Cleanup and races before this winter's season opens
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A volunteer picking up trash under a lift. As well as lip balm and gloves, volunteers found cellphones and animal bones on the mountain.
Fall foliage was on display at Eldora Mountain Resort for their Fall Fest 2026 on September 19 and 20. The weekend of activities included cross country races and a mountain cleanup that removed 934 pounds of trash from the slopes and base area.
Tools of the trade for the Eldora Mountain Cleanup day of service. Volunteers were given work gloves, a burlap trash bag, and a trash grabber, then went out in teams to pick up trash on the slopes and under the lifts.
The Bourbon Brass Band played on the deck of the West Wing after the Mountain Cleanup on September 19, 2026.
Volunteers picking up trash on lower International. Working together in groups, volunteers removed 934 pounds of trash from the slopes and around the base area.
View of the Eldora base area from the Alpenglow Lift. The lift carried riders to the top of Challenge Mountain to see the fall colors.
Start of the Eldora AlpenRun on September 20, 2026. 157 runners of all ages lined up to run either a 5K or 10K course on the Nordic Center cross-country trails.
View of Indian Peaks from the top of Challenge Mountain. The trail is Hornblower without any snow.
PEAK TO PEAK — With falling temperatures and fall foliage on full display, Eldora Mountain Resort (eldora.com) hosted the Eldora Fall Fest 2026 over the weekend of September 19, 2026.
The two-day event featured a Mountain Cleanup Day of service on Saturday, and the Eldora AlpenRun 5K and 10K races on the cross-country trails on Sunday. Young and old alike got to pitch in and help get the mountain ready for another winter of wonder.
The Mountain Cleanup event on Saturday sent volunteers armed with bags and trash grabbers up Challenge and Little Hawk mountains to pick up trash from under the lifts. The competition was to see who picked up the most trash based on weight, and who found the most unusual items.
Eldora Director of Marketing Sam Bass said at the awards ceremony on Saturday that just under a thousand pounds of trash had been collected and hauled off the mountain. Volunteers from Zone 3 were declared winners with 183 pounds
The oldest item found was a '60s-vintage oil can. The most interesting items were some animal bones, a single Lange ski, and a cellphone. The Lange ski was an odd one because Lange stopped making skis in 1973.
Bass thanked the volunteers for coming and taking care of their home hill by cleaning up the place. After the presentations, the Boulder-based Bourbon Brass Band played New Orleans jazz out on the deck of the West Wing Grill.
A number of booths were set up by various organizations including Wild Bear and a big bounce castle near the Alpenglow Lift let the kids bounce around and practice their spins.
The Alpenglow Lift ran on both days taking attendees up to the top of Challenge Mountain for a panoramic view of the changing colors. Riders got to ride the lift down the mountain for a rare view of the area going the other way.
On Sunday, Eldora hosted the AlpenRun 5K and 10K races at the Nordic Center under blue skies and brisk temperatures. Starting by Indian Peaks Lodge, the runners ran on the Nordic Center cross-country trails. The 10K runners did two laps of the course.
There were 88 runners for the 5K. Podium: Men 1) Jeff Wehrwein 26:15, 2) Enoch Tsui 27:20, 3) Jack Pastor 27:44 Women 1) Mariah Rodriguez 28:39, 2) Chelsie Lawson 32:45, 3) Hazel Stelzer 33:36.
The 10K had 69 runners. Podium: Women 1) Meg Cooke 47:39, 2) Katelyn Arterburn 48:26, 3) Grace Tomasko 49:55 Men 1) Davide Giardini 42:45, 2) Owen Daily 44:52, 3) Matt Tomasko 49:55.
Preparations for the new season will accelerate in the next month with the start of snowmaking. Depending on the weather and the snow-making deities, Eldora is projected to begin operations the week before Thanksgiving.
Individual and family passes for the 2026/2027 season can be purchased from the Eldora website. Prices are expected to go up at the end of October. Eldora also continues to be a partner in the Ikon multi-mountain program.
Eldora will be at the Outdoor Gear & Sample Sale 2026 at the Avalon Ballroom in Boulder on October 9 and 10. Check their website under Events for details and times.
