Other offerings include backcountry snow cat tours, and fun and funky special events such as “Chix on Sticks and Babes on Boards” days for women-only backcountry outings. To make sure ski vacations remain an affordable option for its customers, Ski Cooper and Chicago Ridge have kept the prices for lift tickets, season passes, rentals and lessons the same as last year, and lowered the price of its snow cat tours.
Chicago Ridge offers backcountry snowcat skiing adjacent to Ski Cooper's lift-served runs. |
Ski Cooper’s origin goes back to World War II, when the U.S. Army developed Cooper Hill and nearby Camp Hale as a training site for the ski troopers of the famed Tenth Mountain Division. Following the war, Cooper Hill opened to the public as a county-operated ski area under the auspices of the U.S. Forest Service since it’s located in the San Isabel National Forest.
With a history that dates back to World War II, Ski Cooper and Chicago Ridge have developed a reputation as one of the friendliest and most affordable ski resorts around. Five lifts -- two chairs and three surface lifts -- serve 400 skiable acres. There are 26 runs: 30 percent beginner, 40 percent intermediate and 30 percent expert, and a Terrain Park that will be expanded this year. Ski Cooper averages 250 inches of natural snowfall a year. The longest run is Trails End, at 1.4 miles. The base sits at an elevation of 10,500 feet, with the summit at 11,700 feet.
Snow permitting, Ski Cooper will be open Nov. 26- 29; Dec. 4-6; and Dec. 11- 13. The resort will be open daily for the season from Dec. 18, 2009, through Apr. 4, 2010. Full day lift tickets are $42 for adults; $23 for children 6-14; $31 for seniors 60-69; and $18 for seniors 70 or better. Ski Cooper is offering discounted lift tickets to members of the military: $37 for adults and $20 for children (ID required.) A season pass is $280 for adults and $136 for children. Group discounts and multi-day passes are also available.
For first-time skiers and riders, Ski Cooper’s Never Ever Ski Package is one of the best deals around. Choose a two-hour lesson with equipment rental and a Beginner Lift Ticket for $50, or a two-hour lesson with equipment rental and a Full-Mountain Lift Ticket for $60.
Chicago Ridge offers 2,500 acres for a guided, backcountry experience accessible only by snow cat, adjacent to the lift-served ski area. Last year, Chicago Ridge has added a second cat, providing seven-day-a-week access to the treed slopes and open bowls in terrain suitable for advanced to expert skiers and riders. Ski Cooper also added a new yurt to the Chicago Ridge operation for serving lunch for the guests who ski or ride the Ridge.
The Tennessee Pass Cookhouse offers a unique dining adventure with some of Colorado’s most spectacular views. To get there, grab snowshoes or cross-country skis and hit the groomed one-mile trail to the yurt. An elegant, four-course gourmet dinner awaits featuring elk tenderloin, rack of lamb, salmon, roasted chicken and vegetarian specials. The Tennessee Pass Cookhouse serves dinner daily and lunch on weekends. Call (719) 486-8114 for reservations.
Just a few minutes south of Ski Cooper, Leadville and nearby Twin Lakes are affordable, authentic mountain towns, with charming specialty shops, restaurants, galleries, and coffee shops. Lodging options range from inns, modern motels and B&Bs, to lodges, cabins, and vacation rentals. At an elevation of 10,152 feet, Leadville is the highest incorporated city in North America, located in the geographic center of Colorado, 103 miles west of Denver and 129 miles northwest of Colorado Springs. All of the highways in Lake County have been designated as the Top of the Rockies Scenic and Historic Byway, making it one of the most scenic journeys in the state.
