Police are seeking information about a brand-new rope-tow that was severed about halfway up the mountain at Chapman Hill ski area in Durango.
The incident occurred sometime between 5 p.m. Friday and 7:30 a.m. Saturday, according to police.
The rope, almost 1,900 feet long, is valued at $6,100.
Matt Morrissey, supervisor at Chapman Hill, said the rope was installed last week, and it was ready to go for the start of the new season. Someone may have used a knife or a razor blade to cut through the rope, he said.
“Little things happen on Chapman Hill, but I’ve never had someone do something malicious like that,” said Morrissey, who has worked at Chapman Hill for 16 years.
The city is able to splice together the rope, so it won’t cost anything to repair, he said. But it will require the use of 30-40 feet of spare rope that would have been saved to repair normal wear and tear.
“Anytime you splice a rope, it is less strong than it used to be,” Morrissey said.
Kirk Rawles, Purgatory Freestyle Team head coach, said his team frequently practices at Chapman Hill during weeknights so kids can train without having to make daily trips to Purgatory Resort.
“It’s been such a positive thing for so many kids to be able to have skiing in town,” he said. “I just can’t see why someone would want to take that away from all those kids.”
The city of Durango operates Chapman Hill. The in-town ski area plans to begin snowmaking Friday, with hopes of opening Dec. 19, said Cathy Metz, director of Parks and Recreation.
A spokesman for the Durango Police Department did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 385-2900 or Crimestoppers at 247-1112.
shane@durangoherald.com. Herald Sports Editor John Livingston contributed to this report.
