Change is in the air: Helicopter assists with ski tow, lighting upgrades at Chapman Hill

The whirling of helicopter blades filled the air at Chapman Hill and surrounding neighborhoods atop Rim Drive and along Florida Road early Wednesday in Durango as heavy construction began at the community ski area.

By midmorning, a group of residents gathered along the sidewalk in front of Chapman Hill to see what the commotion was about.

The city of Durango has planned to upgrade ski amenities at Chapman Hill since before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the pandemic interrupted plans, said Matt Nimetz, Chapman Hill rink and ski hill facility supervisor.

Durango Assistant Recreation Director Kelli Jaycox said the initial master plan including Champan Hill upgrades was adopted in April 2018 and revised in February 2022.

The project has a total budget of nearly $4 million, with some funds allocated to 2025 for any outstanding items uncompleted by the opening of the upcoming winter season.

Plans include replacement of the historic big tow rope and little tow, which were decommissioned in March this year following the winter season’s close. The new tows will be ready for use by the time the ski area opens, city officials said.

The city’s big tow has served professional, amateur and novice skiers alike since 1966, according to city staff. The big tow arrived in Durango from Camp Hale in Leadville, where it was used by the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division for training during World War II.

The mission Wednesday was to install eight 70-foot-long light poles and one 3,500-pound lift pole. Altogether, the light poles contain 22 energy-efficient, dark skies compliant MUSCO Sports Lighting LED light fixtures controllable via mobile app, Eric Norman, Guarantee Electrical Company project manager, said in an email to the city of Durango.

A Mountain Blade Runner helicopter was on site to lift the poles and lower them into position where ground crews ensured they were fitted properly into place. The heaviest light pole weighs in at 1,859 pounds, he said.

SkyTrak has been contracted to set the rest of the lift towers next week, Jaycox said.

Norman said in an interview with the Herald wind factors and rotor wash – the vertical air current formed underneath a helicopter by its spinning blades – make working with helicopters tricky.

“We’re also putting those poles on a very, very tight tolerance base,” he said. “There’s not a whole lot of whole lot of room for those poles to slide over those bases. So everything needs to be so exact in the in the placement of those.”

Nimetz said installing the first pole was a challenge, taking about 45 minutes Wednesday morning to secure. But as work continued, crews seemed to find their stride.

Norman said the poles’ bases consisted in total of 24 yards of concrete, and 5½ miles of wire is to be installed on the hill.

He said the project is springboarding Chapman Hill, a community staple, into the 21st century.

Durango Parks and Recreation expects the new lighting and tow ropes to be welcome changes to Chapman Hill recreators and neighbors alike.

The previous lighting caused bothersome glares to neighbors, but the new dark sky compliant lighting will be angled downward to light up the hillside without light splashing out of the ski area, Nimetz said.

Jaycox said the lighting is state-of-the-art and townspeople can expect much less glare from the lights.

With new tow ropes comes a new layout for the ski area, too. Previously, he said, one of the rope tows was situated smack dab in the middle of the hill, rendering what would be nice ski space unusable on either side of it.

“No one would ski there,” he said.

With the new layout, the new little tow, a Telecord rope tow, will be situated on the north side of the park farther up the hill than the old little tow was, Jaycox said. The new big tow, a Leitner platter lift with a midway unloading section, will take skiers up the south side of the park to the top of the hill.

She said the extended big tow line will increase the space skiers have for runs. The base of the hill will also include a flatter area for skiers to reboard the tow, where previously they’d have to hike up to it.

The platter lift itself is a huge upgrade from the former big tow. She said in March many skiers could only complete a few runs from the top before being exhausted from clinging to the rope for several minutes on each ascent. Platter lifts feature slim platforms one wraps his or her legs around, allowing the platform to lift them up the slope.

She added that sticking with a simple rope tow for the little tow makes it easier to get off at any point, which gives beginner skiers more options.

Another improvement is that artificial snowmaking infrastructure has been buried in bunkers along the slope. The systems previously stuck out of the ground.

“Now, they’ll be much safer ... since we’ve opened up the big hill,” Jaycox said.

Nimetz said the improvements are great for Chapman Hill and its skiers, especially the children. Much more of the slope will be more easily accessible.

“I actually get a little emotional,” Jaycox said, remembering when the big tow’s control shed was taken down. “... Chapman was getting so much busier since COVID. It used to just be a little ski home, then COVID, it just got packed.”

She said the improvements will allow Chapman Hill to keep up with the growth of its customer base and avoid long lines that would have been inevitable.

For Chapman Hill’s 2023-24 winter season, it sold 554 passes, which were scanned 3,172 times. The ski area had 2,236 daily drop-in users and offered 170 group ski and snowboard lessons and 112 private ski and snowboard lessons.

Daily passes are $16 for adults $5 for seniors 62 years old and older, $14 for children ages 6 through 17, $6 for children ages 4 and 5 and free for children ages 3 and under.

Season passes for adults are $128 or $100 if purchased before Nov. 1. A complete list of pass prices can be found at the city’s website at durangoco.gov/544/Ski-Area.

Although the former big and little tow ropes have been retired, they won’t be gone completely. Jaycox said the city is looking to preserve parts of the tows in memoriam in the form of a sculpture. There are plans to commission a local artist to create the piece.

“We’re hoping to do a commemorative art piece because of the amazing history of Chapman Hill,” she said.

She said there were initially plans to auction pieces of the big tow off, but there didn’t seem to be much community interest in an auction or silent auction. And the rope itself and some other parts aren’t in great condition.

The city is still working on funding options and so an installation won’t be installed until at least next summer, she added.

The upgrades are expected to be completed by Nov. 14.

“Some people have been talking about it not looking like it’s going to be ready, but most of the work has been underground with all this concrete and grading and hydro and electrical,” she said.

cburney@durangoherald.com