Walking into the warm lodge at Cochran’s Ski Area in Richmond, Vt. feels like walking into the bustling living room of a large family. The sounds of children scampering about bounces off the walls decorated by pictures of the Cochran family and the Cochran Ski Club's achievements, while employees greet every customer with a smiling face.
As large corporate mountains are pushing skiers and riders to pay upwards of $100 for a single lift ticket, locally-owned nonprofit Cochran's has made it its goal since it opened in 1961 to make it possible for everyone to have the chance to learn how to ski or ride.
Snowmaking creates reliable skiing
Cochran’s ski area is founded on the slogan "no child will be denied the opportunity to ski or ride" and for more than 40 years, they have kept their lift ticket prices below $20. Family season passes are available at the affordable rate of only $300.
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Junior skiers in a Lollipop Race at Cochran's experience the thrill of racing at a young age. (Photo courtesy of Marilyn Cochran) |
An all-day lift ticket at Smugglers’ Notch costs $60 during the regular season.
“The most important thing is to provide skiing for as many families as possible,” says Marilyn Cochran, general manager of Cochran's Ski Area. “The place is small enough so parents can stand at the bottom and watch their kids come down.”
The 10 or 15-acre mountain is small, with only four lifts, but it was designed with racing in mind, Marilyn says.
“A lot of ski places, like Sugarbush, have donated (to Cochran's) because they realize the potential to develop these young skiers into great skiers,” says Jesse Paul, a University of Vermont (U.V.M.) senior and Cochran’s employee for two years. “It’s an investment to them.”
Sugarbush has donated money and Bolton Valley loaned the mountain a groomer for a week this year.
"It was unbelievable, Bolton Valley brought down the groomer and they had people come down and groom that Friday night which prepped for the race that Sunday," Cochran says.
This year, four snow guns were donated to the newly acquired snow-making system, which has had a great impact on the 2007-2008 ski season, Paul says.
“Last year we didn’t open until Feb.14, the big Valentine’s Day storm,” he says. “This year we started Dec. 15 and were able to stay open during the warm spells. We have had a more consistent season.”
“The big pumps didn’t get here until before Christmas and it took awhile to work out all the bugs,” Marilyn says. “But it kept us going during the warm spell in January. We had a race Feb. 3 for kids 10 and under and that wouldn’t have been possible without the snowmaking system.”
The snowmaking process really began in the summer, when volunteers came out in droves offering to help dig for the pipelines, Paul says.
“Right now we’re hoping to get the skiing to be more reliable, and if we didn’t have the snowmaking it wouldn’t be possible,” Marilyn says.
Vermont Energy also cut the ski area a deal on energy costs regarding the snow guns, Paul says.
Be the best you can be
The Cochrans are a well-known family beyond the realm of starting a nonprofit ski mountain. Every family member has spent some time on the U.S. Ski Team.
“We’re nothing special,” Marilyn says. “We’re just skiers from Vermont. However, it’s definitely helped make a name for the ski area, but it’s no biggie.”
Mickey Cochran coached the U.S. Ski Team from 1973-74. Their children Marilyn, Barbara Ann, Bob and Lindy, all spent time on the ski team from 65-78 gathering numerous awards and medals. Barbara Ann won the gold in the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.
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The Cochran clan (left to right): Barbara Ann Cochran, Lindy Cochran Kelley, Ginny Cochran, Marilyn Cochran, Bobby Cochran and Mickey Cochran |
“Dad never thought we would be Olympians, he just always told us to be the best we could be and we couldn’t be the best just by skiing on the weekends,” Cochran says.
Mickey and Ginny Cochran, who are no longer alive, started the ski area in 1960 when they purchased 150 acres in Richond as part of a private sale.
“Dad was a baseball player and basketball player at UVM,” Marilyn says. “He was asked to try out for the Red Sox, but he declined because they had me, and back then baseball players just didn’t make the same amount of money”
Instead, Mickey, who had a background in mechanical engineering, installed a rope tow on the hill behind the house for his children so they could ski. By February 1961, the small mountain opened for the 1960-61 ski season.
“We moved to Richmond in September of 1960,” Marilyn says. “He started clearing land and now we’ve been open every winter since.”
In 1999, the ski area became a nonprofit organization founded on the mission statement "To provide affordable skiing/snowboarding, lessons and race training for area youths and families and continue the tradition Mickey and Ginny have created.”
Since their deaths, the Cochran family has helped keep their parents dream alive. Marilyn works as the general manager or "Mom CEO" as her two sons call her.
“I’m running the place now,” she says. “It’s a neat job, but it can be tiring.”
It's more than the money
Jesse Paul has been an employee of Cochran’s running lifts and nthe snow-making machines, but recounts learning to ski at the mountain when he was only in fourth grade.
He participated in a ski program that has been in existence for more than 10 years at the ski area. Local elementary schools have a deal with Cochran’s, so that once a week students from the school are driven by parents to Cochran’s, where they can take lessons and experience the Mitey Mite lift.
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The 10 to 15-acre mountain is small, with only four lifts, but it was designed with racing in mind, says Marilyn Cochran, general manager of Cochran's Ski Area. (Photo by Abby Robitaille) |
We would leave school at around 12:30 or 1 p.m., and some parents would pick us up and take us to the mountain, Paul says. The children would then divide into chaotic scrums surrounding the parental ski instructors.
“And no matter how good or bad you were, someone was skiing with you,” he says.
Employees at Cochran’s unanimously agree that working at the ski resort is about more than just being paid; it’s the atmosphere and working for a good cause that keeps them coming back.
“I don’t even care how much I get paid,” he says. “I get to work with awesome people, and it’s a relaxing and great atmosphere.”
Anya Schwartz, a new employee and Burlington resident, says it’s the Cochran family that makes her enjoy working there as much as she does.
“They’re just a wonderful family, and they really truly believe in making skiing or riding accessible to everyone,” she says.