Purgatory Resort may claim the title of Durango’s premiere ski resort, but when it comes to convenience, Chapman Hill takes the cake.
Skiers and snowboarders have been riding the in-town ski hill since 1966, said Cathy Metz, parks and recreation director. For years, patrons relied on natural snowfall to cover the slope, but the city now uses snow guns to turn more than 1 million gallons of water into ice crystals each winter.
City workers started making snow the evening of Nov. 25 this year, earlier than typical because of cold overnight temperatures. Chapman Hill opened Dec. 15 this year, earlier than the usual opening to coincide with the Durango School District 9-R winter break, Metz said.
“We’ve made some good snow, we’ve had some really good, cold temperatures,” she said.
While there is only one run, Chapman Hill is a great place for beginners, Metz said. It’s cheap, which makes it an economical option for people who’ve never been on skis or a snowboard.
Season tickets for Chapman Hill for anyone younger than 18 or in college are $100, hundreds of dollars cheaper than season tickets to Purgatory or Wolf Creek. Chapman Hill has limited terrain, but it’s also in a more convenient location for Durango’s beginning skiers and snowboarders.
“It’s so close and convenient for the kids getting out of school to go over to Chapman Hill and do a number of runs,” Metz said. “The rope tow gets them up the hill quickly, and they don’t have a longer drive up to Purgatory.”
The tow rope brought to the hillside in 1966 is still in operation, and getting to the top is something of a right of passage, Metz said. The hill gets quite steep toward the top, making it difficult for skiers and snowboarders to hold the rope.
But that rite of passage may become a relic of history in coming years as the Parks and Recreation Department plans to replace the big tow rope with a chairlift. The hill is too steep to install another tow rope, Metz said.
The small tow rope is planned to be replaced by a conveyor belt designed to carry people up the slope.
“We like that because, whether we’ve got an inner tube or if you’re getting off the conveyor, it’s just a lot easier for the beginners to understand how that all works,” Metz said.
There’s also a natural gas line buried at the top of Chapman Hill, something the city is working with Atmos Energy to move in order to make the grade at the top less steep, Metz said.
All of these changes to the ski area, which will also include new lights, new snow guns and improvements to existing facilities, are estimated to cost $2.16 million, according to a master plan drafted earlier this year.
In the winter of 2015-16, the city spent $68,521 on the Chapman Hill ski area. Chapman Hill cost the city $68,870 in the winter of 2016-17. Last year, it cost the city $67,761. The city anticipates spending $75,120 on the Chapman Hill ski area this year.
bhauff@durangoherald.com
