Eldora’s success takes toll on residents: The long line of cars began as early as 7 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.[/caption]

The fresh powder that collected over the last holiday weekend, combined with the cold weather, left Eldora Mountain primed and out-of-towners overjoyed at the prospect of hitting the slopes the weekend of January 20 and 21, 2024. A surge of cars came streaming out of the canyon by 7 a.m. Saturday morning. By 8 a.m. the roundabout was clogged with a long line of vehicles stretching from Boulder Canyon all the way up to Eldora Mountain Ski Resort.

Nederland locals were left jaded by the traffic and subsequent hazards created by it. From the improbable prospect of taking a left turn onto Highway 119, to being faced with drivers attempting to find a detour through the bumper-to-bumper backup (sometimes doing so despite one-way signs) residents took to social media to vent about their attempted trips to B&F and New Moon.

With the recent snowfall providing Eldora the incentive it needed to open more recreation opportunities and services on the mountain, eager ski and snowboarding enthusiasts were more than willing to wait for hours for the chance to shred some gnar. But whether or not they were willing to stop and spend money in Town was the big question on some residents’ minds.

Liquor stores and local restaurants reported a fairly busy weekend. Retail stores experienced foot traffic from those redirected from the mountain once Eldora became too full and closed its gates. However, such stragglers did not necessarily spend money but only browsed, shopkeepers noted.

As the ski season intensifies so do resident concerns regarding Nederland’s transportation and parking infrastructure, tourism management, and the role Eldora is, or is not, playing to remedy the impact of the traffic congestion.

Regardless of what can or should be done, such dreams of rectifying the ills of popular sport are far away from being realized; until then, locals will continue to live as mountain folk do…by being prepared to stay home, especially on the weekends.