Eldora Mountain Resort, Colorado Resort Reviews - Local Reviews and Travel Information


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Eldora Mountain Resort

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expert - 01/19/2007, 06:14 AM

Eldora is a great place to ski, if you know where to go. I held a season pass there for 4 years from '93 to '97, so I consider myself somewhat of an expert on the mountain. The mountain has three distinct areas: the lower mountain, completely visible from the parking lot; the upper mountain, partially visible from the parking lot; and the 'backside,' Corona, which is not visible at all from the parking lot. The lower mountain is a waste of time unless you're a beginner, but is a great place to learn to ski or snowboard. It has 2 platter pulls and 3 chairlifts serving a very flat bunny hill and a handful of blues. There is very little vertical to be had here, probably only a couple hundred feet at best. The upper mountain has much more to offer the intermediate skier. Two chairlifts rise side by side from the base and let off at the same point. Most of the blues are groomed nightly, while the blacks are left alone to bump up. For some good air with spectators, hit the catwalk about halfway down on the liftline--just watch out for the chairs above and the lift towers below. The best thing to do on the frontside is practice bumps on the short mogul fields and cruise down the longer blues. The reason I stayed at Eldora for 4 years is Corona. It's got some of the best expert terrain I've ever seen, and I have yet to find a ski area with better glades. To get to Corona, follow the signs to either Around the Horn or take the Corona cutoff from the top of the Challenge chair. Once at the top of Corona, you have an infinite number of lines to ski. Follow the chairlift back to the bottom and see how fast you can go. This is easily the best cruising run I've been on, since it is groomed regularly and thus has no bumps to slow you down. If you're in the mood for some bumps, check out Mule Shoe. It's not too steep but develops nice moguls. For a super-steep bump run, go right at the top of the chair to West Ridge. The first time I went to ski this, I hiked out because it was too steep. As for the trees, the possibilities are endless. Bryan Glades is right next to Corona for an easy exit from the trees if you need it. Moose Glades is really long, but also has a runout that's not too fun, especially on a snowboard. There are also a few small cliffs near the top. My favorite area is Salto Glades, between Corona and West Ridge. The top of it is pretty wide open, epic on a powder day. As you drop further down, the trees gradually get tighter, but never to the point that they're too difficult to maneuver. There were many times when I spent the entire day in Salto. Eldora is a great alternative to Colorado's mega-resorts. It is an easy hour drive from Denver, compared to about two hours to most resorts. It rarely sees liftlines, and there truly is something there for every ability level. If you're a fan of tree skiing, you've got to check out Corona. A tip for catching a powder day at Eldora: If it snows in Denver, it usually snows about three times as much at Eldora, whereas most other Colorado resorts get little or no snow from these storms. Eldora has a couple drawbacks I should mention. They don't get as much snow as most Colorado resorts, but smaller crowds means it doesn't get tracked up as quickly, and 95% of the mountain can be covered with manmade snow. Eldora's vertical is modest by Colorado standards at 1,400 feet. Eldora also gets extremely windy at times, causing the resorts four main chairlifts to shut down. And lastly, the final access road leading to Eldora is very narrow and can be downright scary if it's icy.