The opening of the glade runs at Eldora adds another dimension to the mountain whether riding on two edges or four. These are some of the most iconic trails in the area where riders glide through hidden forest pathways testing their reflexes and ability to innovate in the moment.

Glade runs are different from skiing the trees along a groomed trail. On a groomed trail, if you see an opening, you dive in, make some nifty turns around the trees, chop some powder, and then pop back onto the groomed trail without losing any momentum.

A glade trail is designed and laid out to showcase the forest and usually follows some unique terrain feature like the gully in Gully Glades. Glade runs always involve tree skiing with the trees thinned to allow for endless combinations of turns around and through them.

Eldora General Manager Brent Tregaskis said that the ski area operates on national forest land, so it works with the US Forest Service to maintain the glades. The ski area has a cutting crew that spends the summer felling snags and trees that are considered a danger to the public. The Forest Service is involved in any thinning decisions and assists in identifying trees that need to come down. Removing trees in glades is complicated because of the difficulty of extracting them from steep terrain deep inside a forest.

While glade skiing on the Corona side requires a high degree of skill, there are some fun glades on the front side that allow intermediate riders to discover what it is like to move among the trees.

Jolly Jug Glades is a classic that has been around since the 70s. It has easy terrain, wide spacing and lots of exits back to Jolly Jug if one gets into trouble. At one point, the resort kept a hidden beacon in the glade so riders could check their beacons before going out the back gate to Lost Lake.

There is an unnamed glade between Windmill and Dream and Scream that is gentle and is only about a hundred yards. The terrain tilts left so the normal exit is onto Dream and Scream above the roll.

Powderhorn Glades was officially given its name in 2022 and lies between Powderhorn and Jolly Jug. It is expert terrain but has an intermediate steepness so that it is a good practice run before going over to the big glades in Corona. The best entry points are on the Powderhorn side at the top of the run.

Another unnamed glade on the front side that goes largely unnoticed lies between Klondike and International. It is about two hundred yards of intermediate terrain and has some interesting pitches. The best entry points are on the Klondike side.

Placer Glades, next to upper Ambush, is on the front side and is one of the hardest glades at Eldora because of a choke point that is the only access to the lower section of the trail. It is steep and tight and at its best with fresh powder.

The glades on the Corona side are the playgrounds for the top athletes. They are long and steep and filled with an assortment of natural obstacles from rock outcroppings to fallen trees. They are a lot like the terrain park with plenty of things to go airborne off with soft if tight landings.

One of the unique aspects about Brian’s Glades is that it is directly east of the Corona trail, so it gets a lot of snowmaking snow that drifts over on a windy day. Early in the season the left side of Brian’s Glades has a manmade base with natural snow on top. There are a series of openings on the left side that are like stair steps or pillows that allow the rider to drop down from one to the next. The middle section of Brian’s Glades is a labyrinth of lines through the trees that follows a gully and exits onto Corona.

Gully Glades is a nondescript name for an incredible run through the trees down through a gully that is essentially a quarter pipe. The snow drifts in on the left and the right side is a bare scree field, so it is a right legged turn up the left side then a left legged turn back down to the bottom of the gully. It’s a half zipper zig zag for about a quarter of a mile with tree weaves and rocks to jump off. The exit is onto Alpenhorn before it merges with Muleshoe.

One of the most popular glades at Eldora is Salto Glades. It is on the road before West Ridge and is beloved for its easy entry and widely spaced trees. The entry off the ridge is down a gully which is steep but manageable and then spreads out on the forest floor with multiple lines through the trees. There are two exit points back onto West Ridge. The far-left side of Salto is considered some of the steepest inbound terrain at Eldora.

Moose Glades is kind of a frontier glade on the west side of West Ridge. It is right on the boundary with the backcountry. It was cut and named in 1989 and there are three runs that face east off the ridge between Corona and Lost Lake. The spine of the ridge is windswept with lots of snow cornices with all kinds of jump potential. The three runs that were cut are steep at the top then merge and follow the forest floor north to the exit back to West Ridge. Since it isn’t as popular as some other glades like Salto, the powder stays longer in Moose Glades.

Glades are also places of refuge in a storm. The trees block the wind, so the woods are quieter and the howling winds overhead are muffled. It is a wonderful time to be in the forest and pillage fresh powder run after run.

Glades trails are hidden treasures at Eldora. The resort has tended to their glades like they were big Bonsai gardens with beautiful lines down through the forest and plenty of natural objects to launch off.

At its best, riding in the glades is about mind and body control in time and space. Being deep in the woods and being able to make those instantaneous decisions on where and when to turn and do it in such a way that the turns are linked together in a dance down the mountain. They are moments to remember. It is the Zen of winter sports.