In Booming Boulder, Residents Eschew Crowded Ski Country for the Local Slopes

Boulder, Colorado—though it’s only a few hours away from the top skiing destinations in the U.S., including Vail, Breckenridge and Aspen—offers its residents every imaginable amenity to supplement a winter sports lifestyle without the resort-town headaches.

With a prime location directly at the start of the Rocky Mountains, the city’s outdoor-oriented community typically stick around Boulder for their athletic pursuits despite a multitude of options in the state. Snow enthusiasts opt to ski in Boulder County rather than at larger resorts at higher altitudes.

Eldora Mountain Resort, known as Boulder’s hometown ski area, competes with major resorts for locals’ business based on proximity. Eldora is 21 miles from Boulder, where people live, work and play.

“We’re not a bedroom community. We have industry here, including Google, Apple and Microsoft,” Mile Hi Modern broker Jennifer Egbert said. “The fact that we can’t grow into urban sprawl because of protected open space keeps us unique.”

_{Photo: Ryan Hoffman / Unsplash}

With the inventory increasing of true, move-in luxury homes ranging from $5 million to north of $10 million, a variety of architectural options await competitive buyers, but not for long.

_{Photo: Ryan Hoffman / Unsplash}

Ski Amenities

“Eldora is becoming more popular because it’s a 35-minute drive door to door,” Compass broker Patrick Brown said. This affords locals the convenience of avoiding the sometimes extreme delays common on the I-70 corridor to ski country.

“With the traffic and hassle of driving up I-70, there isn’t a guaranteed time you can drive there without traffic,” Brown, a former University of Colorado Boulder ski racer, said. “People used to go early in the morning. That doesn’t work anymore. People used to go the Friday night before, but now that drive is crazy. Now, you have to go early Friday morning for the weekend.”

Eldora is undergoing $10 million worth of upgrades to improve the guest experience. Additionally, Boulder Canyon Drive, the scenic route to get there, has seen extensive restoration efforts following the 2013 floods.

“I have gone up many times, taken a few runs in the morning and been back at my office by 10 or 10:30 a.m. I know a lot of people in Boulder who do that,” Brown said. “The drive up there is great, even when it snows. It makes skiing much easier in Boulder.”

Boulderites can gear up at countless specialty ski and repair shops. Many Boulder-based children learn how to ski at Eldora or at a handful of indoor ski schools in town. The recreational apparel and gear brands Arc'teryx, Helly Hensen, Norrøna and Patagonia cater to the ski set with standalone shops. Wellness and recovery amenities, from cryotherapy to infrared saunas, are ubiquitous

Things to Do Besides Skiing

In September, Frasca Food and Wine was one of the first five restaurants in Colorado to earn a Michelin star rating. The Michelin Guide also recognized the Boulder-based eateries Blackbelly Market and Bramble & Hare with a green star, “an annual award which highlights restaurants at the forefront of the industry when it comes to their sustainable practices,” according to the travel guide.

“I always love to take people for happy hour and the sunset at Corrida’s patio, which has the best view of the Flatirons, and it has such a lively vibe,” Egbert said of the upscale restaurant.

Boulder’s downtown mixes tourist attractions and high-end shopping.

“MAX is like a small Barneys, which I love and I worked there for years,” Egbert said. This is where the fashion-forward crowd can shop for brands like Celine, Lauren Manoogian, Marni and Rachel Comey. “Cedar and Hyde, Haven and Jones and Company are local favorites. Canoe Club is great for designer menswear,” she said.

Just off the beaten path of downtown, the Dairy Arts Center, the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, the North Boulder Art District and the University of Colorado offer year-round arts and performance programming.

Ultimately, most transplants land in Boulder to take advantage of its unique setting right at the base of the mountains. Endurance sports, and more casual running, cycling, mountain biking, camping, backpacking, climbing and fishing attract above-average participation.

“If you live in Boulder, you can walk to the trails and to the mountains,” Brown said. “Within two to three minutes, you’re driving up Boulder Canyon, whereas if you live in Denver, that’s another 20 to 30 minutes to get to where a city like Boulder is, then you still have to drive up to the mountains.”

Types of Homes

“Much of the new construction tends to be modern design with flat roofs because with current city building requirements, you can only build a house so high,” Brown said. One such property lists for $6.25 million and is expected to reach completion in spring 2024 in Boulder’s quiet, idyllic Old North Boulder neighborhood.

Renovated, historic Victorian homes occasionally come to market in Boulder’s Mapleton Hill section. “They may be modern on the inside, but more traditional on the outside,” Brown said. A good example is a 1903 Edwardian house with mountain views on the market for $4.195 million.

“Modern sells well here,” Egbert said. “I’m also seeing modern, award-winning architecture design that sells so easily here because we have a sophisticated buyer pool that wants high design. There’s a need for pretty, rethought, traditional estate homes.”

A home listed for $9.5 million looks equally formal and relaxed, with architectural elements like cedar shingles and floor to ceiling windows and a covered balcony with mountain views.

“I have clients who bought … a landmarked Charles Haertling house in Knollwood that’s built into a giant rock,” Egbert said. “They worked with Arch 11 on a remodel, and it is stunning.”

_{21st St. by Annette Martin Architecture. Credit: FotoImagery}

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_{Norwood Avenue by Annette Martin Architecture. Credit: FotoImagery}

Market Outlook

Home prices continue to skyrocket. Brown said that by September last year, 10 homes had sold above $5 million and nothing sold for over $10 million. This year, at least 14 homes over $5 million and four homes over $10 million had closed in that time. The average price for a luxury home increased from $5.89 million to over $8 million, according to Brown.

“In Boulder, we’ve always had extremely luxurious homes, they’ve just never come to market before,” Brown said. “Now that we’re starting to get a luxury market here, people are willing to settle and they’re willing to invest in the extremely high-end market. In the luxury market, we’re stronger than we were last year despite other parts of the market having stabilized or have slowed down a bit.”

Luxury homes are tending to sell quickly with very little price negotiation.

“Our luxury market is extremely strong. We got exponentially more expensive between 2020 and 2022, and we’re definitely a lifestyle destination,” Egbert said. “It was surprising at first to see high-dollar houses move at a rapid rate, but that’s what this market has turned into. There’s almost not enough high-end inventory.”

With the average cost of construction increasing from $500 per square foot to $700 to $800 per square foot over the past five years, many buyers lean toward purchasing new homes over renovating older properties.

“Replacement costs have just gone up so much. People are thinking, ‘If it costs so much to redo a house, why don’t I buy a new house?’” Brown said. “The cost of construction, the amount of time it takes to build