Copper Mountain or Tucson?

Neither city has a beach, so swimming is not a reason to choose either one. At Copper Mountain the Summit County lakes are cold with snowmelt even in July, so a dip means a heated lodge pool or a hot tub. In Tucson the resort pool is the main way to cool off in the long hot season. The sea at Puerto Peñasco is a four-hour drive, and the pools in Sabino Canyon only form after rains.

Copper Mountain offers fuel rather than a food culture: burgers and chilli in the mid-mountain lodges, a few pizza and pub-style places in the village, and plenty of condo kitchens. For a better evening meal, people drive to Frisco or Breckenridge.

Tucson has a real cuisine of its own. It is Sonoran Mexican: carne asada over mesquite, paper-thin flour tortillas and the bacon-wrapped Sonoran hot dog, and the most traditional family kitchens are along South 12th Avenue and in the old barrios. Fine dining is thin, but food here is a reason to visit and not just a necessity.

There is nothing to see at Copper Mountain itself, which is a village of condos and lodges built around the lifts. The region's mining heritage belongs to Breckenridge and Leadville.

Tucson has a few days of genuine sightseeing. The painted and gilded interior of Mission San Xavier del Bac is the highlight. The adobe row houses of Barrio Viejo and El Presidio show the city's Spanish and Mexican roots, and the hundreds of aircraft at the Pima Air & Space Museum are something few places can match.

At Copper Mountain the evening starts and ends with après-ski. Skiers in boots fill the bars at the base of the lifts in the afternoon, and by late evening the village has emptied, tired out by the altitude. Anyone wanting a later night goes to Breckenridge.

Tucson has an actual night out, though a modest one. Fourth Avenue has dive bars and patios full of students, and Congress Street, a short walk away, adds cocktail bars, rooftops and a few dance floors. Warm evenings outdoors are a large part of the appeal.

Both are outdoor destinations, but Copper Mountain is the more complete one for mountain lovers. In winter it offers big ski terrain with bowls above 3,600m and several other major ski areas within a short drive. In summer the Colorado Trail, the paved path over Vail Pass and the fourteen-thousand-foot peaks keep hikers and cyclists busy, provided they cope with the altitude.

Tucson's landscape is desert. There are forests of saguaro on both sides of the city, canyon trails in Sabino Canyon and Catalina State Park, and the drive up Mount Lemmon takes you from cactus to pine. It is superb from autumn to spring and attracts serious road cyclists and birdwatchers, but summer heat pushes outings to dawn or up the mountain.

Both have a similar choice of outings and both need a car, but the character differs. From Copper Mountain the drives are short. They lead to Victorian mining towns such as Breckenridge and Leadville, to Vail's Alpine-style village and on to Denver's museums, though weekend ski traffic on I-70 can stretch the journey.

From Tucson the trips run into frontier and border country. You can visit Tombstone's Wild West streets, the steep copper town of Bisbee, the artists' village of Tubac with the Tumacácori mission ruins, and the grassland wineries around Sonoita. Most of these drives are a little longer.

A car-free ski village and a spread-out desert city make for very different family trips. Copper Mountain keeps the day in one place, with children's ski school, slopes that separate by ability, snow tubing, a mountain coaster and an indoor trampoline centre. At nearly 3,000m, though, the altitude can unsettle small children for the first couple of days, and beyond the resort there is little aimed at them.

Tucson offers museums and animals rather than snow. At the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum children can see mountain lions and hummingbirds, and Reid Park Zoo, the Children's Museum, the Flandrau planetarium, the giant aircraft and the stunt shows on a former western film set fill out the list. Almost all of them need a car. The city suits families best from October to April, because summer heat makes the outdoor sights hard going for small children. In summer families tend to keep to the indoor museums, the resort pool and the cooler air on Mount Lemmon.

Once you have arrived, Copper Mountain is the easier place to be without a car. Walkways, lifts and a free shuttle link the resort, and free county buses run to Frisco and on to Breckenridge and Keystone. Getting there is harder: Denver airport is about two hours away by road, and winter conditions on I-70 can be difficult.

Tucson only works by car. The streetcar covers just downtown, Fourth Avenue and the university, and the national park, Desert Museum, mission and Mount Lemmon all lie on the edges or beyond. Traffic is mild and parking is easy.

At Copper Mountain, shopping means ski rental, outdoor gear and resort-branded clothing. Anything more means a drive to the Silverthorne outlets or the boutiques of Breckenridge.

Tucson has things worth taking home. You can find Native American jewellery, Tohono O'odham baskets, pottery and Mexican folk art in the old-town galleries and in Tubac, and vintage shops along Fourth Avenue. The winter gem and mineral show draws collectors from around the world.

Copper Mountain is the costlier trip by some distance, particularly in winter, when lift access, slope-side lodging, equipment rental and resort meals all add up. A condo with a kitchen, or a bed in Frisco or Silverthorne, takes some of the edge off, and summer costs less.

Tucson is easier on the budget. Mid-range hotels are reasonable and taquerías and hot dog stands make cheap eating simple, though the hire car and the desert spa resorts add to the bill. Summer brings real bargains for anyone who can take the heat.

Nobody plans a week at Copper Mountain around a performance. The music is acoustic sets at après-ski and bands on the village plaza on summer concert weekends, and a proper programme is a drive away in Breckenridge.

Tucson's season runs from autumn to spring and is small but real. The Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Arizona Opera and the Arizona Theatre Company all perform in the city, touring Broadway shows play Centennial Hall, and the restored Fox Theatre hosts concerts. Mariachi, deeply rooted in the city, gives Tucson a sound of its own.

Wellness at Copper Mountain amounts to an outdoor hot tub facing the slopes and the pools and massages at the athletic club. The thin air can spoil the first nights' sleep.

Tucson is a far better place to unwind. Long-established destination spas in the Catalina foothills and towards Oracle offer fitness, meditation and desert walks, and the clear winter light and quiet evenings set a slow pace. Neither city has a public bathing tradition.