Tam Smith sees Snow Motion as
complementary. “Learning happens
everywhere, and all learning informs other
learning,” she says. “This is an opportunity
to stretch students’ courage and curios-
ity and to see what they are capable of
physically.” The learning and growth that
happen on the hill translates into learning
that occurs in the classroom. “I think Mr.
G. intuitively gets this,” Tam says.
A Unique Resource
There are plenty of Vermont ski towns
with world-class resorts whose names are
almost synonymous with winter sports.
These towns’ local economies center
around tourism. Richmond is neither a ski
capital, nor a tourist destination. “Rich-
mond doesn’t have a lot of infrastructure,”
explains Amanda Repp, another Rich-
mond parent whose children ski at school.
“Rather, we have people who get out there
and make things happen.”
People like Brian Godfrey. And the small
army of parent volunteers who take time
off from work to support Snow Motion at
Cochran’s.
And Cochran’s Ski Area itself, the down-
home, nonprofit, family-run, backyard ski
hill. A far cry from the high-speed quads
and state-of-the-art, post-and-beam base
lodges and hotels of nearby Stowe and oth-
er world-class Vermont resorts, Cochran’s
boasts 350 vertical feet served by a rickety
rope tow, T-bar, and Mighty-Mite lifts. The
base lodge is, well, “rustic” (a few tables
and benches and a kitchen where local
high school-age employees or members of
the Cochran family serve hot cocoa, soup,
and grilled cheese sandwiches on cold
nights and weekends).
In other words, it’s a local treasure. It is
inexpensive and a great place to learn. The
founders of Cochran’s, Mickey and Ginny
Vermont Snowflake
Pendants
are Custom Made in
White Gold and Diamonds
Starting at $ 275
56 VERMONT MAGAZINE
Cochran, bought a Richmond farmhouse
between the Winooski River and a hillside
in the fall of 1960. A national ski coach,
Mickey wanted his four children to be able
to practice skiing more than just on
weekends. That winter, he fashioned a
homemade rope tow using a tractor motor
in the backyard and hung lights on the
house.
“It was always public,” says Barbara Ann
Cochran, a former schoolteacher who still
runs the ski school at Cochran’s. “Dad
charged people 25 cents to ski on Tuesday
and Thursday nights.”
Mickey’s approach to training was correct
and effective: all of the Cochran children
ski-raced nationally and internationally.
Barbara Ann reached the pinnacle of the
sport: she won the gold medal in slalom
at the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.
Several Cochran grandchildren grew up
to race internationally or in college, and
Barbara Ann’s son Ryan Cochran-Siegel is
currently still a member of the U.S. Ski
Since 1947
91 Main Street, Stowe, VT
(802) 253-3033 • [email protected]
11 Central Street, Woodstock, VT
(802) 457-1901 • [email protected]
www.ferrojewelers.com