“We’re very excited about this next chapter in Echo Mountain’s evolution,” said owner Nora Pykkonen. “Our mountain is the ideal location for the thousands of non-skiing or -snowboarding Front Range residents who are looking for their first day on snow, but aren’t ready to make the commitment of travel, time and expense the larger destination resorts require. We want to be that first stop on their journey to a lifelong love of snow sliding, and we want to make sure Echo is offering the best in beginner and family skiing experiences.”

For the revived beginner program, Echo has partnered with Snow Operating, the Boulder-based firm that has developed terrain-based learning.

The area is also finalizing a partnership with Colorado-based Christy Sports to update its fleet of rental equipment.

For more advanced skiers and riders, Echo will offer a scaled-back version of its formerly extensive terrain parks, and continue to offer private access race training from November until Dec. 10, and from that point on, during midweek evenings and early morning weekend sessions.

Echo has gone through a series of evolutionary changes over the past decade. The former Squaw Pass ski area closed in the early 1970s, and was reborn as the Echo Mountain snowboard park in 2006. It soon expanded, inviting skiers as well, before Pykkonen purchased the area and turned it into a training center in 2012.