’re thinking “My family has never done anything like this,” fret not!
Woodward Copper at Copper Mountain Resort has programs for everyone, even those with no prior sports experience and guaranteed, they offer unforgettable adventures your family will talk about for years. Skiers, snowboarders, skateboarders, BMXers, mountain bikers, scooter riders, cheer and tumble athletes and more will all find something awesome and FUN to do at Woodward Copper. Our state-of-the-art training tools and professional staff will help athletes identify and achieve their goals, and their world-class facilities and parks will leave visitors in awe and filled with stoked for the next season.
Top Five Family Activities at Woodward
Copper Mountain offers curated half-day or full-day private lesson experiences for anyone looking to expand their freestyle ski and ride skills. Certified instructors are available to share the ins and outs of the whole network of Woodward Mountain Parks. From private lessons to specialized rail, jump or halfpipe sessions, there’s an offering for every type of athlete.
- Tots and Tumble & Trampoline time on Saturdays and Wednesdays from 10:30-11:30 a.m. The cost is $20 for a 1-hour session. Offered January 4th – April 23rd, 2023. Participants need to be 4-6 years old and will receive access to open gym with on-site coaching/supervision. Parents must be present at the facility, but do not need to participate. Access to tramps, spring floor, and foam pits only.
- Woodward Start Park: Woodward start park is where first-time skiers and snowboarders begin their journey as a Woodward Athlete. Built and designed to effortlessly guide users, this one snow playground features slight terrain contours aimed at controlling speed while gradually raising the bar for the smoothest skill introductions, confidence building and learning experiences.
- Woodward Progression Parks: Once the family has conquered the start park, the next step is the progression park. Including features for varying ability levels, individual stop and drop zones, one-hit learning features and contoured terrain – Progression Parks offer seamless progression to fast-track comfort and ability on featured terrain.
- Family Cross: Imagine your favorite natural gully, but groomed and enhanced with minimal shaping. Family Cross transforms this area into a family-friendly race track of mellow banked slalom turns and rollers built on a gentle enough pitch to prevent excess speed.
- Barn Birthday Parties: Do you want a birthday your child will always remember? Birthday parties include guest access to The Barn, a 2-hour session with Intro, a private Party Zone, a party coach and a Woodward T-shirt for the birthday VIP.
Moms (and Kids) at Play
My daughter and I participated in one of their intro classes and I’m not sure what I was expecting out of the 1 hour and 45-minute class. Maybe we’d jump on the trampoline. If things got really crazy, we’d launch into the foam pit.
What we got: Skatelite jumps into foam pits. Sick moves on the Olympic fly-bed trampolines and a Super Tramp. Tumbling practice with back rolls and rodeo progressions on the spring floor and tumble track. And the more adventurous in our group ended the lesson by trying Woodward’s exclusive Parkboards™ and Parkskis™ and launching off the ramps into the foam pits.
I wasn’t too disappointed when Hadley begged us to skip that last one.
Our instructor Greg was everything you’d expect and so much more. He was a veritable “dude” but an excellent instructor with a hyper-vigilance to safety and who spotted our every move. “Yell ‘PIT’ when you jump into the foam pit,” he coached. “And make sure you land on your back with your legs spread apart in a tuck position.”
Though Hadley has minimal gymnastics experience, she was bouncing and tumbling along with everyone else. As for me? I shocked the 20-somethings (and myself) by busting out several moves I haven’t done since my days in gymnastics and backyard trampoline glory. I don’t wanna brag but I did have the best cartwheel in the group.
After an hour of practice, most of the guys took to the ramps with their Parkboards while the girls stayed behind to test out our new moves on the Super Tramp and five Fly Beds. After a while, Hadley complained, “My back hurts.”
“So take a break.”
“I. Can’t. Stop.” And she soldiered on with her ninja kicks against the padded wall.
By the end of our session, we were both limping a bit but proud and ecstatic at what we’d accomplished. Hadley looked at her old mom in a new light.
“Hey Mom, you did some flips and didn’t even break your neck,” she marveled.
I’m counting that one as a win.
Woodward Summer Camps for Kids AND Moms
Woodward is a year-round facility and their week-long Summer Camps designed for learning and progression in skiing and snowboarding on real snow are legendary! Intermediate to advanced riders, ages 7-17, are invited for an experience that will help them level up their skills and create lasting memories in the process.
This year, they’re also offering an adult Summer Ski/Snowboard camp session (5/28/23 – 6/2/23). Adults ages 18+ are welcome to join them this Summer for 5 days of on-snow training as well as off-snow training in The Barn. Five hours on snow per day, two hours in The Barn per day. Who says kids get to have all the fun? Woodward Summer Camp offers an Adult Summer Camp experience in a whole new way!
Learn more at coppercolorado.com.
Winter Fun in Colorado
Colorado Family Ski Guide. Don’t miss the ultimate Colorado family ski vacation guide for 2022/23–from fun on the slopes and off the slopes as well.
Colorado’s Best Outdoor Skating. Sharpen those blades of glory: Colorado’s outdoor ice skating is in full swing. Enjoy city rinks or mountain lakes with the Ultimate Guide to Outdoor Skating in Colorado.
Sledding in Colorado. In our 30 Best Places to Go Sledding in Colorado, we’ve shared a myriad of sledding hills–some public, some secret.
Happy Adventuring!
Photos: Courtesy Copper Mountain
Author: Mile High Mamas
