Eldora Mountain (Eldora) will open for the 2018-19 ski and snowboard season on Wednesday, November 7, 2018, a full nine days ahead of schedule. Access to Eldora is unlimited on the new Ikon multi-mountain pass, and Eldora will be the first Ikon partner resort to open in Colorado. Eldora is located just 21 miles west of Boulder and 47 from Denver. As the backyard ski area for Boulder County and beyond, Eldora is the closest Ikon partner resort to Colorado’s northern Front Range. Wednesday will mark Eldora’s earliest opening in more than two decades.
The Alpenglow chairlift—a high-speed, six-person lift installed prior to last season—will start spinning at 9:00am, giving skiers and snowboarders access to intermediate terrain, including La Belle, Hornblower, and International trails. No beginner terrain, uphill, or Nordic Center access will be available at this time. Eldora’s mountain operations crews will continue to make snow as weather permits, with the goal of opening additional terrain as soon as possible.
“With more than three feet of natural snow and consistently cold temperatures, we are very excited to be opening earlier than we had planned,” says Brent Tregaskis, Eldora’s president and general manager. “Eldora is fortunate to be the first Colorado resort on the Ikon Pass to open, and one of the first resorts to be open in the country. It’s going to be a great season—c’mon up!”
Early-season visitors can expect a range of offerings beginning on Wednesday. On-mountain dining options will include the Timbers Lodge, serving both breakfast and lunch, and the Timbers Tap Room, serving a variety of craft beers and cocktails. Equipment rentals and snow-sports lessons will be available starting Friday, November 16, Eldora’s original opening date.
Resort improvements include hands-free RFID pass and gate-access technology, unlimited access for all Ikon Pass holders, a resort-wide electrical system upgrade, and carpool priority parking—a new program which reserves the front 200 parking spots on peak-visitation days for cars carrying three or more passengers.
Eldora is the only ski area served by RTD, Colorado’s largest public transportation system, with regular bus service from downtown Boulder straight to the Alpenglow chairlift and back, via the N Route. Eldora strongly encourages RTD ridership and carpooling as part of its Play Forever sustainability initiative, a resort-wide priority for all POWDR-owned properties that includes many resource-conservation measures. For important information regarding travelling to and parking at Eldora, please visit Eldora’s Getting Here webpage.
