Eldora Been the Next Locally Owned Ski Resort: the resort was made by boulder and Denver  makes it a local favorite and the largest for the ski racing… 

Eldora Been the Next Locally Owned Ski Resort: the resort was made by boulder and Denver  makes it a local favorite and the largest for the ski racing… 

Nestled in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies, Eldora Mountain Resort has long been a beloved destination for skiers and snowboarders. Its proximity to Boulder and Denver makes it a local favorite, and its terrain ranges from mellow beginner slopes to the extreme skiing of Corona Bowl. But in a world where most of Colorado’s ski resorts are now owned by corporate giants like Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company, Eldora’s future is suddenly up for grabs.

Recently, the current owner of Eldora, POWDR Corporation, announced its decision to sell the resort, and the town of Nederland, where Eldora is located, is eyeing the opportunity to take ownership. This would mark a rare shift toward locally managed ski areas in Colorado, where large resort conglomerates dominate the landscape.

While many of the state’s most famous ski resorts — including Vail, Breckenridge, and Aspen — are part of large corporate networks, the idea of a town taking charge of its own ski resort is an intriguing one. Nederland, a small town of about 1,000 people located just outside of Boulder, is making a push to become one of the few municipalities to own and operate a ski area. Town Administrator Jonathan Cain expressed confidence that this could be a successful venture, pointing to the town’s long history with the resort.

“Eldora is already a part of Nederland,” Cain said. “And I think what we would like to do is make sure that continues in the future.”

Eldora has been a staple in the community since the 1960s. The town has long been involved in the resort’s operation, providing a local touch that has set it apart from many of the larger corporate resorts in the area. Cain argues that Nederland’s intimate knowledge of the mountain, combined with the expertise of long-time local employees, puts the town in a unique position to take over the resort’s management.

“This town has run Eldora for decades. There are people here who have decades of experience running that mountain and understand what it means to run a mountain like that,” Cain explained. “What will make this successful is if we’re able to lean on the expertise of our community and really use an asset-based approach to make sure that we’re running the mountain the way that it needs to be run. And we know we have those people within our community that can do that.”

The decision to sell Eldora comes at a time when POWDR is shifting its focus to other business ventures, particularly in National Parks and with its action sports brand, Woodward. According to Brent Tregaskis, the current president and general manager of Eldora, this shift in business strategy has led to the decision to divest from the resort. Tregaskis, who has worked in ski resort management for decades, has experienced multiple ownership changes throughout his career and is confident that the resort will continue to thrive under new ownership.

“Personally, I have been through three different sales in my long career in ski resort management,” Tregaskis said. “The most recent being POWDR acquiring Eldora in 2024

For Nederland, the sale of Eldora offers an exciting opportunity to bring the mountain back into local hands, potentially preserving the unique, community-oriented atmosphere that has made Eldora so special to its regulars. However, the process of buying a ski resort is no small feat. It requires significant capital investment, careful management, and navigating complex regulatory and operational challenges. Even with the expertise and passion of the local community, there will likely be hurdles to overcome.

Ultimately, if the town of Nederland succeeds in purchasing Eldora, it could mark the beginning of a new chapter for Colorado’s ski industry — one that emphasizes community ownership, sustainable growth, and a return to the roots of what makes skiing in the Rocky Mountains so special.

As the ski season approaches and talks about the sale of Eldora continue, all eyes will be on Nederland to see if it can pull off what many believe would be a groundbreaking move for the state’s ski industry. Whether Eldora becomes the next locally owned ski resort or falls into the hands of another corporate giant, the town’s determination to keep the mountain in local hands is an important reminder of the power of community and the potential for small towns to reshape the future of their own landscapes.