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Lake County and Ski Cooper explore partnerships to expand youth access to skiing and local transportation supports
Summary
County commissioners and Ski Cooper board members discussed ways to expand community access to skiing — including discounted lift tickets, nonprofit partnerships, equipment libraries and transit — and identified steps to coordinate outreach and pilot programs. No formal program was adopted at the session.
Lake County commissioners and Ski Cooper board members discussed multiple ideas to increase local residents’ access to skiing, especially for children and low‑income families, and to improve coordination among nonprofits, the county parks and recreation department and Ski Cooper.
Why it matters: Participants said expanding youth access to snow sports could create long‑term community benefits including workforce pipelines, recreation opportunities and local economic support. Commissioners framed Ski Cooper as a nonprofit partner with a social‑welfare role to the community.
Ideas discussed included identifying a local nonprofit to coordinate donations of ski clothing and equipment, routing existing scholarship or ticket transfer programs to groups that will use them, better promotion and use of statewide programs for fourth graders, and exploring group‑rate lift tickets and park‑run shuttle options.
County Commissioner Andy (Lake County commissioner) told Ski Cooper that county staff and nonprofits could help find partners and funding, and noted past county support for transit (about $42,000 this past year) that could be directed toward pilot transportation options. The county suggested connecting Ski Cooper with a local out‑of‑school program and other nonprofits that collect and distribute gear and clothing.
John (Ski Cooper board member) and Scott (Ski Cooper board member) described recent community contributions by Ski Cooper, including annual nonprofit donations and scholarships they estimated at more than $100,000, and a recent pricing change that set a $45 lift ticket option intended to lower the entry cost for first‑time skiers. Scott said the $45 lift ticket was among the industry‑leading moves intended to help novices try skiing without buying a season pass.
County parks and recreation staff and local nonprofit representatives were named as potential partners to run outreach and coordinate logistics; Ski Cooper said it could work with a nonprofit to document that reduced‑price tickets are part of nonprofit activity rather than discriminatory pricing under Forest Service restrictions.
Transit and program logistics: Commissioners and Ski Cooper discussed the county‑run shuttle that served Ski Cooper, noting low ridership and the high per‑rider cost of sustaining transit without grant support. Participants agreed the shuttle may need grants or partnership funding to continue and could be targeted at schools and nonprofits as a pilot program.
Participants also raised program design questions — for example whether students should “earn” subsidized access through participation or work experience — and stressed the need for clear communication channels so offers reach intended recipients. County staff said their programs reached thousands of participant‑visits annually and that targeted outreach could increase take‑up of available tickets and gear.
Next steps: Ski Cooper and county staff asked nonprofits and parks/recreation staff to coordinate and identify a lead organization for pilot programs. County staff said they would connect Ski Cooper with the relevant parks and nonprofit contacts and share written responses from a prior community meeting. No formal program approval or budget commitment was made at the work session.
