Denver, CO – Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) announced today that its popular 5th and 6th Grade Passport programs are now available for the 2010-11 ski and snowboard season. The Passport programs introduce 5th and 6th Grade kids to skiing and riding as each of the 21 CSCUSA participating resorts provide three free days of skiing for 5th Grade Passport holders, and four days of skiing for $99 for 6th Grade Passport holders.nThe CSCUSA 5th Grade Passport is available to all 5th graders and provides three days of free skiing at each CSCUSA participating member resort. The 6th Grade Passport provides four days of skiing at the same participating CSCUSA resorts for $99, equaling 84 ski days for less than $1.20 a day.

New for the 2010-11 season, CSCUSA is introducing First Class. Available for 5th graders who have never tried skiing or snowboarding, First Class provides registered 5th Grade Passport holders one free ski or snowboard lesson, including rental equipment, anytime during January Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month.

“The 5th and 6th Grade Passports are signature CSCUSA programs and we are very proud of them,” explains Melanie Mills, president and CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA. “We’re thrilled that each year participants use the Passport to ski and snowboard in Colorado, and this year we’re even more excited to extend to 5th graders the chance to have a professional introduction to our state’s official sports with our new First Class lesson opportunity.”

Colorado’s 5th Grade Passport will be 15 years old in 2010-11. “Since its inception we’ve helped more than 200,000 families enjoy skiing and snowboarding at our resorts by giving them an entrée to access them,” continues Mills. “The program has grown over the years and we’ve added a great opportunity for kids who haven’t been taught to ski or snowboard to learn the basics for free.”

The Passport programs can be fully processed online at www.ColoradoSki.com/Passport. Resorts participating in the Passports for 2010-11 include Arapahoe Basin, Aspen Highlands, Aspen Mountain, Buttermilk, Copper Mountain, Crested Butte, Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort, Echo Mountain, Eldora, Howelsen Hill, Loveland, Monarch, Powderhorn, Ski Cooper, Snowmass, SolVista, Steamboat, Sunlight, Telluride, Winter Park and Wolf Creek.