Coca-Cola Tubing Hill at Copper Mountain

"Tubing is awesome!"

When I first heard we were going snow tubing, my mind filled with thoughts of lugging dirty big black inner tubes halfway up a mountain and then flying down completely out of control and either plowing into a tree or flipping over to avert a near-death experience. This was my first “groomed” tubing run experience and can I just say, “Wow! It  was awesome!”

The tubing site consists of five well groomed tracks, a magic carpet, and canvas covered tubes in one person or two person varieties. After the first trip down the mountain, I was hooked. This was the fasted tubing hill I have ever been on – and this was just the slow run! I gritted my teeth the whole way down the first time just waiting for the tube to flip over, my four year old to fly out, and me never hearing the end of what a bad idea this was. But the runs are terrifically constructed.  Unless you are doing something that you aren’t supposed to be doing,  there is little chance that you’ll flip out or crash. The resort will let daisy chains come down the mountain if you want to tube with a group or enjoy the experience solo – entirely up to you.

The people working the tubing hill were extremely friendly and helpful.  They obviously took great pleasure in giving riders a nice spin at launch off. The most helpful tip I can provide if going tubing - let the people at the top of the hill position you.  Yes, they send you down backwards.  This helps to minimize the spinning and prevents you from getting blasted in the face by cold air and snow mist. Tubing at night added to the thrill. We were having so much fun, I was concerned that an hour wasn’t going to be enough time, but my 4-year old got cold after the first couple of runs and we called it a night after only about 30 minutes.

Riders must be over 36 inches to participate. If you have a shorty pants, don’t even take them to the hill when the rest of the group is tubing. For the casual onlooker, there seems to be no reason why even the littlest kid couldn’t participate, but once on the hill this height restriction makes a lot of sense. Kids sit down in the tubes and unless they are the required height, they can’t reach the handles; everyone has to be in their own tube (no lap kids).  

Price-wise, this activity is a bit on the pricey side for only an hour of entertainment, but what the hey – when else are you going to get to lie on your back and fly down a sheet of ice without concern for running into a tree? Advance reservations are recommended and the number of participants on the hill is limited to the number of tubes. We never encountered a line at the bottom or the top of the hill, the slowest part is actually riding the magic carpet, but as soon as you get to the top of the hill you are on your way down again.

*This review is based on a complimentary 1-hour tubing experience at the Copper Mountain Resort. I received no other compensation and the owner did not express any requirements that I express a particular point of view.