From the north end of Durango, the snow on Chapman Hill shimmers like the town’s prized jewel on the edge of a small mesa below Fort Lewis College. During a winter in which storms have by and large missed Durango, Chapman has just enough coverage.
By 5 p.m. on a Monday, a swarm of neon-clad children and teenagers in oversize sweatshirts twirl, slip and carve their way down slope. Members of the Durango High School ski team rip slalom turns through a course of gates before they glide into the lift line, where a coach playfully teases them.
Young children huck themselves off small jumps and slide over boxes and rails before they grab ahold of the Little Rope Tow and circulate back to the top of the hill. A crowd of parents, basking in the abnormally warm February weather, chat joyfully among themselves on the pavilion overlooking the terrain park.
Two months in and the 2024-25 season is in full swing at Chapman, with new equipment to boot.
The city of Durango unveiled this season the results of nearly $4 million in investments to the beloved local ski hill. Chief among the upgrades is a pristine new Leitner platter lift, as well as a new Little Rope Tow and improved lighting.
Skye Hidden coaxes one of her kids down a steep, icy slope, encouraging him to link one turn at a time. She and her sons, ages 5 and 7, are out at Chapman at least twice per week.
“They’re here after school, doing lessons and just enjoying life,” she said.
As the horizon turns to pink, Chapman’s slush slowly grows firmer; some of the younger skiers head for home, while a steady stream of ski racers make their way up to the top of the hill.
The bull wheel keeps on turning, seven days a week, well past sunset.
The new lift replaced the World War II-era rope tow known for shredding gloves and exhausting forearms.
“It was horrible. It was so hard to get to the top,” said Tyler Dugan, 16.
It was a community rite of passage for local kids who reached a point where they could hang on to the rope for the entire length of the tow, through an upper section that banks over 40 degrees, according to the 2018 master plan detailing the upgrades.
Now, the Big Tow features disks attached to poles on extendable tethers that are easily clinched between a rider’s legs for the 300-vertical-foot journey to the top of the hill. A steady stream of skiers, some younger than 5 and others well past their teens, slowly creep up the hill in the dark, before speeding back down.
“It doesn’t cut your gloves,” Dugan said. “It’s really comfortable to stand on. And honestly, I could be up here all day just riding up.”
Counterintuitively, it was a skier’s arms that would burn out first after a few runs clinging to the antique rope. Now, it’s the legs that get tired, said Ro Rypkema, who skis on the DHS ski team.
Standing at the base area between runs, Hidden said the new lift is a game-changer.
“This is amazing,” she said. “This opens up the whole mountain. It’s not comparable. It’s such an amazing upgrade – safe, secure.”
At $16, an adult lift ticket at Chapman is an affordable way for the community to ski, said Durango Assistant Recreation Director Kelli Jaycox.
Daily sales have been steady this year, she said. Sales of season passes, which cost $128 or $100 if purchased before Nov. 1 for adults and less for kids, have risen over 25% from last year. And that’s with minimal snow, she pointed out.
In addition to the new lift, Chapman has a new Little Rope Tow, which has been realigned and angled farther left, opening up a large swathe of the hill to more skiers. There are also 22 energy-efficient, dark skies compliant MUSCO Sports Lighting LED light fixtures that illuminate the slopes without polluting dark neighborhoods.
The big tow is still awaiting the installation of a midway exit point. The disembark location must have an emergency shut-off button per state regulation, and the city expects those parts to arrive next week, Jaycox said.
With a mid-seven figure price tag, the city’s investment in Chapman is no small deal. But the municipally owned ski hills are vital breeding grounds for future skiers – especially those who may not want or be able to make the drive to Purgatory and buy a much pricier lift ticket.
“My husband and I always say how lucky we are to have this in our town, that they can come and learn and hang out with their friends,” said Lynsey Espensen as she watched her kids, 5 and 8, play on the hill.
Generations of skiers have gotten their start at Chapman, Jaycox said. The upgrades are an investment in future generation. And for parents of rambunctious kids, skiing is the perfect activity.
“It’s how you get little boys to have creative outlets of energy in the middle of the week,” Hidden said. “(They can) get out there and be kids, you know?”
rschafir@durangoherald.com
