"The crowd completely carried me down the hill." Mikaela Shiffrin said that at the bottom of Copper Mountain last Thanksgiving weekend, after winning the slalom for her 104th World Cup victory. The Denver Post put the crowd at about 11,000 and described hundreds of young girls pressed against the finish-corral fencing.
The Stifel Copper Cup is back on Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 28-29, 2026, but it is a different event this time. There are two race days instead of four, men only, and one free headline concert instead of two. The reason has little to do with Copper itself. Most of last year's size came from a scheduling gap at another resort, and that gap has closed.
Last Year, Copper Hosted Killington's Races Too
The 2025 Copper Cup was put together in part as a stand-in. Killington's long-running women's World Cup stop took a one-year break in 2025 for chairlift construction. SKI Magazine reported that Copper's slot filled that hole while Killington replaced its Superstar lift. That's why Copper ended up with women's giant slalom and slalom on top of men's super-G and giant slalom, spread over Nov. 27-30, as Summit Daily reported when the event was announced.
Killington's construction is done. U.S. Ski & Snowboard's 2026-27 domestic schedule puts the Stifel Killington Cup's women's giant slalom and slalom on Nov. 28-29, 2026, the same two days as Copper's men's super-G and giant slalom. The women race at Killington while the men race at Copper. Copper keeps the men's super-G and giant slalom, and its event page calls it "the first domestic men's stop" on the World Cup.
| 2025 Copper Cup | 2026 Copper Cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | Nov. 27-30 | Nov. 28-29 |
| Races | Men's super-G and GS, women's GS and slalom | Men's super-G and GS |
| Free headline concerts | Dispatch on Friday, Young the Giant on Saturday | O.A.R. on Saturday |
| Summit Stage, Frisco to Copper | Every 15 minutes, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | "Increased service," frequency not yet posted |
Copper president and general manager Dustin Lyman described the return to Vail Daily this way: "We're excited to welcome the men back for another year and continue building on the momentum and energy it brings to our community and athletes alike." Last year, according to SKI Magazine's men's recap, Marco Odermatt won the super-G in 1:07.70, ahead of Vincent Kriechmayr and Raphael Haaser. Stefan Brennsteiner won the giant slalom in 2:30.98, with Henrik Kristoffersen and Filip Zubcic behind him.
Two Days Means Saturday Carries The Weekend
Last year the evening programming was spread across several nights. This year Copper's published schedule puts nearly all of it on Saturday, Nov. 28.
Friday, Nov. 27, Center Village
- Live DJ sets, start time to be announced
- Fireworks at 6 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 28
- 8 a.m.: event gates open in East Village
- 9 a.m.: vendor village opens in East Village
- 11:45 a.m.: men's super-G starts in East Village
- 5:45 p.m.: super-G awards on the Center Village Stage
- 6 p.m.: giant slalom bib draw on the Center Village Stage
- 6:30 p.m.: O.A.R. on the Center Village Stage
- 8 p.m.: fireworks in Center Village
Sunday, Nov. 29, East Village
- 8 a.m.: event gates open
- 9 a.m.: vendor village opens
- 10 a.m.: men's giant slalom, run 1
- 1 p.m.: men's giant slalom, run 2
All of it is free, the races and the O.A.R. show included. Saturday has the full arc in one day. Watch the super-G late in the morning, ski the afternoon, then move from the East Village race venue to the Center Village Stage for awards, the bib draw, the concert and fireworks. Sunday's giant slalom is two runs three hours apart, finishes early in the afternoon and has no evening program on Copper's schedule.
Friday stays light. The DJ lineup hadn't been named as of mid-October, and the Town of Frisco's event listing still showed the vendor village entries as TBD.
The Racecourse Closes, The Rest Of The Mountain Doesn't
Before the closure, a bit of geography. The races run in East Village and finish on Rosi's Run. Copper identifies that run as a fall official training site for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, so it gets attention well before the World Cup arrives. There is no public access on the racecourse itself.
If you're skiing that weekend, Copper's guidance comes down to a few moves:
- Ride Super Bee for the view. The East Village chairlift runs during the event, and Copper calls it the best aerial view of the racecourse. It serves intermediate and advanced terrain only, with no beginner terrain off the top.
- Come over from Center Village by ski. Take the American Eagle lift and ski Skid Road down to the bottom of the venue.
- Watch the finish on foot. Free public viewing is behind the finish and next to the grandstands. The VIP area has a private finish-line deck.
Copper is also selling $99 lift tickets all weekend in support of its Play Forever Lift Ticket Giving program. That price matters if you have family in town for Thanksgiving who don't hold a pass.
Getting There Is The Part That Stays Big
Parking will still be tight. Frisco's listing warns of limited parking and more spectators, and it encourages public transit. Copper's race-weekend parking plan reshuffles the resort's lots:
- Alpine Lot: free, and a 7-minute walk to East Village. Free shuttles run from Alpine on the Black Route to East Village and the Blue Route to Center Village.
- Far East Lot: free overflow as needed, with the Purple Route to East Village and the Yellow Route to Center Village.
- Wheeler and Flyer: closed to public access.
- Powder and Union Creek: employees and event staff only.
- Elevation: VIP only.
- Ten Mile, Chapel and Beeler: paid Center Village parking.
- Alpine overnight: $20 from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
That reshuffle matters most to anyone holding the 2026-27 interior-lot pass. It costs $899, is now sold out and covers Flyer, Chapel, Union Creek, Beeler and Wheeler. On race weekend, two of those five lots are closed to the public and one is reserved for staff. Chapel and Beeler appear on the paid Center Village list. If your Saturday plan depends on parking near the O.A.R. stage, ask Copper's parking office before the 28th how the pass works there.
For Frisco residents, the bus may be easier. Summit Stage runs free between Frisco and Copper, and Copper says the route gets increased service during the event. Last year, Summit Daily reported doubled Frisco–Copper service. Buses ran every 15 minutes from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., then every 30 minutes on Friday and Saturday evenings until 8:30 p.m. and hourly until 12:30 a.m. The 2026 frequencies haven't been posted. Summit Stage's winter schedule starts Nov. 15 and runs through April 17, 2027, so the regular Copper/Frisco timetable will be running before race weekend. The Saturday fireworks start at 8 p.m., so check the late return times once Summit Stage posts them.
Three Weeks Of Skiing First
Copper opens Nov. 6, according to Summit Daily, and the resort says snowmaking started Oct. 15. That gives you about three weeks of early-season laps before East Village becomes a race venue. Then on Saturday, Nov. 28, the men's super-G starts at 11:45 a.m., and O.A.R. takes the Center Village Stage at 6:30 p.m.
If race weekend has you thinking about where at Copper you'd want to be, whether that's a short walk from East Village or close to the Center Village Stage, Stuart Reddell has spent winters in Summit County since 1998 and can walk you through how each part of the resort lives on a busy weekend. Schedule a free consultation.
