Purgatory Resort will open for its 57th winter season Saturday after receiving some help this week from Mother Nature.
It’s not quite top-to-bottom skiing; rather, it’s top-to-midway skiing.
Skiers and riders will load Lift 1 (Purgatory Express) and be delivered to the top of the mountain where they can head down West Fork and El Diablo to Lift 2. Or they can shoot down Paradise to the midway point of Lift 6. Skiers and riders must ride Purgatory Express down the mountain to return to the base area.
The Headwaters Terrain Park will also be open.
“We're excited to hit the slopes and welcome everyone back to celebrate Purgatory’s 57th season,” said Purgatory General Manager Dave Rathbun. “Despite Mother Nature taking her time delivering natural snowfall, we’re able to open with more terrain and better early season conditions. The significant investment in snowmaking will also help us build a deep base to ensure a long season.”
The resort invested $1.25 million in snowmaking upgrades to boost snow production, improve early season snow conditions and create a more consistent base throughout the year.
Upgrades include nine rebuilt primary and booster water pumps; replacing five inefficient, outdated air compressors with a single new energy-efficient Ingersol Rand NX-5000 compressor; and automated control systems upgrades housed in a computerized snowmaking control room.
“We expect these improvements to increase snow production by 25% or more,” said Josh Hamill, slope maintenance manager for Purgatory Resort in a promotional packet. “This not only improves the early season experience but also shortens the time it takes to cover our snowmaking trails with high-quality snow, allowing us to open terrain faster than in the past.”
As of Wednesday, Purgatory has a base depth of 20 inches, and the terrain is suitable for intermediate to advanced skiers with no beginner terrain available. First chair will send off at 9 a.m. Saturday with complimentary pancakes from 8 to 9:30 a.m.
Purgatory has also expanded snowmaking coverage to include lower Paradise to the midway loading of Lift 6, allowing the resort to open more high-elevation, early-season terrain.
The resort has moved away from traditional window rates and offers dynamic demand-based pricing options for single-day lift tickets. Purchasing in advance allows customers the best pricing.
The resort has also added 50 more parking spots in the back of the lower Columbine lot and plans to finish expanding the Gelande lot in mid-December, giving the lot an additional 125 to 150 spots.
The resort will be open daily until April 9, and the last day of weekend operations will be April 23.
Spokeswoman Theresa Graven said the resort is working hard to open more terrain as soon as possible.
Saturday’s weather forecast shows clear skies with a high of 33 degrees at Purgatory Resort, and the seven-day forecast indicates another snowstorm before then is unlikely.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
