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Number one on the ski list for Fossil Ridge students is Copper Mountain. This luxurious mountain is two hours away from Fort Collins, and it’s worth every mile. Copper has 22 lifts taking the rider up the mountain where they can choose between 126 trails, stretching across 2,465 acres. This is a well known mountain for its size and runs. The percentages of difficulty on the mountain are 21 percent beginner, 25 percent intermediate, 36 percent advanced, 18 percent expert. The longest trail is Collage and it’s about 1.7 miles long. This gives riders different perspectives of difficulty and provides a long enough ride to have fun with friends.(http://www.coppercolorado.com/winter/index.html)

 Junior Zach Beno-

“I woke up around 5:30 to get everything ready before my ride came. I checked my phone to see what the weather is going to be like and saw that it was supposed to snow half a foot when we get up there. When my friend came I loaded up the car and prepared myself for an exhausting two hour car ride. After the long ride we got to the mountain. After we park, I get everything on, including my snow pants, jacket, gloves, and helmet. Soon after I tightened my last glove we grabbed our snowboards and headed for the lift. When we got there the sun was peaking out with hard snow making it impossible to see with my goggles. We strap on and get on the lift, and got off the lift Timberline Express to go on the run called The Moz. I put on my goggles, and as I went down I saw bumps that I could get air of off. The snow made grade few inches of powder, and it definitely made the day. Once I reached the bottom the nine degree weather starts to hit through my jacket making it colder and colder. We reach the top again and take a different route consisting of more powder and a less population of riders; this trail was just as nice as the other. As the day went by my friends and I stopped in a nice patch of powder looking around and seeing what was around us. Copper will always be one of my favorite places to ride. It has terrain parks and a lot of runs open across the mountain to have a nice time and just to chill.”

Number two on the top voted list is the lovely Breckenridge. This superb mountain contains 31 different ski lifts. Proving that this is a bigger mountain than all of its competitors. These beautiful lifts give amazing sceneries taking the rider all over the mountain and to the 155 available runs. The longest trail is the Four O’Clock which is 3.5 miles. This mountain not only has a big acre of land but it has a bigger ski town around it. Breckenridge has many great side shops that people who don’t take part in winter sports can explore. This is a great vacation place rather than a one day ski trip. Breckenridge is about two hours and 25 minutes from Fort. Collins, it’s a decent amount of time getting up there but it is worth it.

 Senior Devin-

“I got invited to go snowboarding for the first time on Dec.15 up in Breckenridge. There were four of us so it was a tight squeeze in our car filled with skis and snowboards. The roads were clear for the most part, but it was snowing the whole way up there, so we knew it was a going to be a good day. When we went to Breckenridge there were side shops everywhere, I had to go check some of them out. At one of them I found a sick Breck hat. Well it was time to go up to the mountain and it was beautiful. There was fresh powder from the night before and on top of it; it was snowing and it made the mountain beautiful. Time passed and I was done with one of the most perfect days snowboarding. Overall Breckenridge will be my favorite place because of this early year experience of perfect weather, perfect slopes, and amazing scenery.”

Number three is Winter Park. This mountain is about 67 miles away from downtown Denver. This mountain is a little closer than Copper so it makes a great ride. Winter Park has eight percent beginner, 17 percent intermediate, 19 percent advanced, 53 percent is most difficult, and the final 3 percent falls under the expert only terrain. This mountain has a gorgeous view from the very top. It’s also a good place to stay overnight with family and friends. There are about 143 trails the riders can chose from. This mountain is laid upon 3,081 acres, so it’s also quite a bit bigger than Copper Mountain. Senior Monica Geary said “It’s a nice mountain; I go up a lot with family because we have a place to stay there.” It has a decent amount of snowfall a year averaging about 30 feet.

Senior, and first time snowboarder, Josh King-

“I was stoked when I found out I was going snowboarding for the first time with my girlfriend. She told me we were going to Winter Park. The time came, and I loaded all my things in her car for the ride up. It didn’t seem that long at all. Before I knew it I was getting out of her car and putting all my gear on. Once I was ready we walked over to the base of the mountain. The first thing she taught me was how to strap in and feel comfortable with one foot on the board while the other was free to help me move for the lift. As soon as I put my left foot in I knew this was going to be a long day of bumps and bruises. I didn’t feel confident at all, but I knew we had to go on the first lift. When I was riding it I looked around the mountain and saw ski lifts both to my right and left. Once we came to the end I felt a little nervous. It came up and I made it, until I had to stop. When I fell I turned around and saw two beautiful sights. One was my girlfriend and the other was the amazing scenery. Looking down and seeing the Rocky Mountains were just a beautiful sight. The first time I went down the mountain I fell countless times, but I had a wonderful time at Winter Park. It really does matter who you go with and where. It was a perfect day for snowboarding and I rocked my first day.”