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A BRIEF HISTORY OF COCHRAN’S SKI AREA
Cochran’s Ski Area was established in 1961 when Mickey and Ginny Cochran purchased an old hillside farm along the Winooski River in Richmond, Vermont. Transforming the land with the family’s hard work and Mickey’s gifts as a mechanical engineer, the ski area consisted of a couple of backyard trails and a short rope tow installed so their children and neighbors could enjoy skiing and race training.
In the next decade, the ski area helped put all four of the “Skiing Cochrans” on the road to Olympic and World Cup success as members of the United States Ski Team, which Mickey coached during the 1973/74 ski season. Not long after Barbara Ann captured the Olympic gold medal in slalom in 1972, the facility grew to four lifts and eight slopes attracting a loyal contingent of children and families from around Vermont.
Over the years, the Cochran family developed a wide array of innovative educational and recreational programs to help bring the community together on our slopes. Today many successful high school, college and World Cup racers still fondly recall their start at Cochran’s. But most importantly, legions of Vermonters proudly proclaim, “I learned to ski the Cochran way.”
After Mickey’s death in 1998, the nation’s first non-profit 501 (c)(3) ski area was established to continue this legacy of providing access to healthy winter recreation for local children and families. Since that time, our unique organization has been an overwhelming success in bringing together community resources to serve over 500 area school children each year as well as delivering outdoor educational programming to groups ranging from the Abenaki of Vermont to underprivileged children visiting from New York City.
In the future, plans call for installation of a state-of-the-art snowmaking system, upgrades to the lodge & lifts, and increased programming to serve the year round needs of our community. A successful capital campaign will put Cochran’s on solid ground while maintaining the affordable prices, critical open space, and unique character of this little ski area so many have come to love.
Timeline:
A COCHRAN’S TIMELINE
1961 - Cochran’s Ski Area founded; Ginny Cochran offers first after-school program at
the request of the Richmond P.T.O.
1965 - Adjacent 140-acre parcel purchased for future ski area expansion
1966 - New trails and rope tow installed on present Cochran’s Ski Area site
1967 - Marilyn & Barbara Ann Cochran named to the U.S. Ski Team
1968 - Bobby Cochran named to the U.S. Ski Team
1969 - Marilyn Cochran wins the World Cup in Giant Slalom
1970 - Lindy Cochran joins her siblings on the U.S. Ski Team; Barbara Ann wins a
silver medal in slalom and Marilyn wins a bronze medal in the combined at the
World Championships
1972 - Barbara Ann Cochran wins the Olympic gold medal in slalom in Sapporo, Japan
1973 - Bob Cochran wins the prestigious Hannenkahm Combined in Kitzbuhel, Austria
1974 - Mickey Cochran serves as Alpine Director of the U.S. Ski Team; Cochran’s Ski
Club founded
1976 - Lindy Cochran is top American in both slalom and GS at the Olympic Games in
Innsbruck, Austria.
1979 - T-bar installed at Cochran’s Ski Area
1984 - New lodge built at Cochran’s Ski Area
1985 - Innovative “Ski-Tots Program” introduced at Cochran’s by Lindy (Cochran)
Kelley as the Cochran family continues to coach and teach the next generation
of Cochran’s skiers
1995 - Jessica Kelley wins Vermont JIV State Championships in slalom and GS
1998 - Mickey Cochran dies at the age of 74; Cochran’s Ski Area become nations first
IRS 501 (c)(3) non-profit ski area
2002 - Dartmouth star and former Cochran’s racer, Roger Brown, wins NCAA
Slalom Championship; Jessica Kelley wins silver medal in GS at World Junior
Championships in Ravascletto, Italy
2003 - Jim Cochran joins his cousin, Jessica Kelley, on the U.S. Ski Team
2004 - Jim Cochran wins U.S. National GS and SL events; Jessica Kelley takes 3rd in GS
Cochran Family inducted into the Vermont Ski Hall of Fame
2005 – Cochran’s mourns the loss of founder and friend, Ginny Cochran; Roger Brown & Tim Kelley join Jim & Jessica on the U.S. Ski Team, putting four “Cochrans” once again on the national team
2006 - Jim Cochran is top American, 12th overall, in Olympic slalom in Torino, Italy; Amy Cochran, skiing for the University of Vermont, places second in the giant slalom and third in the slalom at the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA) Championships
2007 - Jim Cochran, Jessica Kelley, and Tim Kelley all begin their 2007/2008 season together on the U.S. Ski Team
2008 - Jim Cochran wins two more U.S. national titles in slalom and combined; state-of-the-art snowmaking system installed
2009 - rental room added on to lodge; first annual TGFS (Thank God for Snowmaking) race held
2010 - Jim Cochran competes in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia; kitchen in lodge is expanded and updated
2011 - Ryan Cochran-Siegle named to the U.S. Ski Team; Tim Kelley wins NCAA slalom title for the University of Vermont; Robby Kelley named to the U.S. Ski Team (May); lights installed for night skiing; cousins Jim Cochran, Tim Kelley, and Roger and Douglas Brown establish a sugaring operation and begin selling maple syrup (Slopeside Syrup) on the property
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