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Cochran's Ski Area, Richmond VT | |
The USA's first non-profit ski area dedicated to giving all youth opportunities to experience skiing and snowboarding is less than a half-hour's drive from Burlington. | ||
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Cochran's Ski Area is the USA's first non-profit (Section 501 (c) (3) ski area. It's small: vertical drop is only 500 feet (152 meters). The 30 acres of skiable area have 5 trails served by 3 lifts (including a T-bar and a rope tow). But this modest learners' area may have the most U.S. Ski Team-member-to-vertical-foot ratio of any ski area. Founded in 1961 and converted to a non-profit ski area in 1998, Cochran's has a mission "to provide area youth and families with affordable skiing and snowboarding, lessons and race training, in the Cochran tradition. No child will be denied the opportunity to ski or ride." With that mission, and perhaps the most family-like atmosphere of any New England ski area, lots of young people get to try and enjoy skiing at Cochran's, and plenty go on to championship careers. Lots of youth races fill weekdays, with lots of ski lesson sessions on weekends. Cochran's is located 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Burlington VT, just south of I-89 in Richmond VT (map). Coming from the north or west, use Interstate 89 Exit 11; coming from the south or east, use I-89 Exit 10. Cochrans Ski Area —by Tom Brosnahan
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