Purgatory Resort announced in April it would spend the summer installing a new chairlift and building new trails on the front side of the mountain.
But with fewer than 100 days until opening day, construction has yet to begin.
The new front-side, triple seat chairlift for the upcoming ski season is planned to run from the Gelande parking lot to the top of the mountain, providing an alternate access point for more advanced skiers.
The work was scheduled to take place over the summer, but as the end of August nears, the new chairlift rests in a parking lot with no visible work having been completed.
And according to the La Plata County Planning Department, Purgatory has yet to file the preliminary plan for the chairlift.
Lynn Hyde, community development director for the county, said the project shows up as an anticipated project, but a complete submission is needed before planners can start the project review process.
Matt Erickson, a spokesman for Purgatory, disputed that the resort hasn’t submitted its application and said the project’s holdup is because of unanticipated permitting delays.
When Purgatory announced the lift in April, the resort believed approvals obtained in 2018 from the U.S. Forest Service and La Plata County meant the project would face minimal bureaucratic hurdles in 2025, Erickson said.
That turned out not to be the case.
He said the resort expected the county to approve the portions of the lift project on private land based on a 2002 development agreement and land-use regulations.
“I am still hopeful we will receive approvals to begin ground disturbing construction from the USFS for both projects soon and a grading permit for the return terminal location for the lift will be issued by La Plata County in the near future as well,” Erickson said in an email. “Unfortunately, we are currently at the mercy of the planning and permitting processes and lengthy timelines of these entities.”
He did not respond to requests for additional clarification or to the question of why the resort thought permits and plans from 2002 would still be applicable in 2025.
The U.S. Forest Service declined to comment, citing agency policy.
Although construction has yet to begin, the resort has already invested $1.25 million on contract services, equipment rentals and lift fabrication, along with an additional 2,500 hours in direct wages for pre-construction activities, Erickson wrote.
When asked directly about the likelihood of having the lift open for winter operations, he did not provide a direct answer, although he said Purgatory remains committed to bringing the lift “online.”
“The lift remains a top priority for us this year,” he said.
The downhill mountain bike park was closed this summer, disappointing local riders, to accommodate the resort’s construction projects. Erickson said the bike park would have been impacted regardless, since access roads had to be built and equipment and materials moved through internal roads.
One piece of good news, Erickson said: The Forest Service recently approved Purgatory’s snowmaking permit, one of 46 projects planned this summer.
The completed snowmaking infrastructure will be placed on the backside of the mountain around the Blackburn’s Bash and Ray’s Ridge headwalls, as well as the Legends Bypass, down to the bottom of the lift.
jbowman@durangoherald.com
