Bypassing The I-70 Skier Buzzkill
Old-School Eldora’s Got Big-Time Terrain
By Reid Neureiter
For the GPHN
For Park Hill skiers, this season has brought the best of times and the worst of times.
The snow conditions in the High Country have been remarkable, with multiple February storms dropping feet of snow and providing full coverage for the Summit and Grand County resorts and more than a six-foot base at Vail. But great conditions also bring more vehicle traffic to the crowded I-70 corridor. Storms in the mountains mean closures of the Vail, Berthoud and Loveland passes, extensive waits to get through the Eisenhower Tunnel, and the potential for crashes leading to five-hour traffic jams.
Which brings us to Eldora Mountain Resort, one of a few Colorado ski resorts on the east side of the Continental Divide (Loveland Ski Area is also in this category). Eldora is 20 miles west of Boulder and 51 miles from Park Hill. With only 680 acres, it’s smaller than the massive destination resorts, with an old-school vibe. But with a summit at 10,600 feet above sea level and 1,600 vertical feet from top to bottom, it’s got big-time terrain for all kinds of skiers, from beginner to the expert seeking steep, gladed terrain.
On a clear day, the Lookout Lodge at the summit of Eldora’s expert-only Corona lift offers spectacular views of the James Peak Wilderness area to the south, and the Indian Peaks Wilderness to the north. Eldora also has a world class Nordic center, with miles of groomed terrain for cross-country skiing.
Eldora’s Marketing Director, Sam Bass notes that Eldora has full snowmaking on all of its groomed runs, a particular bonus in the early season. But Eldora’s real benefit is proximity and the ability to avoid nightmare that I-70 has become on a winter weekend.
Of course, Eldora’s proximity brings its own problems. The area shares the Ikon season pass with the resorts of Winter Park, Copper Mountain, and Steamboat. When I-70 is backed up, or an up-slope storm dumps new powder on Eldora, skiers who would otherwise aim to the west divert to Eldora. The resort’s 1,600 available parking spots fill quickly. When that happens, the Boulder County Sheriff will set up a roadblock near Nederland and turn cars around.
Bass strongly recommends strategic planning for any visit. First, ski during the week. If that is not possible, on weekends, holidays, or when there is more than five inches of new snow, arrive before 8 a.m. or after noon. According to Bass, you will always find parking, even on weekends, if you want to come for just a half day after lunch. Bass also recommends that skiers coming from Denver take Highway 72 up Coal Creek Canyon to get to Nederland, rather than coming up through Boulder.
Eldora is addressing its parking problem in multiple ways. First, it is the only ski resort served by RTD. To encourage skiers and riders to take public transportation, Eldora distributes $1,500 of free round-tip bus passes at the Boulder Transit Center on weekend mornings.
In addition, Bass says Boulder has just approved an 800-space parking expansion but has imposed multiple conditions on the expansion. Eldora must continue to encourage the use of public transportation, by providing free bus passes and renting its own buses for skier transport. The resort must also implement a $10 per-car fee for single-occupancy vehicles on weekends, holidays, or days with 10 inches of new snow. As Bass says, “The county is trying to get all cars off the road, but particularly low-occupancy vehicles.”
