Showing off Southwest Colorado’s shoulder season,
Unseasonably dry and warm temperatures have delayed opening day for many ski areas across Colorado, but Purgatory Resort hopes a low-pressure system that moved into the region Thursday will allow it to make enough snow to open Saturday.
It was snowing Thursday across much of Colorado, and the National Weather Service was reporting about 4 inches of new snow from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Red Mountain Pass. The Weather Service warned of icy driving conditions on many mountain passes, and the chain law was in effect on Red Mountain and Molas passes.
Purgatory’s plan is to open Lift 4 to mountain bikers from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and open Lifts 1 and 2 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Skiers and snowboarders will upload and download on the high-speed six-person Lift 1, which will access 683 vertical feet of skiable terrain under Lift 2.
“Everyone at Purgatory Resort is excited to get ski season started. And what better way to celebrate than to have the quintessential Colorado mountain experience?” Ed Youmans, vice president of mountain operations, said in a news release.
“With the unseasonably warm weather we’ve had this fall, we wanted to make it a fun first day of the ski season by offering up two favorite activities at the resort – skiing and mountain biking.”
Lift tickets are $45 for adults, $35 for teens, $28 for kids, $38 for seniors and $16 for super seniors.
Powderhouse bar and restaurant will feature live music and Coors beer giveaways Saturday.
Purgatory is installing a surface lift this season that will transport skiers on the backside to the Legends Express, Lift 8, a high-speed detachable quad chairlift that opened last winter.
The 1,300-foot surface lift is a pair of rope tows that skiers can latch onto at any point to traverse west to Lift 8.
shane@durangoherald.com
