Cooper Spur ski area explained

Cooper Spur
Location:Mount Hood, Oregon, US
Nearest City:Hood River 23 miles (35 km) north, Portland 60 miles (100 km) west
Pushpin Map:Oregon#United States
Pushpin Relief:1
Coordinates:45.4123°N -121.605°W
Top Elevation:4350feet
Base Elevation:4000feet
Skiable Area:501NaN1
Number Trails:10
Longest Run:0.25 mi (400 m)
Liftsystem:1 chair, 1 rope tow, 2 tows for tubing
Snowfall:8.3 ft (2.5 m)
External Link:Cooper Spur

Cooper Spur ski area is a ski area located on northeast Mount Hood, Oregon, United States. The resort has one double chair ski lift serving ten runs, and a vertical drop of 110 meters (350 ft). There are of cross-country skiing trails.[1] The uphill capacity of the lift is 1,200 skiers per hour, and the summit rises to . The resort encompasses 0.2km2 of terrain, and receives an average of 2.5m (08.2feet) of snow per year.

Cooper Spur Mountain Resort has 3.1km2 of forest on which condos, log cabins, a restaurant, and a hotel are located.[2]

Expansion

In the summer of 2001, Cooper Spur was purchased by an affiliate of Mount Hood Meadows named Meadows North LLC, and announced its intention to develop the Cooper Spur area as a year round destination resort with additional lifts, runs, and accommodation.[3] A July 18, 2001 proposal included developing a golf course, 450 housing units, a conference center, ice rink, swimming pool, amphitheater, shopping mall, and other developments.[4] [5] The development was opposed by groups which favor preserving and expanding wilderness areas of northern Mount Hood.[6] [7] Other concerns include potentially disrupting a key elk migration route, watershed disruption for two thousand nearby residents,[8] and deforestation.[9]

A controversial land swap was concluded with Hood River County by Meadows North LLC which increased the acreage adjacent to Cooper Spur owned by Meadows North LLC.

In the summer of 2002, the decades-old T-bar lift was replaced with a double chair, and excavation work created a tubing area.[3]

After Meadows North LLC abandoned its initiative to develop Cooper Spur, a proposal was made to trade Cooper Spur's facilities, existing 770acres, and its special-use permit which authorizes 1350acres of development in exchange for 120acres of Forest Service land near Government Camp.[10] The proposal became a provision of House Bill 5025 [109th] (Mount Hood Stewardship Legacy Act) and passed the House, but expired without senate approval.[11] According to a GAO assessment, the value of lands were not appraised equivalently and probably not fairly.[12]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Adventures—Cross Country . Cooper Spur ski area . 2008-02-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080206070657/http://www.cooperspur.com/Adventures/crosscountry.aspx . 2008-02-06 . dead .
  2. Sommer, Joshua. Fusion Pass gives holder access to two Mount Hood resorts. The Oregonian, October 28, 2007.
  3. Web site: Cooper Spur issues . Friends of Mount Hood . 2008-02-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080819235457/http://www.friendsofmounthood.org/cspur.htm . 2008-08-19 . dead .
  4. Web site: Overview of Land Trade Case . Active Cases - Public Documents . Crag Law Center . 2008-02-22.
  5. Web site: Declaration of Dennis Chaney . April 10, 2002 . 2008-02-22.
  6. Web site: The Sierra Club's Positions on the Threats to Cooper Spur . . August 23, 2004 . 2008-02-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080828130736/http://www.oregon.sierraclub.org/groups/columbia/conserv/cooperspur/clubview.asp . August 28, 2008 . dead .
  7. Web site: Moving forward on the Mt. Hood Wilderness . Erik Fernandez, Wilderness Coordinator . . December 29, 2006 . 2008-02-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071023092241/http://www.oregonwild.org/press-room/press-clips/moving-forward-on-the-mt-hood-wilderness . October 23, 2007 . dead .
  8. Web site: Mazamas statement on the proposed destination resort and ski area expansion on the NE side of Mt. Hood. Mazamas Conservation Committee. April 2002. The Mazamas. https://web.archive.org/web/20020405223610/http://mazamas.org/info/ski_area.php. 2002-04-05. 2008-02-24.
  9. Web site: Logging in the Cooper Spur Area . Bark . July 8, 2002 . 2008-02-24.
  10. Web site: Congressmen Walden and Blumenauer's Mount Hood Stewardship Legacy Act (HR 5025) Land Exchanges . . word document (.doc) . July 18, 2006 . 2008-02-22 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060830200223/http://blumenauer.house.gov/mthood/MtHoodLandExchanges-jb.doc . August 30, 2006 .
  11. Web site: H.R. 5025—109th Congress (2006): Mount Hood Stewardship Legacy Act . September 27, 2006 . GovTrack.us (database of federal legislation) . 2008-02-22.
  12. Web site: Federal Land Exchange: Assessment of Mount Hood Land Appraisal Reports . . September 26, 2006 . 2008-02-22.