2022.03.xx ski cooper

So you’ve developed a taste for powder?

Once a skier gets hooked on the soft stuff, it’s hard to go back. Last year Amelia got hooked on powder, especially the high-elevation southern dessert kind.

We bought new powder skis and now we need to put them to good use. As fate would have it, our first year with powder skis in the closet has been a dry year in the southwest.

We’re learning how to find the best snow, and it may be hiding in plain sight at the lesser visited mountains. Big-name tourist destinations draw big crowds (the mega-resort dilemma) and these crowds track and pack the snow. To find good snow, we need to go to where the crowds aint.

The Theme for this trip is: ‘small is the new big.’

Cooper mountain Colorado - not to be confused with the mega-resort COPPER is a classic low-frills high alpine ski area for the simple ski purist.

Also branded as “ski cooper”, this little place is often overlooked in favor of the nearby big names such as Copper, Breckenridge and Vail.

From Denver, there are half a dozen mega resorts within a similar driving distance, and cooper is easily overlooked.

We skien a couple these before, see earlier adventures at Loveland and Monarch

Cooper’s season pass might be the best value in bundle passes

The cooper pass includes access to 48 other locals' mountains, including many in the western rockies. Most pass partners give 3 days, which is enough for our budget, especially if there are multiple mountains within driving distance of a big airport. 5 in Colorado, several in Utah (Including POWMOW), plenty in Idaho, and some intriguing options in the southwest desert states of New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada. This year we opted for all of the above in Colorado, plus ALASKA. We had plans to go to Utah/Idaho, but the snow up there was pretty thin. and Colorado has been getting the better snow. We’ll put 9 days on the pass this year, not bad considering the low price for underdog mountains.

summary of reciprocral passes here

If smaller is better, is there too small?

Before we went to Monarch, I had dismissed this place as a “gym”. By “gym” I mean a small place that might be of interest to a local, as a way to get some exercise, but not worth an out-of-state visit. These gyms serve a different market - the family-age local populations who want to teach their kids at an affordable and near-by location. I think we can dismiss 8 Colorado ski areas as “gyms”

Granby, Chapman, Echo, Hesperus, Howelson, Cranor, Kendall, and Lee’s Hill all have vertical rise < 1000 ft. Most are located near Denver, with a few serving local’s duty new the megaresort towns.

I saw Hesperus from the road en route to Telluride, and it was no place to visit. Just a single flat rolling hill like one might see in the Midwest. A learning area for Durango area. I would hate to fly in from out of state just to visit that nothing-burger. So yes, there is a too small for the out-of-stater. Even Eldora and Buttermilk might be in this bunch.

Monarch Covers less than 1200 vertical feet (max-min), and barely covers 1000 true-up vertical feet. We had a great time at Monarch. We declared it ‘our new favorite place’.

So there’s not a lot of vertical drop at these ski areas. As Colorado vertical goes, these are among the smallest in the state… in “delta” feet. Absolute verticals tell a different story.

on the significance of base height…

Cooper is located along the great divide and reaps the many benefits of the elevation in this region. In terms of base elevation, cooper comes in at #4, with pass partners Loveland and Monarch, and the legendary A-Bay.

It is well known that the best snow tends to be found at the higher elevations. There are a variety of interesting reasons for this climate effect (more on that later).

Higher elevation means colder temps, and lighter, drier, softer snow (in general).

So that’s base elevation, but if you want to brag about elevation, what about the highest point?

Loveland is located along the high spine of the divide, above the Eisenhower tunnel on I70.. also one of the closest mountains to Denver. So far as I know, Loveland is the only place where one can ski above 13,000 feet without a hike .. the cats go up to about 13,050 ft (you have to sign a waiver, so get in line).

At high point, Monarch and Cooper don’t quite reach 12k, but… they are surrounded by the highest ridge with many 14ers.

There are disadvantages to being too high. Many of the summits at Loveland are wind-blown dry, and don’t hold good snow. The better snow falls and settles in the nearby valleys.

These little ski areas offer big-mountain, high-alpine ski experiences, without the crowds .. meaning, better snow.

Colorado is not the only state with elevation - 7 western states can play that game.