Alta, Utah or Copper Mountain?

Neither place has beaches or anywhere to swim in the sea, and both are a very long way from any coast. Summer swimming means a heated lodge pool or a hot tub in both.

The only difference is the nearby water. Alta looks towards the Great Salt Lake, which is too shallow and salty to tempt anyone in. Copper's Summit County reservoirs are cold snowmelt, and the largest is used for boating rather than bathing.

The food is similar at both, plain fuel for skiers, but the way you eat differs. In Alta, meals are mostly taken in the lodges, often on half board at long communal tables, with Utah's liquor rules shaping how drinks are served. A meal out means driving down the canyon to Salt Lake City.

At Copper Mountain you have more options day to day. Condo kitchens let you cook, the village has pizza, Mexican and pub food, and the restaurant streets of Frisco and Breckenridge are a short drive away, not a canyon descent.

Neither has sights worth planning a day around. Alta at least has a story of its own: it was a silver-mining camp that became one of the oldest ski areas in the American West, and old mine traces survive on its slopes. Copper is a purpose-built condo village. The Victorian mining heritage nearby belongs to Breckenridge and Leadville, while Alta's museums are in Salt Lake City.

Copper Mountain has more going on, though only by après-ski standards. Its base-area bars fill with skiers still in their boots, and busy weekends bring music to the village plaza. Breckenridge, about half an hour away, has a later main-street scene.

In Alta, the evening is a drink in your lodge bar and then bed, and regulars like it that way. The livelier après is at the resort down the road, and any real night out means Salt Lake City.

Both are first-rate mountain destinations, but the skiing differs. Alta is about snow quality. It is known for deep, dry Wasatch powder, often well over 12m in a winter, on steep terrain kept for skiers only, with serious backcountry touring in avalanche country. In summer, Albion Basin's wildflowers and the short walk to Cecret Lake are the highlights.

Copper's strength is range. Its terrain is cleanly split by ability, its bowls rise above 3,600m, and several Summit County resorts plus Vail are within a short drive, so a week can cover many mountains. Summer brings the Colorado Trail, the paved path over Vail Pass and fourteen-thousand-foot peaks such as Mount Elbert within an hour.

Copper Mountain has more to choose from, all close by. Breckenridge's Victorian main street and Leadville's silver-boom historic district are each about half an hour away, Vail is just over the pass, and Georgetown has its narrow-gauge railway on the way to Denver.

Alta's best day out is a city rather than another mountain town. Salt Lake City is under an hour away for Temple Square and the Capitol, and Park City is about an hour away. After that the list runs out fast, and storm closures on the canyon road can cancel any plan.

Copper Mountain is far better for families. Its car-free core, slopes divided by ability and large children's ski school are only the start, because snow tubing, a mountain coaster and an indoor centre with trampolines and foam pits give children something to do off the slopes too. The altitude, nearly 3,000m, needs careful watching with very young children.

Alta works only for families who all ski. It has lessons and gentle beginner terrain, but nothing else is made for children, and storm days can keep everyone indoors during avalanche control.

Copper Mountain is the easier base once you have arrived. The village is linked by walkways, lifts and a free shuttle, and free county buses run to Frisco and on to Breckenridge and Keystone, so you can leave the car parked. The catch is the drive in: Denver's airport is about two hours away, and I-70 can be slow in snow.

Alta has the shorter transfer, about 50km from Salt Lake City, and ski-in, ski-out lodges. Everything, though, depends on one canyon road. It backs up on powder mornings, closes for avalanche control and often needs chains, and outside ski season you need a car for anything beyond the village.

Neither place is for shopping. Both sell rental gear, outdoor kit and resort-branded clothing, and not much else. What differs is how far you go for more. From Copper, the Silverthorne outlet mall and Breckenridge's galleries are a short drive. From Alta, you go down the canyon to Salt Lake City or across to Park City.

Both are expensive, and the costs fall in different places. In Alta, a handful of lodges hold almost all the beds, and dinner is often included because there is nowhere else to eat. Lift tickets are moderate, and the usual saving is to stay in the Salt Lake valley and bus up each day.

Copper Mountain is slightly easier on the budget than its grander neighbours. Condos with kitchens cut food costs, Frisco and Silverthorne have cheaper beds than the slopes, and summer is noticeably gentler on the wallet.

Neither has a theatre or concert hall. Copper at least has summer concert weekends on its village plaza and acoustic sets at après-ski, and Breckenridge's summer classical season is nearby. Alta's evenings are spent in the lodges, so for a play or the symphony you go to Salt Lake City.

Alta is the more restful of the two. Its spa facilities are modest, mostly outdoor hot tubs, saunas and massage in the larger lodges, but the real draw is the stillness. It is a tiny village with nothing to keep you up, and on storm days the snow deadens every sound.

Copper Mountain has the same hot tubs facing the slopes, plus the resort athletic club's pools and massage. The village is livelier, though, and at nearly 3,000m sleep can be poor for the first couple of nights, which undercuts the rest.