Dear Action Line: I’ve heard rumors that Purgatory will begin charging for parking next season. Is this true? – Concerned Skier
Dear Concerned Skier,
There’s nothing better than a skiing question in the middle of winter. Though, it sure doesn’t feel like winter in Durango. The high temperature on the day I’m writing this response is scheduled to be 60 degrees in town. Purgatory’s current base depth is 33 inches. Grim.
Sources say there could be weather more reminiscent of winter around Valentine’s Day. That would be great news for the powder lovers.
Onto your question. Parking is certainly a concern for skiers and visitors of Purgatory Resort. There’s nothing worse than getting your ski day ruined by parking lot nightmares. Is that why they call it Purgatory? We do have it pretty good, though. Parking is easy to come by if you get up there on time, and on the busiest days, the ski/walk/waddle over to the bunny hill lift from the overflow lot isn’t too bad.
To find out more about Purgatory’s upcoming parking situation, we reached out to Dave Rathbun, general manager at Purg.
“Recent rumors suggesting that Purgatory Resort will begin charging for parking next season are inaccurate,” he said. “Purgatory remains committed to providing free parking for guests and continues to make investments to enhance parking capacity, accessibility, and traffic flow.”
“To promote carpooling and ease congestion on peak days, the Main Village lot (Top Lot) will continue to reserve premier parking spaces for vehicles with four or more passengers on weekends and holidays.”
Rathbun added that last year, the resort added 150 new parking spaces to the Gelande lot.
Seems free parking is here to stay.
The Purgatory question also got us wondering about some of the proposed expansions that have been talked about over the years. What more could a skier want other than more terrain? Years ago, Purgatory proposed a chairlift near the current Styx trail that would offer additional advanced terrain on the front side of the mountain. It has also proposed an expansion on the backside for intermediate skiers called Ice Creek.
Rathbun didn’t have any specifics about these projects, saying that “we anticipate sharing details on planned capital improvements for next winter in the coming weeks and months, once project commitments and timelines are confirmed.”
Until next week, Action Line recommends praying, dancing, singing or breaking out your costume box to coax the snow gods.
Written from a chairlift. Email questions about parking and precipitation to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301, via the USPS.
