If you are looking for good skiing at a smaller resort with not a lot of people, Ski Cooper is your place. Located in Leadville, CO it is a day skiing only resort. You can get lessons, rentals, lunch, and a reasonable all over lift ticket. My husband had never skied before in his life so instead of giving him a lesson where there would be a million other people around, we headed here on our first day of our ski trip. Our lesson was semi-private, meaning the two of us took it together (me for a refresher, hubby for a first timer) and Wayne did a great job introducing my husband to the sport. We were up on the green slopes in no time. Lunch at a resort can be pricey, and this was no different, but they have a good selection and a great area to sit and view the other skiers as you fuel up. Their trails range from easy green to hard black and there is something for everyone when at Ski Cooper. Be sure to ride the Magic Carpet at least once so when people reference it, you will know what they are talking about. This is also the home of the 10th Mountain Division, dating back to WWII. There's something for everyone at Ski Cooper...can't wait to go back! read more

Went there yesterday and while it was a bit windy and snowing it wasn't bad. At one point I didn't know if I was even moving as the wind was blowing so hard uphill and with the fresh snow blowing at the ground level it was hard to distinguish movement!! The hill has two lifts that parallel a ridge basically and you ride down on either side of this ridge so while there are some flat areas I ended up running a lot on my heel edge while riding on the backside of the hill, wouldn't have been bad but I haven't been snowboarding in a few years so my legs started to burn after a few runs and I had to switch sides of the hill (or revisit riding goofy, just not my first time in years). Ate food at the nordic cross country lodge as the wife was towing our little one around in a sled. The food there was decent, I had a pulled pork sandwich and the wife absolutely LOVED their quiche and said the mocha coffee was quite good as well. All the folks working the bottoms of the lifts seemed friendly whenever I talked to them and the lines were almost non-existent. Once I had to wait about a minute as there was some issues with people getting on or off the lift so it was slowed down a few times. They seem to decorate some trees under the lifts with beads at this location which keeps it family friendly but cheap 50 cent beads all in the trees looks kind of worse if you ask me. All in all I'll come back when they get more snow as the tickets are cheaper and the place is nice and cozy and a lot less touristy. read more

As a family we've spent two winters at Ski Cooper- skiing & boarding. This is a smaller ski area that is fantastic for families. Reasonably priced, relaxed atmosphere, & still pretty easy to get to from Denver. We really liked the ski school. For $80 your 5+ year old gets equipment, lunch, & a 3-5 kid group lesson from 9 am until 3 pm. The instructors were fun and good. Season passes are around $75 for a child. Did I mention that the surround area is beautiful & Leadville has a lot of charm? This is going to be our family resort for some time! read more

Out of the way, never crowded, perfectly priced, small mountain atmosphere, tailgate BBQ types, and decent skiing. Just starting out with a family of little ones? This is your resort. Want a back country adventure without the helicopter? Try the snowcat tour! Not a favorite, but worth at least a visit. read more

We visited Ski Cooper recently, and it was the perfect resort for us to go to. Small, uncrowded (not a single wait at the lifts) and personal attention are the hallmarks of this resort just north of Leadville. We have two small children, and their ski instructor was fantastic. He really related well to the kids, and they enjoyed their first time on skis. There is a good mix of runs, from straight forward green runs to challenging black ones. To top it off, the cost is reasonable, and it really delivers good entertainment value for your dollar. We will be coming back! read more

An affordable ski resort that Colorado seems to have less of with every passing year. A delightful mountain with plenty of runs for beginner and intermediate skiers. However, it lacks variety and the lifts are fairly slow. Overall, a splendid place to ski. read more

Very nice small ski area in CO, perfect for beginners and families. Has snowcat skiing for advanced which looks very good. Best feature: it's $30 lift ticket (if bought at grocery store) and zero crowds. This is also the home of the 10th mountain division which in itself is pretty cool. read more

Just had the most amazing day on the mountain. Today was 2fer Tuesday...my husband and I spent $56 total for both of us to ski today. Yesterday, we went to vail and spent $400 for the day. Ski cooper is a much smaller mountain but there were no crowds, no lift lines, amazing snow, and great terrain. The runs cater to all skill levels. Would highly recommend if you are a beginner as well. No double blacks here...if you looking for the expert terrain rent a cat ski for the day or go somewhere else. Will definitely be back here!! read more

Great place at a great price! Forget about the other expensive ski resorts. I just discover this one and love it every second. It is the best for the best price! Long rides, no lines, and is family oriented. They also have military discount! read more

We had our wedding reception at Ski Cooper in their Lodge after having our ceremony in the field at the Tennessee Pass Nordic Center and we could not have asked for a more wonderful place to have our perfect day. The whole event and catering team at Ski Cooper: Dana, Monica, Scott and all of the Food & Beverage Staff worked tirelessly to make sure that our wedding day was everything we hoped it would be. Not only is the land and property at Ski Cooper beautiful, the food and the hospitality of the lodge was everything we desired. Scott helped us decide what food made the most sense for our budget, and was an incredible resource along the way as we planned out our wedding reception. Dana and Monica helped us stay organized and were extremely communicative with us about our details and preparation. The weekend of the wedding the team was available to help us and to walk us through all of the details of the day. They worked with our other outside vendors and our family and friends to make the day perfect. The food was incredible--we had steak and chicken fajitas, and they even allowed us to bring our own home brew and served it at the bar. They worked very hard to meet all of our needs and made the day perfect. We were even blessed with the leaves starting to change in early September and spectacular views of Mt. Massive and Mt. Elbert all day. Thank you Ski Cooper for helping make our wedding day everything we could have ever wanted. read more

We had an extraordinary Saturday at Cooper. Blessed with almost a foot of fine mid-December Colorado powder. With only a handful of patrons to share the slopes we found untracked descents until they closed the lifts. I am a Colorado ex-pat who returns as often as possible. I had never ventured to Cooper Hill but avoiding the crush of the first big snow weekend at Vail seemed like the best strategy. Plus my ski buddy had a cousin who lived in Leadville. The snow was a bonus. My skis, better suited to California hardback proved difficult to keep afloat I went to the rental shop. I especially appreciated the knowledgeable and thoughtful staff in the rental shop who assessed my skiing acumen and the snow and fitted me with a pair of of wider all-mountain boards. The only downside was that my camera managed to escape my shirt pocket some time during the day. I reporter my loss at the service desk thinking about the new camera I would be shopping for. I was regretting not downloading all the photo memories from vacations and a recent grand kids' birthday. Calculating the odds of finding the camera, as next to impossible I accepted the loss. However call from Cooper's lost and found several days later was the lost sheep had been found and a akin to a miracle. And, the camera worked and memory card were undamaged. Skiing is simpler at Cooper, more like the skiing I remember as a kid growing up in Colorado in the 1950s. On the way back to Dillon, we took a quick tour of Leadville to size up the many nearby lodging options. If I could pick a ski area to introduce my grandkids to skiing, Ski Cooper is the place. It is a welcome relief from the maddening crowds of most other destinations. Based on my interactions with the staff and what the local season pass holder we skied with told me, I expect that all the instructors are first class. After our experience on these gentle slopes I understood that the Army had in fact created the optimal hill to teach skiing during WWII. While Summit County and Vail resorts have also tried to claim the 10th Mountain Division, I felt the spirit of those brave souls at Cooper, just south of plot of now abandoned land where Camp Hale once prepared troops for the hardships of winter war. read more

This is a great mountian for beginners and intermediate skiers. It is a cute little place. The mountian is mostly flat and there are only a few step runs. Also I find the ski patrol to be very disturbing. I left my skis out because I did not know that you had to rack them. So the ski patrol took my skis and separated them so I could not find them and put the bases touching the rack witch ruins the ski. But besides that this place is awesome. read more

Last year we skied Keystone. Don't get me wrong, Keystone was awesome; but, Cooper is my new favorite. Parking is a breeze. The prices are very competitive. The staff is super friendly. The prices are nice and low. The kids program is top notch. Our daughter loved her instructors and was anxious to practice everything they taught her. Helmut is an excellent instructor. He helped me with a bad habit I developed. The next day I was skiing down the blues with half the energy I was using before and getting compliments on my form. read more

This is our first ski trip, and first time to Colorado and thanks to Ski Cooper our time here was very memorable. We spent the last three days skiing at Ski Cooper and had a blast. The staff was very helpful. They were very patient with us fitting our ski boots, ski, and poles. They make sure it was taylor to the individual. The six of us took the ski school our first day and our instructor was very helpful and very patient with us. The price was very affordable. After calling around, ski cooper was the place for us. The first day cost us around $360 that includes ski school, rentals, and the magic carpet ride lift for all day. It literally cost less than most around the area we are staying (Frisco). We will drive the thirty minutes to save money since we are not pro yet. Ski Cooper is not crowded at all and there is never a wait for the lift. read more

I visit Vail yearly in February, last year brought my son and got him a half day lesson at Vail Ski School. He's not a great snowboarder, but in the group lesson he had a horrible time and felt that the instuctors had a superior attitude (it is Vail, so not surprised). This year I got him a half day private lesson at Cooper Mountain, my reward was my son saying it was the best day of his life! The instructor was fantastic, took time to both teach him and make the day fun and exciting! I was thrilled to show up and see him snowboarding down the mountain like he was born doing it. My sincere thanks and appreciation to the instructors for making a novice feel welcome and at home! Terrific school and we will be back!!! read more

Private lesson for 2 all rental equipment and lift ticket under 320.00! Family friendly, nice staff great skiing! Best budget friendly skiing we have had! Highly recommend read more