When it comes to skiing, its hard to come by something that’s free, but Copper Mountain ski resort in Colorado offers free cat skiing on Tucker Mountain and Copper Bowl for mountain guests.

This cat skiing operation grants expert skiers and snowboarders access to over 273 acres and 12,000 vertical feet of Copper’s unprecedented high alpine back bowls.

Tucker Mountain Cat Skiing has a wide variety of runs from steep chutes to beautiful tree runs, the challenging terrain that you desire is awaiting you.

Cat skiing on Tucker Mountain is free to anyone that purchases a lift ticket or has a season pass and you can take as many runs as you want throughout the day. There are two Snowcats that bring guests up Tucker Mountain and they operate Friday-Sunday from 10:00am-1:30pm, weather permitting. They pick guests up just above the Mountain Chief-Chairlift, which is accessible by American Flyer to Rendezvous Chairlifts. A short 15-minute cat ride deposits guest in a saddle on a ridgeline where guests can either immediately shred gnarly powder or they can hike to the 12,337-foot summit of Tucker Mountain for access to more advanced terrain.

Tucker Mountain Cat Skiing Statistics:

• Years of Operation: 22 Years
• Base of Copper Bowl: 11,498′
• Summit of Tucker Mountain: 12,337′
• Vertical: 994′
• Skiable Terrain: 273 Acres
• Average Annual Snowfall: 304”
• Runs Per Day On The Cat: As Many As You Can Get In
• Hours of Operation: Friday-Sunday From 10:00am to 1;30pm
• Snow Cat Capacity: 12 People In One and 10 In The Other
• Cost: Free With the Purchas of a Lift Ticket or Season Pass

6 Ways To Maximize Your Tucker Mountain Experience:

• If you want to avoid the wait, try to get to the 10am cat. As the day goes on, the cats fill up fast, so to get a lot of laps in, get there early.
• Wearing an avalanche beacon will grant you access to a separate and usually much shorter line, which will allow you to get on the cat quicker and ski more.
• When you’re in the cat, talk with patrollers and cat drivers. They can provide you with tips and tricks to maximize your run based on the weather and snow conditions.
• Tucker Mountain does open when the cat isn’t running mid-week. Check out Copper’s snow report before you go, then you can walk the ridge all the way around Copper Bowl from the Mountain Chief chairlift. It takes about 45 minutes on average and offers some amazing views. Although, if Copper gets a bunch of snow, the cat may run mid-week.
• The farther you hike across the ridge, the better snow conditions you will find! The reward is worth the trek!
• Tucker’s terrain is north-facing so it holds snow longer than the rest of Copper Bowl, which is primarily south-facing. Tucker Mountain is the place to go to find the most reliable snow conditions.

 

Tucker Mountain Photo Tour: