Industry News
Ski Cooper, located north of Leadville, Colorado, has released its 2025 Master Development Plan (MDP), which will span approximately 15 years. The timeline will ultimately be determined by NEPA approval and Ski Cooper’s financial means and priorities, as outlined in the MDP. The project will be conducted in three phases, costing in total over $40 million, and includes important lift and terrain improvements. Although the exact timing of each phase will be approximate, the resort plans to roll out each phase in roughy five-year increments.
Phase 1 will address Ski Cooper’s most pressing needs, including congestion in the base area and increasing its out-of-base lift capacity. The estimated cost of Phase 1 is $13 million and involves installing new lifts, expanding parking availability, adding a 12,000-square-foot addition to its current base lodge, completing an in-progress wastewater system upgrade, and expanding the domestic water system. Once all the lift upgrades are completed, the resort’s Comfortable Carry Capacity (CCC) will more than double, increasing from 1,819 CCC to 3,682.
Phase 2 will involve expanding the Chicago Ridge area, which is expected to drive the majority of future growth and visitation for Ski Cooper. The estimated cost of Phase 2 is $12 million and includes the installation of a fixed-grip lift on Sawmill, as well as other supporting projects. This includes building a skier bridge across East Tennessee Creek, improving road conditions, and enhancing skiable terrain in the Sawmill area of Central Basin. Other projects planned for Phase 2 include building a patrol outpost at the top of the Sawmill lift, a 4,000-square-foot ski school facility at the base of Easy Street, a ski school conveyor installation, and a 1,000-square-foot new patrol headquarters building at the top of Cooper Hill.
In the final phase of the MDP, the resort aims to deliver the desired guest experience while balancing its resort capacity. The estimated cost of Phase 3 is $ 14.5 million. It includes building a 5,000-square-foot Ridgeview Lodge, the relocation of the Yurt to the bottom of the Sawmill lift, adding a fixed-grip lift installation in Hoyt’s, replacing the Buckeye with a T-Bar, expanding the parking area to the south by 1.9 acres, and installing a snowmaking plant.
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Ski Cooper’s management has thoroughly analyzed each of the upgrades, according to the MDP. The enhancements are intended to serve a specific purpose in growing the resort in a calculated and methodical manner consistent with Ski Cooper’s mission to provide a high-quality, affordable, down-to-earth skiing experience while enhancing the resort’s offerings and effecting an overall resort balance that has been heretofore unattainable, according to the resort’s MDP.
Ski Cooper is upgrading its guest service facilities, which the resort said is its most significant deficit, its lack of indoor guest space. The proposed upgrade of the 12,000-square-foot addition to the north side of the existing base lodge is designed to address this issue. The expansion will focus heavily on increasing kitchen and food preparation space, cafeteria seating, restroom capacity, and public locker facilities. The expanded lodge will also house ticketing, guest services, ski school sales, additional retail support, storage, mechanical facilities, a ski patrol locker room, and a first aid room.
Ski Cooper will also install a small, single-loop snowmaking system, intended to help ensure the mountain is open before Christmas. The snowmaking system will comprise a five-million-gallon water storage tank, a small control building with 2,000 gpm pumping capacity, and 6,000 cfm compressed air capacity. This snowmaking system is designed to produce approximately 23 acre-feet of snow, which is sufficient to provide the basic “snow insurance policy” that the MDP aims to achieve.
Ski Cooper features 64 trails, served by five lifts, spanning 480 lift-served acres. Its trails are 18% beginner, 26% intermediate, 32% advanced, and 24% expert. The longest run stretches 1.4 miles. The resort relies entirely on natural snow and averages approximately 260 inches of snow each season. Its base elevation is 10,500 feet, which means its snow remains dry and light.
Ski Cooper does not foresee that its MDP will need an amendment process. Depending on the economy, market, or other conditions, which change sufficiently in the future to justify larger daily operations, such as downhill mountain biking. In that case, this amendment process may be activated for that purpose, according to the MDP. The $40 million investment plans to address the resort’s critical needs, such as base area congestion, lift capacity, and guest facilities, while preserving the resort’s affordable and authentic skiing experience. By expanding terrain, upgrading lodges, and introducing snowmaking, Ski Cooper aims to ensure long-term sustainability and growth, solidifying its position as a truly authentic Colorado ski destination.
