Industry News
The resort raised over $150,000 for community partners through Play Forever Thursdays in its most successful lift ticket-giving program.
Copper Mountain has been named a finalist for the National Ski Area Association’s Golden Eagle Award for Community & Partnerships following the success of the resort’s Play Forever Giving programs.
As the winter season winds down at Copper Mountain, the resort is celebrating the success of another season of giving. Copper has raised over $150,000 for partner non-profit organizations through the resort’s Play Forever Thursdays program. Proceeds from the program benefit organizations whose focus is to provide support for local relief, on-mountain participation, and environmental causes.
As part of Copper Mountain’s Play Forever commitment to protect the environment and support the community, the resort established a lift ticket-giving program to raise funds for partners on select dates throughout the season. Through the Play Forever Thursdays program, on select Thursdays throughout the 2022-23 winter season, Copper donated $5 from every $99 discounted lift ticket purchased online and in advance to 18 non-profit organizations over the course of 14 weeks.
“We are honored to play an important role in our community by generating funds and support for our partners through our Play Forever Thursdays program. What started as a small innovative program to help a few community groups has become a substantial funding mechanism for many meaningful non-profits. We are grateful to our guests whose commitment to our mountain has helped strengthen the support we can offer.”
– Dustin Lyman, president and general manager of Copper Mountain Resort
In 2020, Copper Mountain launched its first lift ticket-giving program. Since then, the resort has operated a lift ticket community giving program for four winter and two summer seasons, raising over $470,000 in the past three years to support 22 different organizations. As part of the program, Copper also invites each organization to join on-site on their select date to share their mission and ongoing projects with the Copper community.
Beneficiaries from the 2022-23 Play Forever Thursdays program included the Summit County Rescue Group, Summit Advocates for Victims of Assault, Smart Bellies, SheJumps, Get Outdoors Leadville!, Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment, Friends of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, Blue River Watershed Group, Summit Community Care Clinic, High Country Conservation Center, Summit County Safe Passages, Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center, Leave No Trace, Building Hope, the Family & Intercultural Resource Center, Friends of the Dillon Ranger District, Adaptive Action Sports, and the High Fives Foundation.
Copper Mountain has recently been named a finalist for the National Ski Area Association’s (NSAA) Golden Eagle Award for Community & Partnerships. Copper is being considered for the award following the success of the resort’s multi-year lift ticket-giving program and the resulting donations to environmental organizations in the community. Copper’s Senior Operations and Sustainability Manager, Jeff Grasser, has also been selected as a finalist for this year’s Golden Eagle Hero of Sustainability award. Winners will be announced at the annual NSAA Conference on May 10 in Savannah, Georgia.
To learn more about Copper’s Play Forever initiatives and community programs, visit CopperColorado.com.
