7 Reasons Why Cooper is the Best Kept Secret for Families
1) Free & Close Parking
It can be exhausting just getting to the first chairlift ride. You may have to pay $20 for a parking spot at most mega resorts then hike to a shuttle or gondola to then be transported even further to a distant base area. At Cooper, you drive right up to the base and it doesn’t cost you a penny. In minutes you are at the first chair ready to head up the mountain.
2) Easy to Navigate
If you have ever gone to a resort where your family has gotten separated on the slopes, you know how comforting it can be to have terrain that is easy to navigate. At Cooper there are two main sections of the mountain. The chairlifts from each section intersect near the top of the mountain. There is a mountaintop yurt that makes for the perfect family meeting area as it is easily accessible from both the 10th Mountain Double Chairlift and the Piney Basin Triple Chairlift. All trails lead back to the base lodge at the end of the day, so there’s no worrying that someone will end up three miles away! You can relax and enjoy your day of skiing knowing that it is easy to keep track of a group at Cooper.
3) Wide Open Beginner Areas
There is nothing more intimidating than skiing on a run packed with people. Cooper is a great place to learn how to ski with a gentle pitch on the beginner terrain, less crowded runs, soft all-natural snow and wide open spaces for space to do those turns. And with a caring staff to help you get on the right foot from the start, it may just be the best place in the state to learn how to ski or snowboard.
4) Soft All-Natural Snow
It can be terrifying to ski down icy, hard packed runs with man-made snow that offers little for your edges to grab onto. At Cooper, we don’t make any man-made snow. Mother Nature graces us with an average of about 260″ of natural fluffy stuff each season, and our high base elevation (10,500′) means that the snowpack remains cooler and drier, and thus lighter & softer.
And we’re here to supplement Mother Nature’s efforts as well, with our unique grooming philosophy. Unlike most other ski resorts, Cooper doesn’t believe in over-grooming trails, which results in hard packed conditions. Cooper avoids over-working the snow, meaning a softer, smooth surface.
5) No crowds
Most skiers have just gotten used to waiting in long lift lines, and wading through crowds. But not at Cooper! Here, if you have to wait 5 minutes in a lift line, it’s an extremely busy day! Nonexistent or short lift lines mean more time on the snow, and less time standing around. And with the exception of a few of the busiest holidays, you won’t even have to wait at the ticket window, the rental shop, or the cafeteria either! It’s a perfect family mountain with more time skiing and less time waiting.
6) Affordable for the Whole Family
In a day & age when most areas sell lift tickets at over $100/day (and in some cases nearing $200/day) it can be refreshing to find a ski resort with prices that won’t break the bank. Full priced adult lift tickets at Cooper run $56 with a child’s ticket at only $35. Plus there are special weekday deals like 2Fer Tuesdays where 2 people ski for the price of one adult lift ticket during the months of January & February. And there are $30 Thursdays January through March with $30 lift tickets for everyone and live music at the end of the school day. With prices like these you can afford to bring the whole family and focus on a fun day together.
Just for grins, try pricing out a trip for your family at one of the big resorts. Then compare it to Cooper. You’ll see what we mean. A family of four can rent skis, buy lift tickets, and eat lunch at Cooper for roughly the same cost of ONE person doing the same at the mega resorts.
7) Family-Friendly Atmosphere
Cooper’s smaller size and uncrowded slopes make it the perfect family mountain. There are plenty of novice and intermediate cruisers to give the up-and-comers room for fun, and our glades and moguls keep the more advanced skiers interested. Plus, Cooper’s laid-back atmosphere and unassuming clientele make it a comfortable place to relax with the whole family.
Cooper is not only family-friendly, it is a family. From our staff to our skiers, we think of ourselves as a family, and strive to treat everyone as such.