Copper Mountain or Las Vegas?

Neither is a swimming destination, but Las Vegas has a little more to offer. Its resort pools come with wave pools and lazy rivers, and Boulder Beach on Lake Mead has warm summer water, though the setting is a bare desert basin. At Copper Mountain the reservoirs stay cold from snowmelt even in July, so a swim means a heated lodge pool or a hot tub.

Las Vegas eats far better. The Strip gathers outposts of famous chefs, steakhouses and tasting menus, but the real interest lies on Spring Mountain Road, which has kilometres of Sichuan, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese kitchens, many open late.

Copper Mountain offers burgers and chilli at the mid-mountain lodges and a handful of pizza, Mexican and pub-style places in the village, and many visitors cook in their condos. For a proper dinner out, you have to drive to Frisco or Breckenridge.

Neither city is a place to travel for history, but Las Vegas has more to show. The Neon Museum's yard of retired casino signs, the Mob Museum in the old federal courthouse and the Strip's themed resorts will fill an evening or two. Copper Mountain is a village of condos at the foot of the lifts, and the region's mining-era past belongs to Breckenridge and Leadville rather than to the resort.

This is where the two differ most. Las Vegas goes out around the clock, with resort nightclubs, DJ residencies and dayclub pool parties on the Strip, plus cheaper dive bars and cocktail lounges around Fremont Street and the arts district.

At Copper Mountain, going out means après-ski. That is drinks in ski boots at the base bars on winter afternoons and a little music on the plaza at weekends, and the village is asleep by late evening. For a later night, Breckenridge is half an hour's drive.

Both have real landscapes on the doorstep, but Copper Mountain is built around them. The Tenmile Range gives skiing from November into spring, with treeless bowls above 3,600m and Vail and the other Summit County ski areas a short drive away. In summer come the Colorado Trail and the fourteen-thousand-foot peaks.

Las Vegas answers with desert: the sandstone cliffs and climbing of Red Rock Canyon, the petroglyphs of Valley of Fire and the pine forests of Mount Charleston. It is superb country, but you need a car, and summer heat limits hiking to the hours around dawn.

Copper Mountain has the better choice of outings because it sits among historic towns. Breckenridge's Victorian main street and Leadville's silver-boom district are each about half an hour away, Vail lies over the pass, and Georgetown's narrow-gauge railway and Denver's museums are further down I-70.

From Las Vegas, the classic day out is Hoover Dam combined with Boulder City. After that come long drives to the Grand Canyon, Zion or Death Valley, which are trips to landscapes rather than towns you can wander.

Copper Mountain is set up for children in a way Las Vegas is not. The car-free core, children's ski school, snow tubing, mountain coaster and trampoline centre fill the days, though at nearly 3,000m the youngest need watching for the effects of altitude.

In Las Vegas, children have to pass through casino floors to cross most resorts, and adult advertising and late-night crowds are everywhere. The indoor amusement park, the shark aquarium and the Discovery Children's Museum cover a day or two, and many families treat the city as a stop on a national-parks road trip.

Copper Mountain is the simpler of the two once you have arrived. Walkways, lifts and a free shuttle link its villages, and free county buses run to Frisco and on to Breckenridge. Getting there is the hard part: Denver airport is about two hours away on I-70, which can be slow with snow and weekend traffic.

Las Vegas has its airport close to the Strip, a monorail and buses running day and night. On foot, though, the huge resorts make short distances long, walkers are routed over footbridges and through casinos, and summer heat makes it punishing. Most visitors end up using taxis, and the desert needs a car.

Las Vegas is a serious place to shop, at least for big brands. The arcade at Caesars Palace, the Venetian's canal-side shops and the Fashion Show mall hold the major fashion and jewellery houses, there are two outlet centres for bargains, and everything stays open late.

Copper Mountain sells ski rental, outdoor gear and resort clothing, and for anything more people drive to the Silverthorne outlets or Breckenridge's galleries. Neither place has markets or local crafts.

A winter week at Copper Mountain usually costs more than a midweek stay in Las Vegas. Lift access, slope-side beds, equipment rental and resort meals all add up at Copper, though condos with kitchens, lodging in Frisco or Silverthorne, or a summer visit take a good deal off the bill.

Las Vegas gives you more ways to save. Sunday to Thursday, rooms on and near the Strip can be good value for their size, downtown is cheaper still, and Chinatown and the suburbs feed you well for less than the resorts. Weekends, resort fees, shows and clubs push costs up quickly, so how much you save depends on when you go and how you spend your evenings.

Las Vegas is one of the great places to see a show. Its permanent theatres put on water-based acrobatics, magicians and comedians every night, star residencies bring acts that rarely tour, and the Smith Center hosts touring Broadway musicals and the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

Copper Mountain has summer concert weekends on the plaza and acoustic sets at après-ski, and little else. Breckenridge's summer classical season is the nearest real programme.

Las Vegas offers more pampering, Copper Mountain more calm. The Strip's resort spas are among the largest in the country, with thermal circuits, salt and ice rooms and day passes for non-guests, though the casinos around them never go quiet.

At Copper, unwinding means an outdoor hot tub facing the slopes, the athletic club's pools and massages, clean air and quiet evenings. The altitude may disturb your sleep for the first couple of nights.