Dear Eldora Community,

Today, we celebrate the grand opening of our new Caribou Lodge. This project has been years in the making, and we are so excited to share it with you. Caribou Lodge marks a new chapter for Eldora, providing a permanent home for Ignite Adaptive Sports and expanded services for our community.

This project wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication and effort of so many. When I arrived nine years ago, I remember attending Ignite board meetings and being so impressed. It was clear Ignite was changing lives, and I knew we needed to work closely together.

Ignite has been part of the Eldora community since the 70s, starting from very humble beginnings. Now we’re celebrating Ignite’s beautiful, new 5,000-square-foot home. It’s remarkable how far we’ve come.

The name Caribou honors the rich history of Nederland, and the building will house Ignite, the Eldora children’s lesson center, retail and rental shops, and a new food outlet with fantastic indoor and outdoor seating. Those who have been with us for a while will also be happy to know we have many new, gorgeous restrooms—and I have to say that’s one of the things I’m most excited about.

The key players who made this dream a reality include David and Roberta Levin, Tom and Annette Kissinger, Carol Nickell, Tom and Jana Ward, Dale Case, Summer Frederick, Vince Porreca, Harris Faberman, Scott Peppet, Rea Orthner, Carl and Ryan Hurst, and the many people who gave more than $1 million to Ignite to support this incredible cause. Thank you especially to Ignite’s incredible volunteers who make a difference in people’s lives every single day—you are the heart and soul of Ignite.

I especially want to thank our friends at POWDR—John Cumming, David Cumming, Justin Sibley, Tim Brennwald, Brian Dobias, and Stacey Hutchinson—for their dedication and flexibility, and Copper Mountain’s Graeme Bilenduke for his expertise. POWDR’s commitment has been outstanding.

The Town of Nederland’s ongoing partnership has been invaluable. Thank you, especially, for allowing us to install wetlands in our own drainage watershed.

Thank you to ESA Architects, and especially Hans Cerny and Meredith Verzino, for their adaptability and creativity; to Symmetry Builders, specifically Joel Posada and Jim Bebber; and to Joel Delia, our project manager from Terra Construct Advisors.

Finally, I want to give a special shout-out to my entire team at Eldora, so many of whom have played vital roles in this project, and especially to Hunter Wright, our Director of Sustainability and Project Development. I am deeply grateful for her tireless efforts.

To everyone who has been part of this journey, thank you.

With deep gratitude,

Brent Tregaskis
President & General Manager
Eldora Mountain Resort