NEDERLAND, Colo. — The Board of Trustees in Nederland, a Boulder County mountain community of about 1,500 people, on Tuesday voted to approve the purchase of the neighboring Eldora Mountain Resort for roughly $120 million.
Nederland’s acquisition of the popular ski area – the closest to Denver – will be funded through revenue bonds, which are repaid using money the resort earns from its own operations such as lift tickets, rentals, food, drinks, and other activities. The deal won’t require any new taxes or hit the general fund, the town says.
Roughly 700 Eldora employees will become town employees.
The town will purchase the ski area from POWDR, the Utah-based recreation company that also owns Copper Mountain. POWDR will continue to operate the mountain during a two-year transition period, according to the agreement.
After POWDR’s contract expires, the Front Range ski coalition 303 Ski – which was involved throughout Nederland’s pursuit of Eldora – will manage the mountain.
“This approach reflects the Town’s commitment to careful planning, operational stability, and support for the people who make Eldora successful,” read an agenda memo for Tuesday night’s meeting. “The goal is for the transition to feel invisible to guests and staff while setting up the systems that will allow the Town to operate the resort independently in the future.”
The plan is for Eldora to remain on the Ikon Pass.
Tuesday’s vote follows a more than year-long quest by Nederland to acquire Eldora.
Denver7 first spoke to Town Administrator Jonathan Cain about the idea in November of 2024, when Cain called it a “moonshot” that was too exciting not to explore. Last July, Nederland officially stated its intention to purchase Eldora, a decision that was met with cautious optimism from residents.
They visited again in November, when only final review of transaction documents remained before a vote of authorization.
Residents we spoke to looked forward to local ownership returning the ski hill to its small-town roots and injecting revenue into the small mountain community. Skeptics worried about the fallout from a bad snow year. For its part, the town believes it will have the reserves to cover such losses.
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