Adventure Passport Resort Challenge #4: Corona, Por Favor!

Eldora Mountain Resort
Summit Elevation 10,822feet
Vertical Drop 2,029 feet
Average Annual Snowfall 260 inches

Date Skied/Logged: January 16, 2006
New Snow: 1 inch
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Snow Conditions: PP/HP

On Martin Luther King Day the fourth leg of the Adventure Passport: Resort Challenge took us to Eldora Mountain Resort. Chris and I had both spent a few years on Eldora’s steep pitches as kids learning how to ski: our parents would drop us off at the bus stop in Boulder at 7:00 a.m., and pick us up at 4:00, trusting Eldora’s expert teaching staff to make sure we made it back home in one piece, which we usually did.

Today, Eldora’s learning center is thriving. The Little Hawk Family Zone allows kids to learn in an environment devoid of bigger, faster skiers. It gives them a chance to learn how to ski an entire mountain by themselves and the terrain is challenging enough to give them confidence on the bigger hills. The terrain park located off the Sundance lift is also beginner-friendly and features a variety of rails and jumps.

We had long been anticipating our first exploration into Eldora’s back country expansion, Corona Bowl. The new bowl promised terrain that was not only challenging, but also provided a surprising amount of vertical drop.

The traverse to Corona Bowl was easy and before long we were passing some alarming yellow signs, complete with skull and crossbone logos, telling us to beware. We threw caution to the wind and two turns into the Placer Glades we were howling for more. The snow conditions on the King’s day were dust on crust, which meant fast and hard turns in the steep glades surrounding the Corona lift and we had a fiesta billygoating our way around.

We ate lunch at The Lookout, at the top of Corona Bowl, which was especially convenient. Not only do they serve food for those who forget to brown bag a lunch, but its location allows riders to stay on the best side of the mountain all day if they choose.

Chris and I ventured into the Jolly Jug glades after lunch, somehow finding this sought after section of trees untracked. The dusting of snow was much appreciated in the bumpy terrain as we flew through trees that used to scare our pants off as kids. We then launched onto Jolly Jug’s corduroy groom for a ceremonial burner/warm up down an old favorite.

Anytime it snows more than two inches in Boulder, head to Eldora for a ski day with the kids. Eldora’s ski school will help mold them into little rippers, while you and your better half turn powdery laps amidst Corona Bowl’s sick terrain. Eldora is ideal for students as well. Just a 40-minute RTD bus ride from Boulder’s Walnut Street Station, the RTD runs almost hourly and delivers riders directly to the Challenger lift.

By the Book

• Green—Snail: Great for the kids, the terrain in the Little Hawk Family Zone offers a variety of opportunities to learn in an inclusive environment.
• Blue—Jolly Jug: This run is classic Eldora, as are the glades that are accessible on skier’s right, near the top. The glades offered exciting lines through widely spaced trees, but ended quickly with a short traverse back onto Jolly Jug.
• Blue—La Bella Dame: Yet another Eldora classic run. La Bella Dame was great for a high-speed cruise.
• Black—Corona: The run itself is groomed and rather tame, but the rest of Corona Bowl is pretty sick. The bowl opening added 85 acres and over 1,400 feet of vertical to Eldora’s growing offering.
• Black—Moose Glades: This was one of those sick areas in Corona Bowl. The top section offered widely spaced trees and fast snow underfoot. Towards the middle of the hill, the spaces between the trees narrowed and as we reached the bottom the angle of the slope got much steeper. Jump turns came in handy in some of those narrow gauges.

Local Favorites

• Jolly Jug Glades
• Placer Glades
• Sundance Terrain Park

Our Favorite Runs

• Jolly Jug Glades: Amazingly, we arrived at the Jolly Jug glades before anyone else and were rewarded with soft snow and untracked lines through wide-open terrain. Boulder and Nederland locals have been racing to this spot on the mountain for years. Perhaps they slept in too late?
• Salto Glades: The Salto goes so nice with the Corona! How about a lime? Everything seems cool until the spaces between the trees make you pucker and the fall line disappears. Don’t be a hero.
• Moose Glades: The Moose Glades are a slice of heaven, as mentioned above. Stay on the West Ridge as long as possible before dropping in to increase the angle of the slope.

For more information about the Passport to Ski Areas of Colorado, or to purchase your own copy please visit www.adventurepassports.com