The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Ski Cooper's summit reaches 11,700 feet, dropping roughly 1,201 vertical feet to a base at 10,499 feet near Leadville, Colorado. The resort spreads across 470 acres and 59 runs. Terrain splits 31 per cent advanced, 27 per cent intermediate, 25 per cent expert and 17 per cent beginner, with average annual snowfall of roughly 200 inches. Four lifts, including one double chair and one triple chair, serve the mountain alongside one surface lift and two t-bars.
Ski Cooper holds a genuinely significant place in American military and skiing history, having served as the training ground for the US Army's 10th Mountain Division during the Second World War. This heritage, combined with the resort's affordable, uncrowded character, has earned Ski Cooper a devoted following among skiers seeking an authentic slice of Colorado's ski history.
In 1940, ski enthusiasts Charles Minot Dole, Roger Langley and Roland Palmedo grew concerned about America's unpreparedness for mountain warfare, and weeks before the Pearl Harbor attack the War Department formed the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment, the core of what became the 10th Mountain Division. In March 1942, the Army built Camp Hale in the Pando Valley north of Leadville, and trainees learned to ski at nearby Cooper Hill under instructors brought from Sun Valley and Waterville Valley, supported by on-site barracks and a newly built T-bar lift.
Cooper Hill, known today as Ski Cooper, opened to Camp Hale trainees in 1942 before later opening to the public after the war. Veterans of the 10th Mountain Division went on to found dozens of American ski resorts, including Vail, Aspen and Arapahoe Basin. Adult daily tickets run from 55 to 65 US dollars, with free access for children aged 5 and under and seniors aged 75 and over.
1,201ft
Vertical
59
Runs
470 acres
Skiable
17ft
Annual snow
The Terrain
59 runs across 470 acres skiable
Ski Cooper is a small, uncrowded area on Tennessee Pass near Leadville, covering 470 acres (190 hectares) across 59 runs. The base sits at 10,500 ft (3,200 m) and the summit at 11,700 ft (3,566 m), a vertical drop of 1,200 ft (366 m). Terrain divides into 17% beginner, 27% intermediate, 31% advanced and 25% expert. Snowfall averages around 200 inches a year. With five lifts, namely two chairlifts, a platter lift, a T-bar and a magic carpet, this is a throwback mountain. It sits at the dividing line between the San Isabel and White River national forests.
Most of the skiing is simple, with runs fanning out from the main chairs across the lift-served area. The big attraction is Chicago Ridge Snowcat Tours, which leaves from the base area and accesses about 2,400 acres of broad, open bowls and glades behind the resort, a rare option at this scale. The ski area opened as Cooper Hill in 1942 and served as a training site for the 10th Mountain Division, based at nearby Camp Hale during the Second World War. Ski Cooper suits families, beginners and anyone after a quieter alternative to the large Summit County resorts, with the snowcat tours giving stronger skiers somewhere to stretch out.
Terrain split
59
runs
59 runs across 4 grades
Beginner10 runs · 17%
Intermediate16 runs · 27%
Advanced18 runs · 31%
Expert15 runs · 25%
Time it right
When to visit Cooper Ski Area
The 2025-26 season at Ski Cooper ran from 11 December 2025 to 22 March 2026, a roughly fifteen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 200 inches at the resort's considerable 10,499-foot base elevation. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to Ski Cooper's varied terrain. As an independently operated resort without major multi-resort pass affiliation, Ski Cooper draws value-focused skiers and those specifically interested in the mountain's 10th Mountain Division heritage, alongside regional visitors from Leadville and the broader Colorado high country.
The resort's affordable pricing, including free access for young children and seniors aged 75 and over, reflects its long-standing commitment to accessible skiing. School holiday periods bring some family visitation given the resort's approachable pricing and varied terrain across all ability levels.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Ski Cooper continues to honour its origins as the training ground for the 10th Mountain Division, whose veterans went on to found dozens of American ski resorts after the war. This military and skiing heritage remains central to Ski Cooper's identity each season.
Season 2026 - 2027
9 Dec 2026
Opens
21 Mar 2027
Closes
102
Days open
17 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Cooper Ski Area, and where to stay
Ski Cooper sits near Leadville, Colorado, with a base elevation of 10,499 feet and a summit at 11,700 feet across a roughly 1,201-foot vertical drop over 470 acres. This considerable elevation places Ski Cooper among the highest-base ski areas in Colorado, close to the site of the historic Camp Hale training facility.
Leadville, one of America's highest incorporated cities and a genuine mining-heritage town, provides local lodging and dining within a short drive of the resort. The broader central Colorado high country surrounds the area with extensive additional outdoor recreation.
US Highway 24 provides direct access to the resort from Leadville. Winter driving conditions on this high-elevation route can include significant snow and ice, and travellers should carry appropriate equipment given the area's considerable elevation. There is no direct public transport service to the resort.
Denver International Airport, roughly a two-and-a-half-hour drive away, is the primary gateway for visitors flying into Colorado, with Ski Cooper's remote high-country location drawing a genuinely dedicated visitor base rather than convenient fly-in traffic.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Cooper Ski Area, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
California Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Mammoth Leads, Tahoe Follows
Mammoth Mountain is first up in California, targeting Friday 13 November after a dusting of September snow. Heavenly and Northstar follow on 20 November, Palisades Tahoe on Wednesday 25 November and Sugar Bowl on 27 November, with Kirkwood on 4 December and June Mountain on 19 December. Plenty of smaller areas have no date yet. A super El Niño favours the Sierra, but a warmer storm track is the catch.
7 Oct 2026
Colorado Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: A-Basin and Keystone Race to Be First
Arapahoe Basin, Keystone and Winter Park are all chasing an October start, though none has a firm date yet. The first dated openers are Breckenridge and Copper on Friday 6 November, then Vail on 13 November, with most of the rest bunched around US Thanksgiving. Hesperus did not open at all last season. A super El Niño offers hope but no guarantee, and forecasters say the southern mountains have the better odds.
5 Oct 2026
Dolomiti Superski 2026-27: Four New Gondolas, New Reservoirs and an €89 Peak Day Pass
Dolomiti Superski is spending around €100 million across its 12 areas before winter. Kronplatz gets a new 10-passenger gondola with a middle station, 3 Zinnen gets Helmissimo, and Val di Fassa swaps a chairlift for a gondola above Col Valvacin. New water-storage basins and upgraded snowmaking follow, and construction has started on the San Martino to Passo Rolle link. A peak adult day pass is €89.
4 Oct 2026
Utah Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Brian Head First, Eagle Point Out
Brian Head is targeting 6 November, though last year it aimed for 7 November and did not open until the 25th. Park City, Alta and Solitude are pencilled in for 20 November, Snowbird and Snowbasin for 27 November, and Deer Valley for 5 December. Eagle Point will stay closed after the Cottonwood Fire. A super El Niño is forecast, but the big snow is not expected until January.
4 Oct 2026
Hintertux Glacier Opens for 2026-27 With 12 Kilometres of Piste
Hintertux became Austria's second glacier to open for 2026-27 on Friday 2 October, after the Pitztal Glacier. Twelve kilometres of piste are running around the Olperer and Gefrorene Wand, served by one gondola and two drag lifts, with the Betterpark also open. Lifts officially run 8:15 am to 4:30 pm, but skiing stops at 2 pm for now.
4 Oct 2026
Vail Resorts Counts the Cost of a Thin Winter as Pass Sales Slide Further
A historically poor western winter cut Vail Resorts' annual net income from $280 million to $147.5 million and skier visits by 13.4 per cent. Now 2026-27 pass units are down 12 per cent as of 18 September, worse than the 10 per cent flagged in spring. Vail blames the weather and thinks some buyers are simply waiting, and it forecasts a rebound if the snow behaves.
3 Oct 2026
Arizona Snowbowl's $1 Lift Tickets Are Hard to Find, but $9 Days Are Not
Arizona Snowbowl advertised eight $1 lift ticket days this winter. Go looking and only three are showing - 10 March, 1 April and 10 April - so the rest may already have gone. The consolation is a calendar full of $9 days, including all but one day in April. Opening day is 20 November, weather permitting, and opening weekend is $19.
2 Oct 2026
Whitewater Brings Its Short Side Inbounds, With Six New Runs for 2026-27
For years, Whitewater's Short Side was where you ducked a rope and hoped for the best: unmapped, ungroomed and unpatrolled. This winter it's inbounds. Six new runs of glades and fall-line skiing add 190 acres (about 77 hectares), taking the resort past 1,400 acres in total. F2 Logging spent a month in the trees to make it happen, and opening day is pencilled in for 4 December. Bonanza now needs less snow to groom, too.
1 Oct 2026
Cooper Ski Area Lift System
Ski Cooper runs four lifts: one double chair and one triple chair, serving 59 runs across 470 acres near Leadville, alongside one surface lift and two t-bars. This lean network reflects the resort's origins as a wartime training facility rather than a commercially developed destination.
The lift infrastructure traces back to a newly built T-bar installed in 1942 specifically to train 10th Mountain Division soldiers stationed at nearby Camp Hale, supporting the ski instruction those trainees received from instructors brought in from Sun Valley and Waterville Valley.
That original wartime T-bar gave way over subsequent decades to the double chair and triple chair that now form the backbone of Ski Cooper's civilian lift network, serving the resort's advanced-and-intermediate-weighted terrain since it opened to the public following the war.
Specific recent individual lift replacement or expansion projects beyond this historical foundation are not confirmed in available resort information. Ski Cooper's compact, unpretentious lift network remains consistent with its identity as one of Colorado's most historically significant and affordably priced ski areas.
5lifts across 4 types
1
Triple Chair
1
Double Chair
2
T-Bars
1
Surface Lift
Cooper Ski Area lift system
Cooper Ski Area is served by 5 lifts, listed here by type. Check which lifts are turning against the live conditions before you plan your first laps - early lifts and high-speed chairs get you to the best snow fastest.
More Cooper Ski Area intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.