Little Ski Gem

   Gems come in all sorts of colors and styles, even if you are not referring to stones. They can be harder to find but sometimes that is what makes them valuable. Finding the type of destination that fits the criteria, especially for an adventure holiday makes the feeling ever so much more special. Ski Cooper, a tiny ski area virtually on the back side of the mega resorts of Vail, Keystone and Breckenridge is the jewel on the crown of those in the know. A mix of terrain in the shadow of the Chicago Ridge and without a snow cannon in sight. It is located just down the road from Leadville, Colorado, the highest town in the United States. The wooden structures bring back an era of wooden chalets in the mountains without a mega-mansion or resort hotel in sight.  With the friendliest rental crews and lift operators that will carry on conversations with you over multiple laps, you feel like a local on the first visit. Catch it on a day of fresh snow and the grin on your face at the bottom Nightmare may never come off again. And isn't fun the name of the ski game anyway.

Looking for lines on your next lap.

The classic wooden lodge.

Ripping fresh lines under the 10th Mountain Chair.

Watching the hardy get ready for another assault.