In an era when comparing mega ski passes requires an advanced accounting degree, and it seems as if no ski area actually welcomes walk-up business, Ski Cooper will make things really simple this season.
Ticket prices will be the same whether purchased in advance online or at the ticket window: $45 for adults on Monday through Thursday, $95 on Friday and Sunday, $110 on Saturday.
You read that right. If you don’t have an Epic or Ikon Pass and there’s a big powder day crying out for a spur of the moment ski trip, you don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars at the megaresort ticket window. You can hit that powder for $45 at Cooper, four days a week.
When you pay at the ticket window, the ticket you receive will be a reusable RFID card. Following that visit, you can buy lift tickets online, and they will be loaded automatically on your card so you can skip the ticket line and go straight to the lift. And, if you’ve never been there and you buy online, an already loaded RFID card will be waiting for you at the ticket window. After that, you can reload it online at will.
“We just wanted things to be simpler for people and remove any barriers for them to come and ski here, plain and simple,” said Cooper spokeswoman Dana Tyler Johnson said. “Why should it be hard? If you want to ski, you should be able to ski.”
That tops our list of cool deals in Colorado skiing for 2024-25. Here are some others to keep in mind as ski season approaches:
Pass deals for kids (and adults)
Colorado Ski Country USA: Ski Country has a variety of options to make skiing and snowboarding more affordable. Its venerable Ski Passport for kids in third through sixth grade, $67, is good for four days at each of 20 participating Colorado resorts. Every CSCUSA Passport comes with two free daily junior rental packages from Christy Sports. The Ski Country Gems program is good for two days at each of the 11 Gems resorts and is priced at $199 for kids 12-17, $325 for adults. The Gems areas are Arapahoe Basin, Cooper, Echo Mountain, Eldora, Granby Ranch, Hesperus, Loveland, Monarch, Powderhorn, Purgatory and Sunlight.
Sales of used equipment
Play It Again Sports: This franchise chain with six Denver-area locations offers a wide selection of used skis, snowboards and boots for sale. You can walk out the door with a full set-up of high-end gear including boots for $400-$700, according to Lakewood store owner Eric Patrick, and $200-$400 for less expensive gear. At the Lakewood store only, there is another option: Customers can rent gear for half the sale price, and if they like it, they can buy it outright later by paying the remainder of the original sticker price. Keep in mind, if you’re looking to sell gear, this is not a consignment shop. Bring in what you want to sell and you will walk out with cash or in-store credit, based on quality and condition. Locations in Lakewood, Arvada, Aurora, Boulder, Castle Rock and Longmont.
Sports Plus: At this family-owned consignment store near Washington Park, which has been in business since 1980, you can pick up a full downhill setup for under $500. The team there also does daily and season rentals. “Usually we’re very competitive with anybody else in the area,” Hope said. “They can be booked online.” This year they have expanded their inventory to include a wide selection of brand new skis. They also sell some cross-country, backcountry gear and clothing. 1055 S. Gaylord St., Denver; 303-777-6613
Related Articles
Loveland ski area joins Indy Pass — a big win for the small-resort champion
When every Colorado ski resort plans to open for the 2024-25 season
Boulder Sports Recycler: In addition to used downhill skis and snowboards, this consignment shop is a great place to go for backcountry gear including alpine touring gear, skins, split boards and telemark skis. The thriving shop doubled in size last year and moved to an even larger location this fall. 7123 Arapahoe Road, Boulder. 303-786-9940
Gear and clothing rentals
Colorado Sports Rent: This Westminster store rents clothing as well as skis, snowboards, boots, poles and goggles. Skis, boots and poles for kids go for $15 a day and $30-45 for adults. Snowboard packages are priced at $45-$55 for adults and $16 for kids. Jacket rentals are $10 a day, pants $10, goggles and gloves $5 each. Helmet rentals are $10. There are price breaks for multiple-day rentals. 6755 W. 88th Ave; 303-467-0200
Christy Sports: The Christy Kids program is a great deal that bundles season equipment rentals with kids’ season passes at two ski areas. Equipment rental with a kid’s season pass (ages 6-14) for Loveland starts at $289, and for Monarch, the price is $343 (ages 7-12). Keep in mind the deadline to score those deals at Front Range Christy locations is Dec. 8. Christy has multiple locations on the Front Range. Equipment-only rentals start at $99 for kids 6 and under, $169 for kids 6-12 and $239 for adults.
Epic Mountain Gear: Epic, which has multiple Front Range locations, continues to offer its long-standing Junior Trade program. Parents can buy new or used gear for their kids and get 50% of the original purchase price back to use as a credit toward a bigger size when their kids outgrow the first set of gear. Used junior trade packages (skis and boots) start at $164.99, and new junior packages start at $279. Used junior snowboard trade packages start at $164.99, and new junior snowboard packages start at $309.99 or $359.99.
Larson’s Ski & Sport: Ski or snowboard packages with boots start at $90 and increase with the age of the child, up to $150. Adult packages start at $150 and increase depending on the performance level of the skis or snowboard. Larson’s annual ski and snowboard used-gear swap, including skis, snowboards, boots, cross-country gear and clothing will be held in the parking lot Nov. 23-24. 4715 Kipling St., Wheat Ridge; 303-423-0654
Breeze Ski Rentals: Junior season rentals (ages 12 and younger) will cost $110 for skis or snowboards and $90 for boots. Adult rentals will cost $180 for skis or snowboards and $130 for boots. Full packages for adults are priced at $240 and $159.99 for children. 11355 Sixth Ave., Lakewood; 303-232-2384