Copper Mountain high

PETER MEECHAM tastes great snow runs and high party life at one of the top US skifields.

The light, dry powder swirls around us as we plunge through the trees, skis porpoising from turn to turn in the seemingly bottomless snow as large flakes continue to drift down, isolating us from reality.

The sound of swishing skis is a reminder that we have escaped the sweaty daily grind of our cities on the other side of the globe and ascended into the world of fresh tracks, clear blue days and party nights that is Club Med at Copper Mountain.

Copper is in the aptly named Summit County of Colorado's Rocky Mountains, around 2 1/2 hours' drive from Denver.

The large Club Med hotel at 2900m takes full advantage of the ski area at its back door, which rises a further 4000m, the altitude providing patrons with some of the best snow conditions in the United States.

The staff at Club Med took us on a quick tour of facilities, including the restaurant, bars, spa and sauna rooms - and even a gym for those who, unlike me, can exercise or even move after a day's skiing.

After unpacking in my small but comfortable room, I joined my colleagues for what was to be the first taste of Copper Mountain's awesome skiing.

Following the stylish form of our French guide, Thierry Piekar, Club Med's head man in Australia and New Zealand, we carved arcs on the wide, well-groomed runs of the lower slopes under powder-blue skies and brilliant afternoon sunshine. With the slopes seemingly devoid of people, we raced down the mountain together until the lifts closed and we were forced to retire to the hotel.

A great meal awaited in the Club Med buffet restaurant, where we could stuff ourselves with all manner of culinary delights and then go back for more.

As we enjoyed conversation around a raging open fire at the bar later in the evening, the snow began to fall outside. Meanwhile, Piekar proved that he was not only a fantastic skier but also a wonderful host, introducing us to all the staff, who mingled with the guests in a warm welcoming atmosphere.

Next day 25cm of powder greeted us as we created tracks through the fresh snow, exploring more of the vast 985ha field accessed by Copper's 23 lifts.

Intrawest, which is developing the ski area, must employ alchemists, as it has turned Copper Mountain into solid gold, with runs to suit anyone from a first-timer on the wide and ice-free lower slopes, to the pro-level skier or boarder who can access off-piste conditions ranging from open steep bowls to snow and tree-filled gullies, which beckon the more adventurous.

The grooming of the main runs is first class, providing consistent conditions for the progressing skier. We spent the whole day trying to stay with Piekar and Peter Stone, a top skier from Australia who joined us and searched out run after run of superb snow in varied, exciting terrain.

After dinner and a much-needed massage to relieve stressed muscles, I visited the village, where I was blown away by the friendly party atmosphere - even though it was only a week night.

I was also impressed by the number of Kiwis who have chosen to live and work at Copper Mountain; people such as Simon Cawley, former general manager of Mt Hutt who works as a senior instructor at Copper Mountain Ski School, and snowboard instructors Iain McGregor and Cleay Perham, who insured that the partying went on far longer than a chap of my delicate constitution is used to.

After a late night culminating in a ski area staff party, it was surprisingly easy to make an early start under a clear blue sky, conditions enhanced by another small snowfall. The thumping hangover soon faded to a minor headache in the cool morning air.

As we came down to the lifts the shadowy figure we had been drinking shots with the night before materialised into a bright and smiling ski coach teaching beginners. He winked as we passed.

In the afternoon McGregor took us out to the back bowls, where we charged down the sun-facing slopes. When conditions are right, you can get a free groomer ride to the next ridge line and make fresh tracks back down to the ski area.

Back at the hotel the staff put on one of Club Med's legendary shows, in which they all performed and involved the guests, breaking down social barriers - helped along, of course, by fair amounts of good food and wine.

Our last day at Club Med was as wonderful as the first, the sunlit slopes beckoning after a sumptuous breakfast. Piekar enlisted the help of Club Med ski instructor Shannon Brown, who showed us yet more of the ski area, which gets more than 7m of snow a season.

Brown, an Australian with a great sense of humour and skill on skis to match, took us down runs we had never seen before, and informed us it would take two weeks to ski every run at Copper Mountain.

Copper impressed Stone and me so much that, in the extra week we stayed, we remained there rather than going skiing at neighbouring Breckenridge, Keystone, Aspen and Beaver Creek.

So if the hounds of overwork and mediocrity are snapping at your heels, take a break to Club Med at Copper Mountain and outrun those hounds forever high on the wide open slopes of Summit County.

Club Med