Affordable Colorado skiing made our vacation!!
Written: Jan 02 '06 (Updated Jan 02 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Affordable, no crowds, fun and nestled in beautiful mountains
Cons: pricey retail store and treacherous parking lot!
The Bottom Line: Ski Cooper made our Colorado ski vacation not only affordable but perfect!
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| thriftymommy's Full Review: Ski Cooper |
Located in Leadville just up the mountains from Vail, this hideaway ski resort is the most affordable skiing you can do in Colorado!
We just returned from Colorado (12/20-30/05) and enjoyed our holidays as well as our skiing. What made our vacation even nicer was the affordable Colorado slopes at Ski Cooper!
Located 35 miles from Vail and 135 miles from Denver International Airport (approximately 3 hours from the Denver Technological Center where we were staying), with a base elevation of 10,500 ft. and a summit elevation of 11,700 ft. and a vertical of 1200ft., what was once a small county-run facility has now become a very nice family ski resort. With 400 lift acres and 2400 Snowcat acres, this once tiny mountain has grown into its own.
Ski Cooper is off the beaten path and the roads leading up can be quite treacherous if you are not paying complete attention. Each twisty, winding section ends in either a decline or incline and the snow drifts to your sides may or may not conceal a guard rail. Common signs along the way read "Watch for Falling Rocks", "avalanche Zone", "Steep 6% grade" and "Runaway truck ramps"; all emphasizing the dangerous roads that run through the area into the mountains of Colorado. Each day that we travelled to the area, there were at least 3 vehicles that had wrecked along the path. With no cell reception and each town being miles away from each other, this certainly is not the place for the hot-rodder or risk-taker. One wrong move of the wheel could prove deadly for all on the roads and until we reached the resort, we were on constant alert and kept our speed at below the posted.
Ski Cooper has only 26 total trails but they are designed for all levels of skiers: 30% Beginner, 40% Intermediate, 30% Expert. Each slope is clearly marked and there was never a cross-over where the beginner is overtaken by the expert (which makes it a much slower paced resort). The longest run is 1.4 miles and that makes for an average run for the surrounding ski area.
The ski season at Ski Cooper is 11/24-27, 12/2-4, 12/9-11 and daily 12-16 through 4-2, weather permitting of course. We spent three days on the slopes and the weather cooperated wonderfully...unfortunately for those whose vacation had just begun, the weather started to worsen when we left. There were 42 inches of packed snow when we arrived and each evening there were 4-10 inches added by Mother Nature. The average base for the season is around 40 inches packed.
The facilities include a ticket Office, a Guest Services Desk, Ski Patrol/First Aid stations,a Retail Shop, Restaurant, and a Nursery (2-7 years). The ski rental shop offers Novice and Performance packages, Shaped and powder skis, and snowboard rentals. Each package included boots, skiis, and poles.
Hint to travelers looking for discounts: Stop off along I-70 at a King Soopers (the local area supermarket) and purchase your Ski Cooper daily lift ticket for $28 per adult; a savings of almost $10 per ticket!
The cost of Ski Cooper skiing is very competitive with the area and very affordable for a large family or group of skiers:
(taken from their website)
2005-6 Rates
LIFT TICKETS
ADULT Full Day (9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.) (15 & over)
$36
ADULT Half Day (12:00 noon - 4:00 p.m.)
$25
CHILD (6-14) Full Day
$18
CHILD (6-14) Half Day (12:00 noon - 4:00 p.m.)
$15
5 and Under
FREE
POMA Lift Only - No Age Limit - Beginner Lift
$10
SENIOR (60-69)
$25
SENIOR 70 AND BETTER
$10
MULTI-DAY LIFT TICKETS
(Consecutive Days)
ADULT
2 day 3 day 4 day
$62 $93 $124
CHILD
2 day 3 day 4 day
$32 $48 $64
DAY CARE Ages 2-7 Potty trained children ONLY
Full Day - $40.00
Half Day - $25.00
Per Hour - $7.00
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Lunch Additional $4.00
LESSONS
LESSONS (2-Hour Lesson 10:00 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.) (Ages 11 & Over)$40
Additional 2-Hour Group Lesson Same Day, Same Person $30
NEVER EVER (2-Hour Lesson 10:00 a.m., 12 noon, or 1:30 p.m., Full Lift Ticket, Rental)
(Ages 11 & Over) $55
Same as above except Beginner Lift rather than full mtn $45
* Never Ever lessons are for skiers only, not for snowboarders
TIPS (2-Hr. Grp. Lsn., Full Mtn. Lift Ticket, Rental) (11 & Over) $70
PRIVATE - Noon or By Appointment (1 & 1/2 Hours) (7 & Over)$70
PRIVATE LESSON PKG. (1 & 1/2 Hr. Lesson, Full Mtn. Lift, Rental) $100
Without Rental $95
SEMI-PRIVATE (1 & 1/2 Hours) - First Person $70
Additional People (up to 3), Same Ability $40
FULL DAY PRIVATE
$250
HALF-DAY PRIVATE (4 Hours)
$130
BABY PRIVATE (1-Hour Lesson) (AGE 3-6)
$45
BABY PRIVATE PKG. (1-Hr Lsn, Nursery, Lunch, Rental)$75
Without Rental $69
PANDA SKI PATROL (Ages 5 - 10) (Lessons, Lift, Lunch, Rental, 10 TIL 3 (Limit 8/Class)$70
Without Rental $65
PANDA CUB (4 yr. olds) 2-Hour Lesson, Lift ticket with rental $47
Without Rental $40
SNOWBOARD (2-Hour Group) Age 8 & Over
$40
SNOWBOARD PKG. (2-Hour Group Lesson, Full Mtn. Lift, Rental)
$75
SNOWBOARD PRIVATE PKG. (1 & 1/2 Hour Lesson, Lift, Rental)
$105
TELEMARK LESSON (2 Hour Group at Noon)
$40
As this was our first time in the Colorado mountains skiing with the children, we felt it necessary for the kids to each take lessons prior to hitting the slopes. The altitudes of Colorado cannot compare to the altitudes of New Jersey skiing...obviously, there were differences in the ski attitudes needed by our NJ children.
Our oldest child, age 11, entered in the Never Ever group for full day lessons. From 10-12, they practiced the basics. From 12-1, they ate lunch and reviewed what they had learned. From 1-3, they practiced their lift techniques, the basics and then went down the blue slope as a final lesson. The instructor had 5 children in her class including our son and we feel that for the price ($70), we really got our money's worth.
Our middle child, age 6, entered the Panda Patrol and did the same things as his brother but with children his own age. He received individual attention with his two instructors and really did well.
By our third day, both boys were skiing down the blue mountain unassisted by us. Our daughter took a two hour Panda Cubs lesson and then entered the small but cozy nursery with three other students in her age group (she's 4). The Panda Cubs lessons are only offered on weekends and holidays; if your four year old has skied before, or if they need a refresher, private lessons are offered on the weekdays.
Although she has been on skis before, it was nice to have her relax in the nursery with the other kids since she really wasn't all that interested in skiing. The nursery is a small room off of the changing room/locker area that has its own bathroom and the door to enter it is locked from the inside to prevent unauthorized entry. There are several child sized chairs, a rocking chair, and television plus the assorted children's toys such as a Little Tikes kitchen center, board games, and ride-on horsey. Our daughter ate macaroni and cheese with chocolate milk for lunch and had some cheese crackers for snack. The maximum ratio of child to sitter is 1 to 5. There were four children with her an the same sitter all three days.
Each child entered in the ski lessons had lunch provided in their package and they each had a selection of nutritious lunches to choose from prior to starting their lessons. The lunch area for the older children is on the third floor of the resort and is cordoned off from other guests so your child is kept safe at all times while you're on the slopes.
A few words about their retail store: don't shop there. I had forgotten our oldest son's gloves and goggles so we decided to run up to the second floor of the lodge and find some. In the cramped store, there was a wide selection of overpriced ski and snowboard gear. I spent $35 on a pair of goggles for an 11 year old and a whopping $45 on a pair of ski gloves. They had opened a multi-roll pack of Kodak and listed each individual role for $7 (even though the multi-packs clearly say not for individual resale and the entire pack at Walmart would cost you $8). That should tell you to make sure you have all of your needs prior to heading to the resort.
For the children's ski lessons, they are required to have: goggles, waterproof gloves, a snug watchcap or snow hat, sunscreen, lip balm and full snow gear including snowpants or bibs. This is quite reasonable and just note that any water bottle they bring is left behind in the Panda Club building. Also, each child is given a Panda Patrol numbered jersey for over their coats which is highly visible all over the mountain. Helmets are optional but if your child is new to skiing, may I suggest investing in them before heading off to the slopes?
The ski lessons for the children began promptly at 10:00AM and sign-up begins at 8:30AM. If you are still on line in the rental building close to the start time, the instructors will begin at 15 minutes to the start time weeding through the line to pull out the kids who are signed up for classes. The rental lines can become long on nice days and yet there are enough rentals to accomadate even a larger than averaged sized crowd.
It is highly suggested that for weekend lessons, you make reservations in advance. We were there on 3 consecutive days starting on a Thursday so we had no problems with reservations for the children's lessons since we had already secured their spots. Since there may be long lines on the weekend, I'd suggest calling ahead of time for the weekend lessons.
There are rental lockers available that will fit a large backpack and street shoes. The cost is $1 per locker and just like roller skating lockers, they can only be opened once. There is a change machine in the area.
The resort dining was affordable even if a bit pricey for those on budgets. For $10, one adult can eat well. For example, a small 1/2 pint of chocolate milk cost $1.84. For lunch, a chicken strip meal with french fries and three pieces of chicken cost $5.85. You can either eat in the main dining room, at the bar which serves alcohol to non-skiers and skiers, or upstairs in the upper seating area where the kids in the school dine. There are also outdoor benches for those who prefer to dine al fresco (not me...I like to warm up after being outdoors).
The line for the lift was negligible on the weekdays and a bit longer on the weekend. For the weekdays, we went up 11 times in the morning and 8 times in the afternoon. For the weekend, we managed 7 times in the morning and 5 times in the afternoon. I only ski on the blue but note that it was quite enjoyable and empty on the weekdays and only minimally crowded on the weekend. For my daredevil husband, the black slope was exhilerating and wide-open all three days. He said he averaged 40 mph downhill.
For the bunny slopes, there are two areas for skiers and snowboarders. The POMA lifts had long lines but the kids in the school bypassed the line to have access to the POMA lifts during their lessons. For the blue, green and black slopes, there are 1 Triple, 1 Double, 2 Surface lifts with a capacity of 3300 skiers/snowboarders per hour.
The ski patrol kept the hot-rodders to a minimum and made it a very enjoyable ski trip. Colorado law states that all snowboarders have leashes so please keep this in mind. The second blue was for snowboarders only; this made it less likely that a blue skier like myself would become road pizza by a snowboarder.
Overall, the skiing was great, the classes were small and personable, and the entire experience was highly enjoyable. Buy your lift tickets and all of your gear prior to hitting the road and take a picnic lunch for more savings. After the first day, we packed our lunches and ate in the dining room...making the savings and our overall enjoyment of this ski resort one to remember. We will return again to visit this hidden resort!
There are lodging and dining locally that you can find by visiting the Ski Cooper website; we never stopped off to find them and stayed at our normal hotel in Denver.
Recommended:
Yes
Level of Experience Needed: All
Best Time to Visit: December
Best Suited For: Families
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Epinions.com ID:
thriftymommy
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Member: April
Location: Home of the Hindenburg Disaster, NJ
Reviews written: 90
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The number of people below the official poverty thresholds numbered 36.1 million in 2005.
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