The town of Nederland, a quaint mountain community consisting of 1,500 full-time residents, is in ongoing negotiations to purchase Eldora Mountain Resort. A deal that officially began in July of 2025, when the town signed a letter of intent and terms of purchase, was set to close this past April. On January 6 2026, Nederland’s Board of Trustees unanimously voted to approve the purchase of Eldora Mountain Resort for $120 million. Due to the complexity of the transaction, the deal has yet to reach the closing table.
While both parties, the Town of Nederland and Eldora’s current corporate owner, POWDR, have signed a non-disclosure agreement, the town continues to update its community to the best of its ability. Prior to purchase and as part of the due diligence process, the Town has hired various independent firms and experts to understand the full scope of its purchase. This includes diving into operational and financial costs behind owning and running a ski area. However, these independent firms do not work for free. According to BusinessDen and the most recent reports from the town, Nederland has stacked bills totaling over $800,000 as they work towards closing the sale.
Included in the process are a variety of outside firms that the town has hired. Both the Royal Bank of Canada and Bank of America are underwriters and have conducted financial modeling of the Resort’s operations. Investment firm Bank Stifel is acting as a financial advisor and acting with a fiduciary duty to the town. Kline Alvarado Veio, P.C., an outside firm, has been acting as the town’s bond counsel, and Butler Snow as the disclosure counsel. Additionally, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck represents that they are an industry leader in hospitality, including ski area acquisitions, and is the town’s trusted real estate counsel.
While most details surrounding the deal have been sealed, the town is making sure to share as much as possible by answering FAQs on its website. Part of that is ensuring that Nederland’s citizens understand that this purchase will in no way financially affect them. Nederland plans to finance this purchase through bonds, which will be paid back by future operating profits from the Resort. With the Resort held and operated as an enterprise – Mountain Resort Enterprise Fund – all finances related to Eldora’s operation and acquisition will remain separate from those of the taxpayers and the Town’s general fund.
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Nederland’s goal with this purchase is long-term ownership and stewardship of the Resort. Eldora is located just five miles from the town center and has been a part of Nederland for 64 years now. Throughout its existence, the ski area has played an integral part in the community. Many small businesses wouldn’t survive without the ski traffic brought in by Eldora Mountain. Not to mention those who live in the community and work at the resort.
With the acquisition of Eldora Mountain Resort, Nederland will join a select few towns that have community-owned ski areas. Winter Park, on the other side of the Continental Divide, is a City of Denver-owned ski area, and Chuchara Mountain Park, recently re-opened in southern Colorado, is owned by Huerfano County. While it’s not impossible, it is uncommon. The town of Nederland is such a unique, tight-knit mountain community; it just makes sense to bring Eldora’s ownership home.
