Magical.

That is the word I would use to describe our time at Copper Mountain. Some good friends had offered us the use of their SkyRun vacation property, so we loaded up the truck and headed out to Colorado. We were a little nervous because we knew we would arrive after the SkyRun office had closed for the day, but we needn’t have been concerned as Customer Service was right on top of things. The keys, along with a detailed information sheet, were waiting there for us just as they said it would be. Twinkling lights illuminated the light snow that was falling as we pulled up to the condo. It felt as if we had stepped into a Thomas Kinkade Christmas card!

The feeling continued as we entered the condo and gazed at our delightful new surroundings. Its comfortable furnishings, glowing fire, and elegant country décor made us feel instantly at home. Crisp mountain air and soft licks of snow greeted us as we stepped out onto the balcony. With the moonlit slopes of Copper Mountain before us and our cozy dwelling behind us, we felt the stress of life slowly fading away.

We slept soundly in the comfortable beds and awoke eager to hit the slopes. After a hearty breakfast in the well-appointed kitchen, we made our way to the ski rental shop and then to the lifts. Everything was easy to locate, thanks to SkyRun’s packet of information that we found on the table in the condo. There were even some discount coupons and online deals included in the packet. We were looking forward to taking advantage of those.

The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and the snow was powder-perfect as we glided up the lifts and swooshed down Copper’s legendary runs throughout the morning. A grilled burger and cold beer on the sunlit patio at the base of the lifts proved to be just the break we needed to catch our breath and gear up for more fun on the slopes that afternoon.

Worn and weary but extraordinarily happy from our day on the slopes, we headed back to the condo for some dinner and a soak in the hot tub at the nearby Athletic Club. We would have been content to spend the rest of the evening sipping hot cocoa by the fire had it not been for lure of the lovely ice skating rink in the Center Village. The brisk mountain air and gently falling snow quickly revived us as we made loops around the rink, reminiscing about our childhood adventures on the ice. We fell asleep quickly that night – exhausted, but feeling more relaxed than we had in a very long time.

The next few days were spent skiing, eating, drinking, shopping, and discovering all that Copper Mountain had to offer. As we packed up the truck to prepare for the journey home, it occurred to me that I could not remember the last time I’d had such an amazing vacation in such a beautiful place. To this day, my heart warms at the memories of our magical time at Copper Mountain.