A ski trip for the Fourth of July may not be the most typical summer holiday trip to most, but for many on Newschoolers, I'm sure the idea sounds appealing. This was my thought this summer when I set my sights on the fourth for a trip to Colorado/Summit County area to scratch my skiing itch. The plan was to drive there Wednesday, bum around Thursday-Sunday, and leave on Monday. I had loose plans for hiking/skating on Thursday, and then skiing Copper's hike park Friday-Sunday. Got the car packed and ready to sleep in Tuesday night, and left around 6:30 AM central time on Wednesday.
The Drive (Wednesday)
I'm from Minnesota, living in the Twin Cities, so the drive is a little over 13 hours not counting stops for me. This is right in the sweet spot of what I don't mind doing in a day, if you leave around 6/7 AM you'll be there/home probably before the sun goes down. I'll usually listen to music for a good chunk, but also occupy some time with the @Mayrandpodcast to keep my mind on skiing. I had planned on sleeping in the car for the most part, but hit up a friend who rode at my local who now lived in Denver. He was nice enough to offer me a night at his place and a shower which I took advantage of on Thursday. He also told me I should do the Peak 10 Classic on Thursday, which I had no idea about before going out there. A quick look at the Instagram page, and I had my plans for tomorrow. Hiking Peak 10 at Breck, skiing a wiggle and small booter, and a general party atmosphere up at Fourth of July Bowl. Made it into Denver around 8:00, got an obligatory Coors Banquet at a bar in Lakewood, and drove to where I was car camping for the night (off the Bakersville exit on I-70).
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View from the campsite
Peak 10 Classic (Thursday)
I was up early around 5:30 since my friend had told me the event was supposed to be pretty popular. Cleared out of the spot and saw the large number of fellow car campers that had showed up throughout the night. A short drive to Breckenridge, and a stop at the gas station for breakfast, and I was in the parking lot getting ready for some July turns.
I must have beat the crowds because I was in the first 10 or so cars in the lot, and caught the third shuttle up to The Overlook Restaurant (did hear later in the day people had to wait over an hour for a shuttle). From there it was around 2 miles and 1200 feet of elevation up to Fourth of July bowl. I ended hiking the last half with another guy who was solo (shoutout Eliot) and we had a beer (another banquet) once we made it to the bowl around 10:30. He said he was waiting on a few more friends before summitting (another 1000 of elevation in about 1 mile), so we waited for the snow to soften a bit before hiking the short way up to the wiggle/jump line. Slashed some perfectly slushy snow, ripped a straight air safety grab off the jump, and sat back down where my stuff was. One of the girls nearby commented that I had the biggest smile on my face as I sat sending pictures to friends. The party was in full swing.
Eliot's friends arrived at the bowl and we began the hike up to the peak, following a number of switchbacks, a bit of walking in snow on the ridge, and scrambling over big boulders to finally reach the top. I'm fairly in shape, but my Midwestern self was sucking air up at 13,640 feet atop Peak 10. Still not done, had to scramble down the other side on more boulders to where the strip of snow that was the entrance to the bowl started.
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Ridgeline up to the peak
The first couple turns were tight and exhilarating for someone who is almost only ever skiing ropetows. The bowl opened up and I turned wide and enjoyed the slush. Back at the bottom, the party continued, complete with local freeride animals throwing dub backs, a DJ playing house remixes, and even a couple nude backflips. I reveled in the atmosphere that was filled with the stoke and excitement that only skiing in the summer under bluebird skies brings. Last shuttle was at 4:00 so after hanging around with everyone for awhile, I headed back to Overlook and snagged a ride down. Exhausted, I drove back to my friend's place in Denver and showered and slept in a real bed with the thought of skiing rails the next day on my mind.
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View from top of the run
Copper Hike Park Rail Jam (Friday)
Copper is doing a summer rail jam series this year, and one happened to fall on this Friday. I drove out from Denver and got there around 9:00 with registration starting at 9:30. Got on hill for practice at 10:00 and finally was doing what I came for, skiing rails. There was plenty of talented riders, young guns I assumed were on freestyle teams, local heavy-hitters, and Ian Osby, who ended up winning (maybe I should start taking collagen).
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View of the setup
Only complaint was the prize for winning was $100 gift card that could only be used in the Copper village. Seemed a little cheap if you ask me. Still, the contest was fun and I lapped the rest of the day after. Level 1 was doing a movie night for Less in Denver, but I did not have the energy to go to downtown Denver that night, so I bummed in the parking lot, got dinner, and went back to the car camping spot.
Saturday + Sunday
I enjoyed the contest day, but Saturday and Sunday was where I really got the full hike park experience. On hill from 10-5 both days, maximizing laps per hour as best as possible. Similar minded homies that were out there the entire time both days helped me feel right at home. The community as a whole was so welcoming and it felt like everyone was friends, always stoked when someone landed a trick.
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That's a lot of snow
Both mornings started with a tube session where I would warm up tricks along with other riders. Hard to beat a sleepy tube session on a sunny July morning. The set overall wasn't huge, but very trickable. Park crew resets each week and does a great job maintaining lips throughout the day. I would brainstorm tricks the night before, so moved onto those after getting warmed up. Many of the locals had go pros on sticks for filming, I had to get by with my phone propped in my shoe for the most part. Only ended up missing one clip when it got blown over by the wind. I did end up stacking a good amount of clips, check my insta (dom.lonetti) if you want to see.
One part I was pleasantly surprised at was the amount of female skiers and boarders there. Compared to Minnesota, there was so many more. Makes sense considering summer slush laps are the perfect place to progress/get introduced to the sport. Also, a few Newschoolers members ride there, including @SchizoSkier , who I taught to fastslide on Sunday.
Conclusion
Sometimes, new places can be intimidating to ride at, but that was not Copper. Having such a small footprint makes for an intimate experience with everyone there. Whether its a conversation while hiking, smoking a bowl in the woods, or sharing food for lunch, I was always meeting new homies who were just stoked to be there. I had never been somewhere that it felt like everyone was so similar to me. I'm sure its like that at Hood (haven't been yet, next year), but the desire to be out hiking rails in the middle of July is something shared by a few.
If you're within the distance of a 1 day drive, I would highly recommend making the trip out this summer. I had such a good time I felt the need to write this, sorry if I yapped too much. They're open Friday-Sunday, and planning on running the park essentially until opening day. There is time for non-skiing activities on the front or back end of the trip, I had brought my discs and skates, but ultimately had all the time filled with skiing (no complaints). $25 lift tickets is fine, but if I was a local, I would be mad that there's no season pass option. Still, this is a far cheaper option than summer ski camps or other resorts open in the summer, if you're willing to do a bit of walking.
Misc. tips
Use iOverlander to find car camping spots. Oaxaca Bites in Breckenridge is really good. Get to copper early and park in the flyer lot. Rec center in breck has nice facilities and $8 shower with soap.
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