BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – There was anticipation in the frosty air of Richmond, and one special skier is living out a lifelong dream.
“I’m so excited to have the rope tow first run and I was going to get to go up the lift first,” said Marilyn Cochran of Cochran’s Ski Area.
Cochran, as her namesake says, is a part of the family that opened Cochrans’ Ski Area. She was almost the first to ride the area’s first-ever rope tow.
“My brother jumped in front of me to be first up the lift, so his son, Jimmy runs the ski area, so it was Jimmy’s idea to have me be first up the lift this time,” said Cochran.
So when it was time to cut the ribbon, Cochran didn’t hesitate. Up she went, and many others followed.
“If you go to a bigger mountain, they have humongous, giant, high-speed quads, this is our version of a high-speed quad. It requires fitness, and it’s probably faster, honestly,” said skier Ethan Ship.
The manager says the rope tow is an old ski hill tradition, but this one is a new take. It’s fully electric, engineered and built by a local firm, and was funded completely by donations. It takes only a minute to get a skier up the hill with it and is believed to increase lift capacity by more than 25%, perfect for when it’s busy, for racers, and kiddos who just want to go, go, go.
“The rope is kind of heavy, but it’s really fast, and it gets you up higher than the older one, so it’s better.” said skier Lila Ship.
The lift will be open as long as there’s snow.
