Copper Mountain or Scottsdale?

Neither city has a coast, and you should not plan a swimming vacation in either. At Copper Mountain the Summit County reservoirs stay cold with snowmelt even in midsummer, so swimming means a heated pool or a hot tub. Scottsdale's resort pools are a real part of a stay, and in summer the desert lakes of the Tonto National Forest, with their small sandy coves, and tubing on the lower Salt River make proper days out.

Neither is a food destination, but Scottsdale gives you far more choice. Old Town's steakhouses, sushi and patio grills cover the comfortable end. Sonoran-style Mexican food, with carne asada and plate-sized flour tortillas, is a real local cuisine and worth looking for across the Phoenix area.

Copper Mountain's food is mainly fuel for skiers and hikers: burgers and chilli at the mid-mountain lodges, a few pizza and pub places in the village, and many people cook in their condos. For a more interesting dinner, people drive to Frisco or Breckenridge.

Copper Mountain has nothing to visit. It is a purpose-built base area of condos and lifts, and the region's mining history belongs to the neighbouring towns. Scottsdale is not a heavyweight either, but it has Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's desert studio, which is part of a UNESCO listing. It also has a museum of western art and history and a small contemporary art museum.

With the Heard Museum in Phoenix and the Musical Instrument Museum just over the city line, a culture-minded visitor can fill two or three good days from Scottsdale. At Copper, any sightseeing means getting in the car.

At Copper Mountain, going out means après-ski. As the lifts close, the bars at the base fill with skiers still in their boots, and on busy weekends there is music on the village plaza. By late evening most people have gone back to their condos, worn out by the altitude and the slopes. There are no clubs, the village goes very quiet once the ski season ends, and anyone wanting a later night drives about half an hour to Breckenridge's main street.

Scottsdale has proper nights out, concentrated in a few blocks of Old Town. On Fridays and Saturdays its rooftop lounges, dance clubs and patio bars stay loud late into the night, with dress codes, bottle service and, in spring, bachelor and bachelorette groups in force. The mood is glossy and party-minded rather than alternative. Away from Old Town the evenings are quiet and centred on the resorts, so if you stay out along the main roads, plan on a ride-hailing trip there and back.

Copper Mountain is clearly ahead here. Its ski terrain is large and neatly divided by ability, with treeless bowls above 3,600m, and Vail and several other Summit County areas are close enough to ski different mountains in one week. In summer you can follow the Colorado Trail or ride the paved path over Vail Pass, and fourteen-thousand-foot peaks such as Mount Elbert are within an hour.

Scottsdale's desert is a fine asset of its own, with saguaro trails in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, short steep climbs up Camelback Mountain and Pinnacle Peak, and the Superstition Mountains further out. But summer heat limits hiking to the early morning, and the landscape is on a smaller scale than the Rockies.

Both have a good ring of outings, and the difference is in distance and character. From Copper Mountain the drives are short: Victorian Breckenridge and silver-boom Leadville are each about half an hour away, and Vail is just over the pass. To the east, Georgetown's narrow-gauge railway and Denver lie along an interstate that can clog on ski weekends.

Scottsdale's best trips take longer but cover more variety, from Sedona's red rock and the cliff dwelling at Montezuma Castle to hillside Jerome and the San Xavier mission near Tucson. Closer in, the Apache Trail stops and Goldfield ghost town fill an easy half-day.

Both suit families, in quite different ways. Copper Mountain has a car-free village core, a strong children's ski school, snow tubing, a mountain coaster and an indoor trampoline centre. The altitude, though, can bring headaches and poor sleep for the first couple of days, and young children need watching.

In Scottsdale a family stay centres on resort pools with lazy rivers and kids' clubs. For outings there are miniature trains at the railroad park, an aquarium and butterfly house, and the Phoenix Zoo. Everything needs a drive, and the summer heat sends children indoors or into the water by midday.

Copper Mountain is easier once you arrive. Walkways, lifts and a free shuttle link its villages, and free county buses reach Frisco, Breckenridge and Keystone, so a car can sit for days. The catch is the journey there: about two hours by road from Denver's airport, with winter driving on I-70 that can be slow.

In Scottsdale, resorts, trailheads and malls are spread along wide arterial roads that the light rail does not reach, so nearly every trip needs a hire car or ride-hailing. Old Town and its free trolley are the walkable exception, and the roads are at least simple and uncrowded.

Scottsdale is a real shopping destination. It has a large luxury mall of fashion houses and department stores, and Old Town's galleries and dealers sell southwestern art, Navajo and Hopi silver, turquoise and Pueblo pottery. Copper Mountain sells ski rental, outdoor gear and resort-branded clothing, so serious shoppers drive to the outlet mall at Silverthorne or the boutiques of Breckenridge.

Both are expensive, but Copper Mountain is harder on the budget in its main season. Lift access, ski hire and slope-side lodging add up fast. You can save by cooking in a condo, staying in Frisco or Silverthorne, or coming in summer.

Scottsdale gives you more ways to save. Resort rates fall sharply in the hot months, motels and business hotels line the main roads, Mexican food across the metro area is good and cheap, and desert hiking is free. Costs rise in winter and spring, when golf, spas and a rental car take their share.

Copper Mountain offers plaza concerts on summer weekends and acoustic sets at après-ski, but has no theatre or concert hall. The nearest real programme is Breckenridge's summer classical season. Scottsdale has its own performing arts centre in Old Town and world music at the Musical Instrument Museum's theatre. The Phoenix symphony, opera and ballet are half an hour away, so you can fill several good evenings in the winter season.

Scottsdale is built for this. Its large resort spas, several open to day guests, offer desert-inspired treatments, steam rooms and yoga, alongside a slow pace of pools, long lunches and early nights. It is private, polished comfort rather than a bathing tradition, but there is a great deal of it.

At Copper Mountain, unwinding means a condo hot tub facing the slopes, or the pools and massages at the athletic club. The air is clean and evenings are calm, but the altitude can spoil sleep for the first nights, and the nearest hot springs are a long drive away.