Ski Cooper, near Leadville at Tennessee Pass, is one of Colorado’s oldest ski areas, opening in 1942 as Cooper Hill Ski Area. Its development was closely linked to World War II, when the U.S. Army selected the area as a training site for the 10th Mountain Division based at nearby Camp Hale. After the war, it became a public resort and continues to honor that legacy with a Memorial Day celebration for division veterans. Known as an affordable, family-oriented mountain, it offers varied terrain served by a compact lift system, relies on natural snow, and expanded in 2020 with the Tennessee Creek Basin Area.