Convenience can be hit or miss, especially when it comes to skiing. Some skiers face hours of rotting in traffic, while others enjoy a quick walk from the village. Nonetheless, skiers and snowboarders travel from all ends to get a few runs in. Growing up in Rollinsville, Colorado, a 10-minute drive from Nederland, I was very lucky to have quick access to great skiing and enjoy the sense of home provided by being a quick drive away. During the later stages of the COVID lockdown, Eldora Mountain Resort became my second home. As my online classes ended at noon, I quickly incorporated it into my daily routine. Skiing an uncanny number of days during the week and working as a ski instructor on the weekends, Eldora became my life, and I surely wasn’t complaining.
Only being a 30-minute jaunt up Boulder Canyon, a canyon that does not need any sort of avalanche mitigation and rarely gets clogged up with traffic, created a quick and painless alternative against the I-70 corridor. This makes Eldora perfect for the Front Range skier, with the added benefit of unlimited access on the Ikon pass. Eldora originally operated around two T-bar lifts that serviced a tiny fraction of the current 680-acre ski area that it has expanded to now. Today it has one high-speed six-chair, two quad chairs, one triple chair, three double chairs, and three surface lifts. While not nearly as large as its POWDR-owned counterpart, Copper Mountain, which has 2,465 acres of skiable terrain, it is still large when compared to many resorts not located in the Rocky Mountain region and feels like a “Mini Copper” in my eyes, with all the best parts of a ski area.
- Related Article: 2024-25 Opening Dates for Ikon Pass Resorts
Techy trees, wide groomers, and a fantastic park, Eldora offers enough fun for every type of skier. Eldora is great for the rider looking to get a few runs before or after work and boasts a great park. Woodward has established itself as a park master, from small boxes for riders hoping to get into the park to intricate rails and jumps for the most advanced park skiers who want to fine-tune their skills and try new tricks. This is a no-brainer for the Colorado University or high school student wishing to learn to flip or hit rails before or after class, especially with the free bus from Boulder to Eldora during peak season. I learned to love the convenience of great riding as I moved to Boulder for school and did not have the same convenience I used to have.
Full Day, half day, one hour, Eldora allows many to get out skiing and, more importantly, keeps you smiling. It is a fun culture brought together by many people, from college students to high schoolers, who will leave you in awe as they hit cork 7s’. While not excluding the employed professional who is looking to make every day interesting, Eldora is a unique resort and culture tailored towards every rider at every skill level.
Mountain Stats
- Number of Lifts: 10 (1 high-speed six chair, 2 quad chairs, 1 triple chair, 3 double chairs, and 3 surface lifts.)
- Number of Runs: 61
- Base Elevation: 9,200 feet
- Top Elevation: 10,600 feet
- Skiable Acreage: 680
