FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:
Mandy Gauldin, 970-945-5534

LEADVILLE’S SKI COOPER/CHICAGO RIDGE SKI AREA PREPARES FOR THANKSGIVING DAY OPENING
This Colorado Gem offers $42 lift tickets, a “Never Ever Ski Package” for beginners with lessons, lift tickets and equipment for just $60, and expanded backcountry Snow Cat tours

LEADVILLE, Colo. (Nov. 6, 2008) —  With a little help from Mother Nature, the Ski Cooper/Chicago Ridge Ski Area, located atop Tennessee Pass ten miles north of Leadville on U.S. Highway 24, will open on Thanksgiving Day for the 2008-2009 season. This Colorado Gem offers $42 lift tickets, a “Never Ever Ski Package” for beginners that includes lessons, lift tickets and rental equipment for just $60, and newly expanded backcountry Snow Cat tours. With a history that dates back to World War II, Ski Cooper has developed a reputation as one of the friendliest and most affordable ski resorts around.

“Exceptional commitment to our customers has always been a priority at Ski Cooper,” explained Bob Casey, Marketing Manager for Ski Cooper.  “To us that means having the friendliest staff, keeping the mountain in great shape, and providing our guests with a fun and affordable ski experience. That’s why we have so many guests who come back year after year.”

Ski Cooper and Chicago Ridge attract skiers and riders from all around the world. Five lifts, 2 chair and 3 surface, serve the 400 ski-able acres. There are 26 runs: 30 percent beginner, 40 percent intermediate and 30 percent expert. Ski Cooper averages 250 inches of natural snowfall a year. The longest run is Trails End, at 1.4 miles. The base sits at an elevation of 10,500 feet, with the summit at 11,700 feet.

“All of Ski Cooper’s lifts are in superb condition, which allows our guests to spend more time skiing and less time standing in line,” explained Bob Casey, Marketing Manager for Ski Cooper. “Many of our long time local skiers, riders and telemarkers head straight for the Piney Basin triple chair lift to find secret stashes of great powder and make fresh tracks in the Green Door and Powder Keg trails.”

Snow permitting, Ski Cooper will be open Nov. 27- 30; Dec. 5- 7; and Dec. 12- 14. The resort will be open daily for the season from December 19, 2008, through March 29, 2009. Full day lift tickets are $42 for adults; $23 for children 6-14; $31 for seniors 60-69; and $18 for seniors 70 or better. Visit http://www.skicooper.com/ or call 1-800-707-6114 for more details.

The base facilities include the Ski School, which offers alpine, telemark and snowboard instruction; a Day Lodge with guest services, ticket offices, first aid room, lunch room, restaurant and bar; a rental shop; the Children’s Center, featuring a Children’s Ski School, rental equipment and Day Care for children ages 3-7; the Tennessee Pass Nordic Center, with rental equipment for cross country skiing, telemark gear and snowshoes; the Tennessee Pass Cookhouse; and Chicago Ridge.

For first-time skiers and riders, Ski Cooper’s Never Ever Ski Package is one of the best deals around. Choose a two-hour lesson with equipment rental and a Beginner Lift Ticket for $50, or a two-hour lesson with equipment rental and a Full-Mountain Lift Ticket for $60. Group discounts, multi-day passes and annual passes are also available.

Chicago Ridge offers 2,500 acres for a guided, backcountry experience accessible only by Snow Cat, adjacent to the lift-served area. This year, Chicago Ridge has added a second Snow Cat, providing seven-day-a-week access to the treed slopes and open bowls in terrain suitable for advanced to expert skiers and riders. Ski Cooper had also added a new yurt to the Chicago Ridge operation for serving lunch for the guests who ski or ride the Ridge.

The Tennessee Pass Cookhouse offers a unique dining adventure with some of Colorado’s most spectacular views. To get there, grab snowshoes or cross-country skis and hit the groomed one-mile trail to the yurt. An elegant, four-course gourmet dinner awaits featuring elk tenderloin, rack of lamb, salmon, roasted chicken and vegetarian specials.  The Tennessee Pass Cookhouse serves dinner daily and lunch on weekends. (Call 719-486-8114 for reservations.)

Ski Cooper hosts events throughout the winter, including the Special Olympics, the Telefast, Santa with live reindeer, telemark and women’s clinics, Senior Days, a Nastar race course, Youth Ski League Championships, Masters, High School races, Speed camps, and the Tenth Mountain Division reunion and memorial service located at the monument.

Ski Cooper’s origin goes back to World War II, when the U.S. Army developed Cooper Hill and nearby Camp Hale as a training site for the ski troopers of the famed Tenth Mountain Division. Following the war, Cooper Hill opened to the public as a county-operated ski area under the auspices of the U.S. Forest Service since it’s located in the San Isabel National Forest.

Just a few minutes south of Ski Cooper, Leadville and nearby Twin Lakes are affordable, authentic mountain towns, with charming specialty shops, restaurants, galleries, and coffee shops. Lodging options range from an elegant Victorian hotel, inns and B&Bs, to lodges, cabins, and vacation rentals. At an elevation of 10,152 feet, Leadville is the highest incorporated city in North America, located in the geographic center of Colorado, 103 miles west of Denver and 129 miles northwest of Colorado Springs. All of the highways in Lake County have been designated as the Top of the Rockies Scenic and Historic Byway, making it one of the most scenic journeys in the state.

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About Leadville and Twin Lakes
Leadville, the highest incorporated city in North America, is located in the geographic center of Colorado, 103 miles west of Denver and 129 miles northwest of Colorado Springs, on US Highway 24, part of the Top of the Rockies Scenic and Historic Byway. Once one of America’s richest, longest-lived and bawdiest mining boomtowns, 70 square blocks of the downtown area has been designated as a National Historic Landmark of Victorian architecture. Activities include skiing, fishing, camping, golfing, hiking, whitewater rafting, four-wheeling, biking, museums, historical tours and train rides. Nearby Twin Lakes, located 15 minutes from Leadville at the eastern entrance to Independence Pass, is also a National Historic District and a popular summer destination for camping, boating, hiking and fishing. Go to VisitLeadvilleColorado.info for more information.