Eldora is the heart of Boulder, on snow.
The Eldora Mountain Resort, Boulder County’s own ski playground, is shaping up for the 2018-19 ski season with a ton of exciting news and changes.
First, before anything, make sure you purchase your season passes and lesson programs right away. Rates increase on Oct. 10, so you’ll save big money by shopping before then.
For the first time ever, Eldora is offering season rental packages at great rates: $109 for kids’ ski or snowboard packages and $179 for adults (13 years and older). Pick up the gear now, keep it all season and return it at the end of the season when you’re done. You can even get free tuning and waxing and bonus retail discounts.
The ski package includes poles, Volkl Unlimited skis and Salomon Quest Access boots. The snowboarding package includes a Burton LTR/Progression board, Burton Lowstack bindings and Burton Progression boots.
By comparison, a single-day adult “sport ski package” (with boots, skis and poles) or daily snowboard package (boots, board) cost $49. The season rental package saves you money if you plan on skiing more than four times in the season.
Another one of the biggest announcements for the upcoming ski season is in its passes. Eldora is implementing “radio frequency identification passes,” or RFIDs, which means skiers will no longer have to unzip their pockets or jackets to access their pass to scan at the lift maze. You can just keep your pass zipped in your pocket, blast through the gate and jump on the lift. This will smooth out the process and get you on the slopes quicker and more conveniently.
Another improved convenience will be with wifi. Not that you necessarily want to be checking your email while you’re adventuring on the slopes, but in case you want to post your latest jump on Instagram, Eldora has connected a fiber optic line from the nearby town of Nederland to the resort, which enlarges the resort’s internet pipeline and will improve wifi services, according to Sam Bass, director of marketing.
“Eldora was already great for local professionals looking to bring work to the lodge and ski some runs between emails, and now it’s even better,” he says.
Here are some other recent improvements to Eldora:
- New glading projects in the Placer Glade zone will provide additional advanced and expert terrain this year.
- If you’ve already bought passes and want to have them in hand before opening day so you can head straight to the lift, you can pick up your pass on specific days in October and November at the REI Boulder store, 1789 28th St.
- Last year, Eldora replaced the Cannonball and Challenge lift with Alpenglow, one six-person high-speed detachable lift, reducing the lift ride time from more than 14 minutes to around four minutes. Eldora now has 10 lifts instead of 11.
- Also in 2017, Eldora added “Alpine Touring” (AT), with Monday, Tuesday and Thursday early uphill days starting at 6 a.m. for AT pass holders.
- Eldora recently adopted a sustainability plan called Play Forever. In alignment with this plan, the resort has converted a portion of its electric energy consumption to use renewable energy. The goal: to be 100 percent renewable by 2025. Other sustainability efforts: Eldora joined the National Ski Area Association’s Climate Challenge to measure how it is reducing its carbon footprint; it provides complimentary RTD tickets to skiers and employees on peak days; and it will be implementing HOV preferential free parking this season. In addition, Eldora replaced all plastic and fiberglass signs with locally made, handcrafted wood signs; it began requiring employees carpool or ride public transportation (offering bus vouchers for free and paying staff an extra hour a day for commute time); its food department has been working on a new menu with locally sourced ingredients; it has removed plastic straws and stirrers and only offers paper straws upon request; and more.
More About Eldora
Eldora typically features more than 300 inches of a snow annually, spanning 680 acres of terrain. The average snowfall over the past five seasons has been lower (about 240 inches), but because of Eldora’s “extensive snowmaking system,” it has become known for its early season coverage, according to Hunter Wright with Eldora.
The resort has runs for all levels, from kids and newbies to experienced athletes looking for a challenge.
Learn more about skiing Eldora here.
Other Useful Facts
- Eldora is the only Colorado ski resort served by the RTD public transportation.
- Eldora opens a half hour earlier (at 8:30 a.m.) on peak days and weekends.
- It’s one of only two Colorado resorts with The Woodward Experience. The Woodward terrain-based learning (including an indoor progression area) make Eldora a top place to learn how to ski.
- Get free lessons at the Nordic Center at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
- Ignite, formerly Eldora Special Recreation Program, is the third-oldest adaptive ski program in Colorado. Ignite offers affordable instruction in skiing, boarding and snowshoeing for people with mental and physical disabilities.
