Dear Action Line,
Rumor among the Purgatory Underground (which, maybe appropriately, sounds a bit like a ski mountain upside down) is that the longtime Purgatory Resort “hanging pennants” logo is actually the product of a long-ago mistake. The story goes, the logo was actually supposed to represent the Needles Range, visible from the resort, but that it got printed upside down, so the ski area leadership just said, “Hell, let’s go with it!” I’m not a conspiracy-theory guy (aside from the reptilian aliens that clearly run things, including Purgatory Resort), but if you flip the Purg logo upside down and look at the Needles, well ... I’m just sayin’. So for Purgatory’s 60th anniversary season, it’s time we learned the truth they’re hiding. Is the Purg logo really the result of a “well, f--- it” mistake? Or is the logo really just three droopy flags? Or is something more sinister going on?
– The Conspira-ski Guy.
Dear Conspira-ski,
The rumors you hear are correct!
I talked to a few longtime Purgatory personalities, including “Dirty” Don Hinkley. Recent Purg skiers and riders may know his name from the “Dirty Secret” run at the ski area, while old-timers may know him from his 33 years on ski patrol.
He said back in 1965 when the ski area was opening, the owners were in a hurry to get everything ready. They commissioned artist Bob Flock to come up with a logo, and he created an avatar of the view of the West Needles from Purg (which actually have four peaks, but it looks like three from the ski area).
But when all the promotional materials came back it was in fact printed upside down! With no time to correct the mistake before opening, they just ran with it, and it’s been that way ever since.
Except of course for the “Durango Mountain Resort” interregnum from 2000 to 2015.
During that time the logo was changed to a sunburst rising over a single mountain, with the new name in large letters at the bottom and a smaller “Purgatory,” with a halo over the “P” and a devil’s tail at the end of the “y.”
When current owner James Coleman then bought the area, he returned to the old logo – with the upside-down mountains intact. Which makes me wonder – was that intentional or are we (as evidenced by other events since that time), actually living in “The Upside Down” as revealed in the streaming show “Stranger Things”?
Email questions and suggestions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. Today’s Fun Fact: The “Inverted Jenny” was a postage stamp that the U.S. Postal Service mistakenly printed upside down in 1918, picturing a biplane used for early airmail. Because only 100 were ever printed, they have become quite valuable, worth up to $2 million. Too bad Purg never corrected the mistake ‒ maybe the originals could have fetched something like that, or at least garnered a free drink at the Bear Bar.
