This place reminded us of our ski co-op in Reno, Nevada. It's quaint and small, but has everything you need without the crowds or pretentious fur coats. Shoot, they even have a microwave if you want to bring your own cup'o'soup or popcorn. We loved it. The weather conditions were pretty tricky, but the place itself was worth our drive. We have been skiing at Copper Mountain all week on our 3-day reciprocal pass, but on days where the conditions aren't as ideal, we check out other mountains locally that are free for us as well (with our reciprocal pass from AZ Snowbowl). Cooper is on the list in addition to Loveland and Copper. They have a pretty spacious parking area for a small resort and all the terrain you need. The most impressive part is the bunny hill-- it has one of the longest magic carpets we've seen in awhile. It allowed our daughter to finally kick the lease and gain her confidence. She spend the rest of our time at Copper skiing greens all on her own. I attribute that to Cooper! If you're all about the 'gram and just want to post that you've skied Breck, Keystone, Vail... this won't impress. But, if you want to ski a pretty decent mountain on a budget and are cool with eating at their Irish Pub or bringing your own picnic basket, you will love this place. We're happy we made the drive. read more

Stopped here on the way home from Glenwood Springs to Denver for a few runs - loved the family feel of this place! Tickets were affordable, and felt very local feels. The day passes were very reasonable. The mountain is fairly small, but we got in a nice few runs in on the backside of the mountain. read more

Ski Cooper reminded me a lot of Sunlight Mountain, which is one of my favorite local ski areas. Both mountains have that laid-back, welcoming vibe that's getting harder to find at larger resorts. What really stood out at Ski Cooper was the people. The associates were extremely friendly and made you feel like family -- the kind of place where it feels like they've known you for years, not minutes. That atmosphere alone makes you want to come back. The prices were also extremely reasonable, from lift tickets to food, which is a big plus compared to the big-name resorts. The slopes are well maintained and accurately rated, making it a great mountain for skiers who want solid terrain without the chaos or long lift lines. The only downside during my visit was the snow conditions -- coverage wasn't ideal at the time -- but even with that, the overall experience was still very enjoyable. If you love Sunlight and appreciate friendly staff, fair pricing, and a true community feel, Ski Cooper is absolutely worth visiting. read more

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I finally got to Ski Cooper! I love this old school resort. It was easy to rent skis and pick up your life passes. Plenty of green & blue runs to keep me entertained. Good food on mountain at a reasonable price. Not crowded and nice wide runs. All the staff was very friendly and seemed to like working there. I wish the lifts ran a little faster. Best value in Colorado. read more

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Ski Cooper is an old school ski hill. Great for any one but especially beginners and new to learning to ski and snowboard. The trails are wide and never over crowded. The cost is still affordable to ski compared to the other areas in the area. The food is very affordable for ski hill. The staff is friendly. read more

I didn't realize that this review that I started 2 years ago hadn't posted. I hadn't skied in 35 years so started with a lesson. Eric was an awesome instructor, he asked what I knew before we started and I said to ask as if I'd never been on skis until I proved worthy of more. After some instruction we made our way up the magic carpet, tow bar and then the chair. As we went, between his tips and some muscle memory I felt totally comfortable on skis and then was ready to join my friends on the mountain. As far as the mountain...Loved it! I've been back and still loved it. not too crowded, It offered plenty of runs and just enough challenge. read more

This place was amazing and so decently priced. This was our first time skiing and we definitely enjoyed ourselves. The staff was nice, the food was good we had their smoked wings. The atmosphere was great and very welcoming. We plan to come back before the year is out to do ski lessons. read more

Ski Cooper - Ski Resorts Near Me - Leadville, Colorado

Very low angle. A few steep trees off the back, but that's it. Not a challenging mountain at all. Good for beginners.

We absolutely LOVE Ski Cooper! No over-the-top resorts, fees, crowds, etc. Just wonderful skiing with the friendliest staff around. There's enough runs for everyone and it's not crowded like so many other places anymore. Great lodge, restaurants, parking, rentals. Everything you need. It snowed about 5" the night before our first day there and our van simply couldn't make it up the small hill into Ski Cooper but within minutes, someone on staff arrived and helped us get on snow chains and we were off and skiing in no time. Absolutely wonderful. We're now contemplating buying a house not too far away so we can make Cooper a normal part of our life. read more

Ski Cooper - Ski Resorts Near Me - Leadville, Colorado

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The last resort in Colorado I haven't skied and now after my first time, I'm hooked. I don't need anymore pics at the top of Vail or Breck and my favorite, Loveland was just too windy this trip. Cooper is an hour drive from central Summit County where I usually stay. The drive alone on a clear day is worth the trip. Cooper is a small, no frills, no bs, purist skiing destination. Old school lifts like I enjoy and gorgeous runs perfect for teaching kids without fear of out of control skiers. Most of the mountain is in between a blue and a green, again perfect for learning but also for relaxing cruising in excellent snow. No lines on what we were told was a busy day. As others have noted, the place is over the moon friendly including the skiers. My only complaint was the food selection and lack of healthy choices, I'd liked to have seen some pre-made salads and an expresso/coffee machine. There's a nice pub (don't drink and ski) but a pretty small apres crowd. Free small tubing hill next to the parking lot the kids love. Leadville is the closest town, it's what Frisco was 25 years ago but the world is finding it. Next trip we will rent a cabin there and only ski Cooper, it's that good. read more

It is not my first time at Ski Cooper but it is my first review. I had a snowboard class with Spencer on 1/23 and OMG, he is absolutely fantastic and everything I needed in a instructor. He is patient, clarified all my questions, gave me great insights and, above all he kept believing I could do what he taught me and his attitude inspired me! I also had other instructors whom gave me the basis for boarding but I can definitely say that Spencer is off the charts :) read more

Ski Cooper - Ski Resorts Near Me - Leadville, Colorado

I like skiing in Colorado, but there's something about the huge mountain resorts that gives me anxiety. Let me see...what is it.... Oh yeah. The cost. I'm a moderately mediocre downhill skier, so I have a difficult time justifying paying tons of money when I can't ski black diamond runs. That's why I often enjoy skiing smaller places, like Ski Cooper. Fewer amenities, sure. But lower cost, and family-friendly. My family and I had a good time at Ski Cooper last weekend. The mountain is right across the street from the excellent Tennessee Pass Nordic Center, so there's lots of opportunity for winter fun. My daughter prefers snowboarding to skiing, and unfortunately, their snowboard lessons were pretty meh. There was a bunch of confusion on the part of Ski Cooper on which lesson she and her friend were in, leading to her lesson being cut short by 1/2 an hour. We did receive a small refund for that, and they were apologetic. The mountain is beautiful and looks out onto Tennessee Pass and Chicago Ridge. It's great for beginners with plenty of easy runs. Even on a holiday weekend, it wasn't too crowded. A true Colorado locals kind of place. Had a good time, despite the lesson snafu. Would definitely come back. read more

Ski Cooper - Pretty views. - Ski Resorts Near Me - Leadville, Colorado

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It's true what I've read about Cooper. It's really staffed by nice, helpful and considerate staff. Moving to CO and having decided to lean how to ski gave me an excuse to try every ski resort. As with every beginner my ski trip would consist of good days and bad days but mostly a lot of fun! And to top that off some days I can slow myself downhill and some days I'm like a torpedo heading down- just down. No real destination. Straight and really fast! I would sit on my behind if I'm about to hit someone! A good friend who's an expert skier is always with me. We had fights over his frustration over my slow learning curve. But wait... This was until I met Bob last week on a Thursday. He taught me and showed me in ways only a great instructor can. In 15 minutes I was able to slow myself downhill by turning left and right! It just clicked! Not everyone can teach. Especially not everyone that ski can teach. A wonderful instructor and an awesome run in a highly recommended resort even in a whiteout day didn't stop this writer from finally "getting it!" I know it's an extra hour more drive past Copper but it's so worth it! No lines over 5 minutes wait! read more

We moved from Miami to Leadville this year and I cannot recommend Ski Copper enough! It's a great mountain for getting back into riding, and rarely seemed to packed. There's pretty varied terrain and it has a few perks over the big mountains as on powder days, it takes a while before you can't ride fresh tracks. The food at the yurt is great, all of the staff is friendly and as someone that had Covid and knows how rough it can be, appreciated how seriously staff took making sure everyone had a mask and kept it up. read more

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Love, love, love the resort. Wide runs, good powder. Friendly staff. Good family ski resort. Will definitely return.

Ski Cooper is a great ski resort. I originally skied at Copper but after moving to Denver and my Dad living near Leadvill we come to Cooper for a great experience. This place is a great Ski resort to learn at as there is little to no people and large slopes. Cooper also offers good snow and decent food. I would recommend not renting skis here as they are old and not in good shape if you are to rent go to place in Frisco. read more

Hidden gem outside of Leadville. Went for 10th Mtn. Division Day and had a wonderful time. 6" of new powder, wide open trails, no crowds! While the lifts are slow, you can ski right up and load. No lift lines even on a busier day. Can't wait to go back someday! read more

LOVE SKI COOPER!!! My sis and I haven't skied in about 20 years...Cooper was perfect for us! Definitely worth the extra drive time. Smaller resort but not crowded! We felt like we were alone on some runs. No wait for the lifts!!! Super affordable, like unheard of prices! $30 for a Thursday, Amazing! We also rented our gear there. Very convenient and the gear was in excellent condition. We bought our lunch at the cafeteria and it was what we expected, nothing too fancy. Everyone was very friendly too. Thanks Ski Cooper! We'll definitely be back! read more

Ski Cooper - Ski Resorts Near Me - Leadville, Colorado

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Book online and ski for $40/day ski lift pass. The best value we could find ANYWHERE. No service for Verizon on the mountain so wait for each other if you want to stick together. Not as fancy as other resorts, but definitely everything you need. Concessions were as good as other places, but still cost like any resort. Quality staff and the coffee shop right next door was a huge hit! Free sledding/tubing right outside for anybody not wanting to ski and just hang out and enjoy the area. read more

Ski Cooper - Ski Resorts Near Me - Leadville, Colorado

I've been skiing here for 10 years and it's always been "family friendly" and fairly priced -- until now. I bought a four pack for last season which was cut short by the pandemic. I hadn't used any of the passes. I assumed I could use them this year, at least for some sort of discount. Well, not only did they not let me use them, the walk up window price is now $80 per person, even if you don't ski! Make sure you buy your passes online before you go. They are $40 for anyone 15-74. And forever you could bring your own food; but not anymore. Ski Cooper went from "family friendly" to "all about the benjamins". Time to find another ski area, or at least a reasonably priced activity, for this family. :( read more

If you are looking for a GREAT place to ski with all the locals, head over to this place! If you are looking for a GREAT deal on a ski lift ticket and you are an out-of-towner, go on Tuesday or Thursday! Seriously, this place is surrounded by breathtaking slopes, great skiers, and plenty of locals! They rent equipment, you can buy tickets just as a walk-in without a long line to wait in, and you can ski for 6 hours--virtually uninterrupted! They offer all levels of skiing and snowboarding and keep the slopes well-groomed. They offer ski classes a couple times a day OR you can do like I did and listen and watch their instruction with others and mimic what you see and hear! They also offer rental equipment and a lounge/lunch area with indoor and outdoor seating. This resort is great for children and beginner skiers/snowboarders. Their instructors are very personable and patient! Just watching them coach the various classes was encouraging to me! The necessary/locker room was extremely well-kempt and clean. You could rent a locker for your personal items, but as others have suggested, if you get there early enough, you can park and practically ski right to the door of your vehicle! I chose option B here and was able to have a picnic lunch in the hatch of my rental vehicle, which I brought with me. WIN-WIN! I will definitely be returning to Ski Cooper. I loved the resort and all of the nice staff. And for a ski day around $100 for 2, I'd say I got a pretty SWEET deal!! read more

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Spectacular snow, no lift lines, 1/3 the cost of Summit county ski areas. This place is like the places I skied as a kid: friendly, unassuming, down-to-earth. It's a great place for families to ski because of the cost and the size. The food is good and affordable, but lacks the variety you might get at a larger area. There is a cozy bar at the base for aprés ski, with live music on Thursdays and Saturdays. What have you got to lose? read more

Ski Cooper - Great scenery from the top of Ski Cooper. - Ski Resorts Near Me - Leadville, Colorado

great place to ski ..never crowded..good food at cafe...easy parking..our new favorite spot

Family oriented, low key resort with extremely friendly and helpful staff. My wife lost her hat and gloves. She called them and staff said they found them. We received the gloves and hat today. No charge for mailing. read more

Quaint, friendly, and cheap! It's a smaller mountain than some of the other resorts and a bit more of a drive from the cities but it's always worth it. The parking is free and close to the lifts. The longest I've ever waited in a line is less than 5 minutes. They have super reasonable prices including an option for beginners. There is a base lodge with a cafeteria, Irish pub, and they have live music during the weekends in ski season. Everyone was really friendly and there was a very positive, relaxed atmosphere. I don't get cell service there but there is free WiFi at the base lodge that works pretty well. It's off the beaten path and gives a pure feel of being in the mountains. It's also a great place to learn how to ski (I learned here when I was a kid and have brought several others here to learn). This place will always have my vote! read more

Ski Cooper - Ski Resorts Near Me - Leadville, Colorado

When an Arizona Mexican wants to ski....ski Cooper was it (unless your on the Mexican ski team, which they have). Small but Zero lines, great snow, great runs. Loved it! read more

Ski Cooper was great!! I am an intermediate skier and had a private lesson with Tristram and it was SO. Trrr morning OO helpful!! There were no lines. Decent food prices. As a Minnesotan, Ski Cooper was amazing!! Absolutely gorgeous views. And you can't beat the price. read more

Great beginners and families with small kids. Has only a couple of small lifts. Grooms are wide and with lots of trees and the views are incredible.You can almost ski to your car and depending on where you park you can. Staff was friendly and looked clean inside and out. Really layed back atmosphere on and off the slopes. My first experience consist of the Resort losing power for the first time ever and a 15 minute wait on the lift. Then they had to give us a coupon to come back so then i had to go back. Unfortunately it was after the heat wave and slopes were icy and it wasn't as great as i know it could have been. That being said I'm definitely going back next season with my family. read more

I am a very big dummy for waiting so long to experience Ski Cooper. I chose to visit Ski Cooper on a Sunday to avoid the crowds at the other mountains. I was not disappointed! There was virtually no one there on a bluebird day. I got in more vertical than expected on some fantastic cruising terrain on the front side. I was definitely challenged in the trees on the backside. For $60, this was a total steal. Oh yeah, and the people were old school Colorado friendly and not the too-cool-for-you crowd at many other nearby places. I highly recommend and I plan to revisit. read more

Alright, so Ski Cooper is about a two and half hour drive from C Springs, which is perhaps why I've been here so many times. From Denver it is longer, which means you probably should hit the one of the bigger mountains. The appeals of Ski Cooper are mainly based around the fact that it is smallish and off by itself, which means it is cheaper than the other ski areas and is generally fairly empty. This is more of a beginners mountain, which nonetheless I have found memories of. This place is especially good for the kiddoes, so that's a plus. If you aren't a hardcore skier or snowboarder and are looking for an easy day, then Ski Cooper is for you. If not, try Copper, Monarch, or if you have some green to spend, Vail. read more

Ski Cooper - http://www.skicooper.com/ - Ski Resorts Near Me - Leadville, Colorado

Ski Cooper is a really cool little mountain. It has a laid back kinda vibe comparable to A-Basin, but it's a lot less crowded and the lift tickets are half as expensive. Of course, the trade off to this is the fact that there is not much vertical incline. Picture an East Coast sized mountain but with Colorado snow. The runs are fairly short, the lifts are very slow. They don't make any snow (au natural, baby), and consequently, don't have a terrain park either. Despite this, it's a fun place to come. It's definitely ideal for people who are just learning to ski- why spend $100 to go down a bunny hill at Copper, when you can spend $45 to go down a bunny hill at Cooper? Even if you are an experienced skier, it's still worth a trip if the conditions are good and you're in the area. It's totally worth the price of a lift ticket for a crow-free day of cruisin around. And, we had one of the best powder days I've had in years here! read more

My bf, friend and I went here for 2 days. My friend has been there before and told us we should go again since it was less crowded and cheaper than the other big resorts in the area. We went on a Wednesday and a Thursday. Wednesday was very quite, no lines at the rental. Thursday was a bit of a mad house, apparently they were a bit under staffed due to some issues that came up and the rental line was super long. I started off snowboarding. I had never been but figured it was easy. I tried my luck on the bunny hill first and spent 20 mins falling down the hill. I then took 2 hours of lessons with my bf, 5 others and our instructor. He taught us a bunch of good stuff but I was still terrible. After the lessons were over I tried my luck at the bunny hill a few more times but it literally took me over 20 mins each time to get down it. I fell so much and was in a lot of pain. I had put my snowboard was using on reserve for the next day so I didn't have to go thru the rental process. I think this part of the resort is a really great option. You don't have to wait in line again. I had put it on reserve before I realized that I was completely terrible at it. For Thursday I went there assuming that I would just switch to skis since I knew how to do that. But when I got there the rental line was ridiculous. So I attempted my fate at snowboarding once more. And shockingly I was still terrible. So I stood in line to switch to skis ( they let me do this with no problem and no extra charge). The line was really long and once people in front of me knew what I was doing, I was able to go to the middle of the line. I was in like for over an hour though (hence the reason reserving your rental equipment is a good idea). I did eventually get my ski gear and tried out the bunny hill again. I was amazing at the bunny hill on skis, or at least to my standards I was. So I went with my friend down one of the green hills. It was a success. I will be going back, just not trying snowboarding and I will make sure to have the right gear on reserve so I don't have to wait in long lines again. I had changed my gear so often that they knew my name, I originally returned some defective snowboard boots, then I changed my snowboard to goofy footed(thinking that was why I was bad), then I changed to skis so they were quite familiar with me :) read more

Great place for first time skiers or snowboarders. Very kid friendly also, plenty of variety for rentals and items to buy. Great food when you need a break, magic carpet on the bunny slope. Lift to the top of the mountain was kind of fast but they will slow it down when you wave them down. Not too difficult either, our six year old did the lift to the top and rode down and he is a first time skier. read more

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I almost don't want to write about this resort as it is a hidden gem. We skied here in January 2014 and had a great time. The town is an awesome little ski town and the mountain is awesome. I told my wife that this is a place that god loves it to snow. Every day fresh thick powder. Wide open runs and some nice trails. If you want to have the great Colorado skiing without tons of humans, go here. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. read more

I had so much fun at cooper. This rating is entirely for the quality of snow, some of the best i have ever seen. It was fresh powder amazingness, really dry and light snow. As one of the ski patrolers put it the mountain is all green no matter what its marked. I didnt mind because apparently not going for 3 years makes cruising greens really ideal. They have an irish pub, rentals, and rates are less expensive then corporate places. read more

Best snow for the $$$ Lunch for a family of 5 can still be under $65 ..... good luck staying under $120 on the i-70 corridor Our family has enjoyed this location for ~22 seasons , the staff is great, the ski school program has instructed ~26 of our friends to ski over the years Great history as the home of the 10th Mountain Division. .... birth of Special Forces read more

The employees here are AMAZING! We are from Texas and we were staying in Colorado Springs and it is like a 3 hour drive to Leadville but definitely worth it. We purchased the 2 day tickets on Wednesday and you can use the second day, the following day or skip a day and go the next day. For our second day we decided to go on Friday and unfortunately we couldn't make it because the snow was really heavy and we didn't have snow tires. We called and the staff was super nice and allowed us to change our second day for Saturday instead free of charge. The rental staff is so helpful especially George and DJ they were super helpful and went out of their way to make sure our boots fit comfortably. Love this place and 100% recommend to anyone read more

If you plan on going to sit and watch everyone ski, be prepared to pay $80 for a guest pass. One of the workers there said they were free and then denied it when questioned. the slopes are great though, just not happy about the guest pass... read more

Cold! Coldest major ski resort in the rockies. Lots of powder! A winter storm dumped 2 feet of snow. The mountain doesn't have and double blacks but the powder made up for it. Slow ski chair system but worth the wait. What made this a 5 star review was Sean who works in the rental shop. Came in with a board from another shop, had loose bindings and asked to use some tools to fix it. Turned out the binding just sucked so returned the board and came back the next day to rent from Cooper. Much better boards with better service and Sean really hooked me up with something for the deep powder. Thanks again. read more

Cooper Mountain has got to be one of my favorite places to ski in Colorado!! Cooper is set away from the tourist clogged I-70 resorts (not that any of those are bad, they're just tourist clogged...). It literally costs HALF the price as the bigger resorts and benefits from an equal half the crowds! I'm also pretty sure it cost me a whopping $12 to rent ALL the equipment! There are a couple drawbacks about Cooper though. It is a much smaller (though no less STEEPER) mountain in terms of trails, so by the end of the day you'll be kinda bored with what they've got. For the price though, I'm not complaining. Especially since they have trails for every difficulty level (I skied my first black diamonds here!!) The other disadvantage, which actually leads TO the advantages, is the location. It's kinda far from the highway so for a quick day trip it kinda sucks. We have a place in nearby Leadville so we normally just stay up there as well. But again, thanks to the remoteness of the mountain, the crowds are few and you never have to wait too long for the ski lift! read more