Opinions: Ski Cooper in Colorado?

Not Copper; Cooper.

http://www.skicooper.com/skimap.html

For reasons I can't quite articulate, I'm curious about this place. Is it
worth the extremely reasonably priced pass?

I already have the colorado pass and a winter park 4pass, so this would just
be some variety, I suppose. I guess there's a part of me that misses those
tiny mid-east-coast resorts where you always ended up at the same parking lot
no matter which trail you took down. For some reason, Eldora doesn't strike
my interest for this, but Cooper does.


--
monique
Longmont, CO

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:

Not Copper; Cooper.

http://www.skicooper.com/skimap.html

For reasons I can't quite articulate, I'm curious about this place. Is it
worth the extremely reasonably priced pass?

I already have the colorado pass and a winter park 4pass, so this would just
be some variety, I suppose. I guess there's a part of me that misses those
tiny mid-east-coast resorts where you always ended up at the same parking lot
no matter which trail you took down. For some reason, Eldora doesn't strike
my interest for this, but Cooper does.

In fact, you _don't_ always end up at the same parking lot at
Eldora...but I take your meaning. At the risk of belaboring the
obvious, though, why not spring for a one-day ticket and find out? Both
Cooper and Eldo are cheap enough to try the experiment. I've had a lot
of fun at Eldo (and, btw, if you like racing, you should hook up with
the Eldo Masters -- I've trained with them a bunch and it's tons of
fun), and I've heard a lot of good stuff about Cooper from my bro.

p.s. if you go to Eldo, check out Upper Avalanche ;-) You'll like it!

--
Mary Malmros
Some days you're the windshield, other days you're the bug.

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:

Not Copper; Cooper.

http://www.skicooper.com/skimap.html

For reasons I can't quite articulate, I'm curious about this place. Is it
worth the extremely reasonably priced pass?

I already have the colorado pass and a winter park 4pass, so this would just
be some variety, I suppose. I guess there's a part of me that misses those
tiny mid-east-coast resorts where you always ended up at the same parking lot
no matter which trail you took down. For some reason, Eldora doesn't strike
my interest for this, but Cooper does.

Either one would be worthwhile.

I have had many a fun day at Eldora. It makes for a nice change of pace,
especially when dealing with the I-70 traffic. They have a good variety
of terrain, and the small-town feel is cool too.

Cooper is the same way. Not much in the way of challenging terrain, but
a fun p[lace to ski nonetheless, and I don't think I have ever seen a
real lift line there. The only drawback to Cooper is the drive. These
days I would probably be inclined to stay the night in Summit County
somewhere (like the Holiday Inn since my wife gets free nights there due
to corporate travel).

But if I am going to go to the trouble of staying somewhere, I'll go to
Glenwood and ski at Sunlight. I skiied there for the first time last
year with my wife, and was very pleasantly surprised. So much so that
we went back later in the year with the kids. It was a fun time, and
there aren't many things that beat being in the Hot Springs pool in
Glenwood after a good day of skiing. Again, the terrain isn't overly
challenging, but the total experience is pretty much terrific. Made for
a great Valentine's trip last year. With ski/ swim/ stay packages at
the local hotels, it is also extremely affordable.

On 2005-01-11, Mary Malmros penned:
Monique Y. Mudama wrote:

Not Copper; Cooper.

http://www.skicooper.com/skimap.html

For reasons I can't quite articulate, I'm curious about this place. Is it
worth the extremely reasonably priced pass?

I already have the colorado pass and a winter park 4pass, so this would
just be some variety, I suppose. I guess there's a part of me that misses
those tiny mid-east-coast resorts where you always ended up at the same
parking lot no matter which trail you took down. For some reason, Eldora
doesn't strike my interest for this, but Cooper does.

In fact, you _don't_ always end up at the same parking lot at Eldora...but I
take your meaning.

See, Eldora's too big! I knew there was a reason I rejected it out of hand =P

Honestly, looking at it, Eldora is much bigger than Liberty or Roundtop, where
much of my high school skiing took place.

At the risk of belaboring the obvious, though, why not
spring for a one-day ticket and find out? Both Cooper and Eldo are cheap
enough to try the experiment. I've had a lot of fun at Eldo (and, btw, if
you like racing, you should hook up with the Eldo Masters -- I've trained
with them a bunch and it's tons of fun), and I've heard a lot of good stuff
about Cooper from my bro.

Sure, they're fairly cheap, but two tickets still add up, and if everyone told
me the places suck, I'd just as soon not spend the cash.

My company does have four Eldo season passes on rotation, but you have to
reserve them and of course they're reserved from the start. I've also heard
that Eldo is only worth visiting if it's just snowed ..?

I hear there's a nighttime racing thing at Eldo, but it's Wednesday night ...
not really great timing for me.

p.s. if you go to Eldo, check out Upper Avalanche ;-) You'll like it!

Is that a run or a description of conditions? =P

--
monique
Longmont, CO

On 2005-01-11, Chester Bullock penned:

Either one would be worthwhile.

I have had many a fun day at Eldora. It makes for a nice change of pace,
especially when dealing with the I-70 traffic. They have a good variety of
terrain, and the small-town feel is cool too.

I guess I've always gotten the impression that it would be crowded and tracked
out because it's so convenient for the family crowd. Maybe that's why Cooper
sounds more interesting; you hear less about it, so I figure it might be more
of an "undiscovered gem" than Eldora. Also, what's this business about
snowcat tours? I figure I won't learn to ski powder unless I'm exposed to a
lot of it, and it's hard to find enough powder to really practice when you're
at a resort ... it's gone as soon as the ropes are down.

Cooper is the same way. Not much in the way of challenging terrain, but a
fun p[lace to ski nonetheless, and I don't think I have ever seen a real
lift line there. The only drawback to Cooper is the drive. These days I
would probably be inclined to stay the night in Summit County somewhere
(like the Holiday Inn since my wife gets free nights there due to corporate
travel).

A lack of lift line can make up for an awful lot of deficiencies. Is the
drive any worse from the Boulder area than other Summit Co. resorts?

But if I am going to go to the trouble of staying somewhere, I'll go to
Glenwood and ski at Sunlight. I skiied there for the first time last year
with my wife, and was very pleasantly surprised. So much so that we went
back later in the year with the kids. It was a fun time, and there aren't
many things that beat being in the Hot Springs pool in Glenwood after a good
day of skiing. Again, the terrain isn't overly challenging, but the total
experience is pretty much terrific. Made for a great Valentine's trip last
year. With ski/ swim/ stay packages at the local hotels, it is also
extremely affordable.

It sounds like fun.

Is it weird for me to say that I get overwhelmed by these big resorts?
Sometimes I feel like I spend 80% of my time on the mountain just getting to
and from the 20% of the mountain I actually ski. Seems like I'm always taking
two or three lifts to get from the lodge to the peak/side I actually want, and
then of course I have to find my way back at the end of the day. Maybe,
sometimes, less is more.

--
monique
Longmont, CO

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
Not Copper; Cooper.

http://www.skicooper.com/skimap.html

For reasons I can't quite articulate, I'm curious about this place. Is it
worth the extremely reasonably priced pass?

I already have the colorado pass and a winter park 4pass, so this would just
be some variety, I suppose. I guess there's a part of me that misses those
tiny mid-east-coast resorts where you always ended up at the same parking lot
no matter which trail you took down. For some reason, Eldora doesn't strike
my interest for this, but Cooper does.



I've driven by it a bunch and have always wondered, but never skied
there. Love the "mom & pop" style web site! Hey, Monarch has cat skiing
too - I used to pack for them in college. I'd be really interested to
hear more or see some pictures of the Cooper cat operation. Might be
great (or not). Looks like they have similar vertical and altitude - if
thy get much moisture the snow should be great.

I like funky little resorts if the skiing is decent enough. Monarch is
like that. No high speed quads, not much of a base area, but fun
terrain, good snow, and cheap passes.

Places like that may sometimes get a lot of groups like churches and
schools for winter or spring break, so try to miss those times if you
can. Monarch is pretty quiet for most of the season, but hit it at peak
spring break or winter break and the lot will be full of buses and the
lines can get long. Although I have to say, good line technique can
usually get you through much faster. These are often the crowds who will
completely fill one side of the maze but leave the other empty.

Matt (but I'd try a day ticket first myself)

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
On 2005-01-11, Mary Malmros penned:
[snip]
At the risk of belaboring the obvious, though, why not
spring for a one-day ticket and find out? Both Cooper and Eldo are cheap
enough to try the experiment. I've had a lot of fun at Eldo (and, btw, if
you like racing, you should hook up with the Eldo Masters -- I've trained
with them a bunch and it's tons of fun), and I've heard a lot of good stuff
about Cooper from my bro.

Sure, they're fairly cheap, but two tickets still add up, and if everyone told
me the places suck, I'd just as soon not spend the cash.



My company does have four Eldo season passes on rotation, but you have to
reserve them and of course they're reserved from the start. I've also heard
that Eldo is only worth visiting if it's just snowed ..?

Not IMO, but a)I'm coming from the East and b)I'm usually doing at least
some race training stuff when I'm there, so lack of fresh isn't that big
a deal for me. For a powderhound, I suppose anywhere is only worth
visiting if it's just snowed, but if you're looking for hardpack or
moguls, I don't know why it would make a difference.

I hear there's a nighttime racing thing at Eldo, but it's Wednesday night ...
not really great timing for me.

I was thinking of the Eldora Masters group that trains there during the
days. They don't ever race there -- Rocky Mountain Masters race at
places like Loveland, Winter Park, Copper, etc.

p.s. if you go to Eldo, check out Upper Avalanche ;-) You'll like it!

Is that a run or a description of conditions? =P

It's a nice steep mogul run.

--
Mary Malmros
Some days you're the windshield, other days you're the bug.

Monique Y. Mudama wrote:

I guess I've always gotten the impression that it would be crowded and tracked
out because it's so convenient for the family crowd. Maybe that's why Cooper
sounds more interesting; you hear less about it, so I figure it might be more
of an "undiscovered gem" than Eldora. Also, what's this business about
snowcat tours? I figure I won't learn to ski powder unless I'm exposed to a
lot of it, and it's hard to find enough powder to really practice when you're
at a resort ... it's gone as soon as the ropes are down.

Don't know anything about the cats, but I do know that no matter where
you go, the mainstream powder will be tracked out quickly. You need to
learn a mountain to be able to find the good stashes. I can find powder
at Copper pretty much all day on a powder day there. Just have to know
where to look, and also have the skill to go where it's at. Likewise,
Mikey seems to know all the good stashes at Breck.

A lack of lift line can make up for an awful lot of deficiencies. Is the
drive any worse from the Boulder area than other Summit Co. resorts?

I didn't think so. Probably depends on which way you go.


It sounds like fun.

Glenwood is fun, you should try it sometime.

Is it weird for me to say that I get overwhelmed by these big resorts?
Sometimes I feel like I spend 80% of my time on the mountain just getting to
and from the 20% of the mountain I actually ski. Seems like I'm always taking
two or three lifts to get from the lodge to the peak/side I actually want, and
then of course I have to find my way back at the end of the day. Maybe,
sometimes, less is more.

That's how I feel about Vail, which is why I don't ski there. One of
the worst lift layouts around in my opinion. I still like the big
mountains though, because there are more chances of finding a run that
suits your tastes on any given day. I go for the KAB pass so I can keep
skiing at the Basin until late spring. If it weren't for that, and also
for the terrible transit situation at Copper, I'd probably have a pass
there instead.

----------------------
Chester Bullock,
Colorado Mountain Cams, Snow Conditions, Opinionated Reports
http://www.black-diamond.com
AIM: tenxible YahooIM: ccb247

Chester Bullock wrote:
[snip]

If it weren't for that, and also
for the terrible transit situation at Copper, I'd probably have a pass
there instead.

Serious question and not an attempt to argue. For me, after a 1.5 to 2
hour drive, the hassle factor to get to the lifts is a big deal. Where
in the I-70 area is the transportation situation better?

Vail - no free parking to speak of

Keystone - a long walk from the free parking to the very crowded gondola
area where there is only a dark, tiny place with a small number of
lockers to change. Or a shuttle bus ride to a nicer base area from
which it takes forever to get to a black run. (And generally the worst
snow.)

Breck - the shuttle from the free parking is at least as long as at
Copper and the shuttle loading area may not be as convenient. (Though
if you can take the long run into town, you can walk back to the parking
lot.)

Beaver Creek - might be better

A-Basin - definitely better but often requires a walk through mud which
ends up in the car.

Mary Jane - better (as of last year.) I heard they changed things this
year but don't know whether it is better or worse.

Winter Park - a medium walk if you get there early and can park along
the road.

vbenares wrote:

Serious question and not an attempt to argue. For me, after a 1.5 to 2
hour drive, the hassle factor to get to the lifts is a big deal. Where
in the I-70 area is the transportation situation better?

Vail - no free parking to speak of

Parking sucks. You pay for it, then still walk as far as you do at
Keystone.

Keystone - a long walk from the free parking to the very crowded gondola
area where there is only a dark, tiny place with a small number of
lockers to change. Or a shuttle bus ride to a nicer base area from
which it takes forever to get to a black run. (And generally the worst
snow.)

Agreed, pretty well sucks.

Breck - the shuttle from the free parking is at least as long as at
Copper and the shuttle loading area may not be as convenient. (Though
if you can take the long run into town, you can walk back to the parking
lot.)

The shuttle ride might be as long, but the shuttles have seats, if you
get there early it is a short walk to the shuttle stop, and if you take
the shuttle to Peak 9, the walk to the lift is very short. Unlike
Copper, where you walk a reasonable distance to a shuttle that (9/10
times) you have to stand up in, then ride a good distance, then walk a
Keystone-like distance to get to the lifts (if you are going to the Main
Village, which we do because the kids and wife aren't comfortable
starting their day on the Super Bee yet). Try leaving Copper at about
4:30 or so, from the free lots. It's a friggin zoo. Makes I-25 in rush
hour seem like smooth flowing traffic. That's one of my biggest beef's
with the place, and not an easy one for them to solve. I was never
aware of it when I lived there, for obvious reasons. But I think they
are getting more skiers now than when I lived there too.

Beaver Creek - might be better

Never been, hoping to go this year.

A-Basin - definitely better but often requires a walk through mud which
ends up in the car.

If you get there at the right time, you don't have to walk in the mud
(or not very much of it). If you already have a pass, ski down to the
Pali chair and off you go. Possibly the easiest of them all.

Loveland is about the same as A-Basin, parking wise, but without a Pali
chair quick access.

Mary Jane - better (as of last year.) I heard they changed things this
year but don't know whether it is better or worse.

Haven't been for a couple years, but wasn't that bad.

Winter Park - a medium walk if you get there early and can park along
the road.

Again, a couple years since I have been, but that parking situation was
all jacked up. Was much easier to ride the shuttle from the condo,
especially since it picked up pretty much right outside the front door.

These are of course just my opinions. But I don't like walking as far
as I have had to at some of these places, with kids in tow, etc. Makes
it very challenging. It'll be better when they feel comfortable
starting on the most accessible lift.
----------------------
Chester Bullock,
Colorado Mountain Cams, Snow Conditions, Opinionated Reports
http://www.black-diamond.com
AIM: tenxible YahooIM: ccb247