Copper Mountain or Vail?

Neither place has a beach, and nobody should come for one. Water here means cold snowmelt lakes in both cases. Near Copper the big Summit County reservoir is for boating, not bathing, while around Vail people paddle and sunbathe at small mountain lakes on summer days. In either place a swim almost always means a heated pool or a hot tub.

Vail offers noticeably more on the plate. Vail Village and Lionshead have steak and game restaurants, Alpine fondue rooms, sushi counters and hotel dining rooms with serious wine lists, and Colorado lamb, elk and trout appear on many menus. It is expensive, and many kitchens close in the quiet weeks of spring and autumn.

Copper Mountain keeps things simple: burgers and chilli in the mid-mountain lodges, a few pizza, Mexican and pub-style places in the village, and plenty of people cooking in their condos. For a good dinner out, people drive to Frisco or Breckenridge.

Neither is a place for sightseeing, but Vail has slightly more to fill a rest day. The Colorado Snowsports Museum tells the story of the Tenth Mountain Division ski troops, and the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens make a pleasant summer stroll. Copper Mountain has no museums or landmarks of its own, so its visitors find mining-era history in Breckenridge and Leadville instead.

Vail gives you a longer evening. Its après-ski terraces in Vail Village and Lionshead are packed as the lifts close, and on winter weekends a few bars and a small club stay open past midnight, with a well-off, festive crowd.

At Copper Mountain the fun is mostly at the bars at the base of the lifts and on the plaza in the late afternoon, and by late evening the village is asleep. Anyone wanting more drives to Breckenridge. Both places go very quiet in the off-season.

This is where both places shine, and there is little to choose between them. The difference is in the character of the mountains. Copper's terrain in the Tenmile Range divides neatly by ability, with treeless bowls high above the forest, and several Summit County ski areas are a short drive away for variety. In summer the Colorado Trail and the paved path over Vail Pass start at the resort, and Mount Elbert and other fourteen-thousand-foot peaks are within an hour.

Vail's ski area is vast, with the open Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin behind the groomed front side. In summer it adds wilderness hiking in the Gore Range and Holy Cross, fly fishing on Gore Creek and gold aspens in autumn. The town is also lower, at about 2,500m against Copper's 2,960m, which makes the first nights easier.

Copper Mountain is the better base for exploring. Breckenridge's Victorian main street and Leadville's silver-boom historic district are each about half an hour away, Vail and Frisco are close by, and Georgetown's narrow-gauge railway and Denver lie further along the interstate.

From Vail, most outings mean another resort or a longer drive. Beaver Creek is close, but Breckenridge is nearly an hour over the pass. The highlight is Glenwood Springs, an hour down the Colorado River canyon, with Aspen and Denver about two hours away.

Copper Mountain is a little better for children. Its car-free core, ski school and simple slope layout make lessons easy, and on bad-weather days there are snow tubing, a mountain coaster and an indoor action-sports centre with foam pits. The catch is the altitude, close to 3,000m, which can hit very young children hard.

Vail's ski schools are large and well organised, and in summer the top of the gondola has ropes courses and short nature walks, with creekside parks in town. But it costs more, and away from the mountain it offers little more for children than Copper does.

Copper Mountain is easy inside the resort, with walkways, lifts and a free shuttle linking its villages, and free county buses reach Frisco and connect on to Breckenridge and Keystone. Vail does better still: the pedestrian core of Vail Village and Lionshead, gondolas starting in town and a free bus running the whole length of the valley mean many visitors never drive all week.

Arriving is where the gap is clearest. Copper is about two hours by road from Denver's airport, so a car or an airport shuttle is the only way in, and the winter drive on I-70 can be slow with snow on the passes and heavy weekend traffic. Vail's nearest airports are only a shuttle ride away, though the interstate over Vail Pass, its route from Denver, can close in heavy snow.

Vail is the only one of the two where shopping is part of the stay. The lanes of Vail Village and Lionshead have upmarket ski wear, Western boots and hats, jewellery and galleries selling mountain landscapes, though there is nothing cheap. At Copper Mountain the shops are for rentals, gear and resort sweatshirts, and anyone wanting more drives to the Silverthorne outlets or Breckenridge's boutiques.

Both are expensive, but Copper Mountain is the gentler of the two. Kitchen condos, cheaper beds in Frisco or Silverthorne and lower costs than the grand neighbouring resorts make a week there manageable, especially in summer.

Vail is near the top of what a North American ski vacation can cost, from lift tickets and ski school to dinners out. Off-season rates and staying further down the valley help a little, but there is no cheap version of it.

In summer the gap is wide. Vail hosts Bravo! Vail, with major orchestras in residence at the open-air Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, plus the Vail Dance Festival and a jazz festival, so a July or August stay can be built around concerts on the lawn.

Copper Mountain has summer bands on the plaza and acoustic sets at après-ski, and for anything more people drive to Breckenridge's classical season and small theatre. In winter neither town has much of a programme.

Vail is the better choice for unwinding. The big hotels have proper spas with massage, saunas and steam rooms, and Glenwood Springs, about an hour away, adds the mineral pools and vapour caves that people have used since the 1800s.

At Copper Mountain, relaxing mostly means the hot tub at your condo and the athletic club's pools and massages. The nearest hot springs are a long drive away, and the higher altitude makes poor sleep in the first few nights more likely.