Ski Cooper 3-5 to 3-7, 2022

[EMSC]

Return to winter. After a super warm spring ski week of sun and Temps across the west, I get 3 days at generally low angle Ski Cooper just as winter returned.

I'm here with my son for 3 days of racing. Super G Saturday, GS Sunday and SL Monday. Each day bringing colder and colder weather. Friday night brought only an inch on top of the refrozen surfaces. But it snowed nicely all morning adding 2 more inches. Given how low angle most terrain is it skied OK, though a bit scratchy. Certainly the low angle meadow skipping was the right ski area to be at for small snowfall after a warm spell. With some sun in the afternoon bringing Temps up to 26 or so. The race area is IMHO perfect for younger kids to learn Super G. Very confidence building.

Cooper was legit busy on Saturday. Even a short but continuous lift line on the double out of the base. Packed cafeteria line, packed bar, etc... whe all terrain was open, not surprisigly the T bar was not worth it ice bumps... which you could tell from the front side flat stuff, but a couple of the parents couldn't help themselves.

I've seen some space cadets on skis before, but they usually don't advertise themselves as such quite this blatantly

Steep & deep?

I forget if this was up top for the training run or 1st of 2 Super G race runs.

This weekend was also the ski Jouring competition on Sat and Sunday in Leadville. We missed the competition, but the main drag was closed, covered in snow and jumps. They also hold a snow mtb race on Sat night that starts a d ends on the snow covering the road. Not sure how many miles, but about 75 racers looped all around town o er the course of a couple hours in the dark. Kinda cool, kinda nuts.

I missed pics of the mass start as I was eating dinner when they streamed up the street.

More coming...

 

[EMSC]

One of the great things about races at Ski Cooper is that the lifts don't open until 9a, even on the weekends. Most other race locations are hectic early-to-rise affairs.

One of my shocks after only one more inch of new snow overnight (4" total since the refreeze) was seeing the Chicago Ridge snowcat running. Thier snowcat terrain faces south and would have gotten the worst of the baking sun last week... Nutty for sure. Hopefully those people got a half price deal...

While it lightly snowed on and off in the am it couldn't have been more than half an inch. Temps topped out about 20F (which seemed optimistic) according to the themometer at the start house just before noon when it started to snow nicely; probably an inch per hour. I managed 2 fast free runs first thing down the decently pitched (for Cooper) Nightmare which had been groomed. I got 3rd and 4th tracks down it at decent speed. Though it would be a blue trail at any other ski area.

Then, due to lack of volunteers (it is tiny Leadville), I worked course crew for a few hours with the race finishing up about 1:30p. Very definitely less people at the hill for Sunday too. The double was nearly always full, but with no lines after the initial racer rush at opening.

With the snow falling my son and I decided to get some runs in taking the platter lift up to Kamikazee on the triple then risking a run down Paradise to the Tbar. Not great, not terrible conditions on the Tbar. Where it was skied off or only an inch it was ice bumps. Then again, a reasonable number of turns at 5-6+" of new where you didn't quite hit the underlying ice much. We followed that up with 2 runs in the trees on the front side roughly Homstake-ish.

Then it Really started to snow for a couple hours around 3-5p when the race club was having a BBQ at the tubing area on the lower side of the parking lot for all the racers, family and etc... so tomorrow should finally be good enough to remove the majority of the icy undersurface.

Tomorrow is forecast to be even colder (approx 12-15F). And for those keeping score, Ski Cooper is part of the "Freedom Pass". So my Greek Peak pass gets me and my son exactly the needed 3 free ski days here.

Sorry for the lack of exciting pics. Cold, snowy weather and busy working the race doesn't lead to lots of great pics...

I certainly wouldn't have paid for cat skiing today

Looking down the platter lift near the mid-station.

It's almost impossible to tell in this pic, but it was absolutely nuking during the BBQ

 

[EMSC]

Ahhh, day three dawned with several inches of new snow.... and temps at -4F.

It was a chilly one for a race day. Especially in March. The sun did come out for the first 90 minutes or so, before retreating and allowing another inch or so to fall. The high temp at the base managed to eek out a 13F number. On a more exciting note, I somehow managed to time things such that I got a run of entirely 1st tracks on the Piney Triple chair, then just as I was getting off that I headed to the Tbar... which had no ropes up, nor tracks leading in... I was confused for the first second then realized I wasn't at a popular major resort. So I headed in for literal 1st tracks that even patrol didn't bother to get. The liftie at the bottom even confirmed that I was the first one of the day. And while not many are headed to Cooper for the Tbar, I think its still remarkable luck/timing given all the racer parents skiing that day.

I managed several more runs of untouched powder with only a handful of others skiing that terrain and easily avoiding each others tracks for several laps.

Then reality returned and I had to go help with the race. Eventually returning for one more lap with my son around 2p after the race before we pulled the plug and headed back home.

Instead of each lift getting gates, Ski Cooper is the new Disney style 'portal' entrance...

Crisp and sunny to start.

We almost even got the good views as the haze was dissipating a bit for the first time in 3 days.

100% untouched TBar terrain for the day

Slightly different version of fresh corduroy. You can tell this terrain faces roughly East-ish with this pic first thing in the am.

Lap 4 and finally seeing occasional tracks. I would have taken an action pic but there was never anyone around.

Piney triple with the previously steepest terrain at Cooper in view. This terrain faces roughly North.

Oh yeah, there was a ski race going on...

Unfortunately it was not sunny when the kids were actually racing... And yes, this event was not in the same place as the prior two events on the front side.

Finally an action shot!

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Instead of each lift getting gates, Ski Cooper is the new Disney style 'portal' entrance...

I thought that was a great idea when I skied there last season, although the new entrance has a Checkpoint Charlie feel about it.

Did they do any tree thinning in the sector off the new t-bar?

 

[EMSC]

Did they do any tree thinning in the sector off the new t-bar?

It felt more open on skiers right side of the Tbar than 2 years ago (the last time I was at Cooper). I also saw a fair number of trees with orange ribbons tied to them on that side. So I would say yes but in a limited way. If they can work their way across skiers left over time the overall experience would be more attractive to experts in general.