by Stacy Falk

The infamous rope tow at Chapman Hill has been eating up nine-year-old Nicholas Unkovskoy’s gloves for the past four years. It’s just part of the experience that Chapman Hill has offered those brave enough to hold on since the 1950s.

“It’s all about the rope tow; it’s a throw back in time,” said Ivan Unkovskoy, Purgatory Alpine Team coach and Nicholas’ father.

Unkovskoy has been skiing Chapman since his college days at the Fort in the early ’80s and said if the kids can make it to the top of the rope tow, more power to them. From the top, Chapman provides a pretty steep pitch and 775 vertical feet.

“If you think the rope tow is bad now, you should have seen it before,” said Dolpf Kuss, local ski legend and Colorado Ski Hall of Fame member.

Kuss said when he moved to Durango in 1953, the tow consisted of an old elevator apparatus with a steel cable. By the winter of 1955, the Lions Club raised enough money to purchase a rope tow system from Camp Hale, located on the west side of Tennessee pass near Leadville. The tow was used during World War II training operations for the 10th Mountain Division by thousands of men preparing for ski and mountain warfare.

Kuss hauled the tow system back to Durango in an old dump-truck, and volunteers helped rig the lift that is still used today. In fact, about the only thing that has changed is the rope itself, which has seen several incarnations, from a hemp rope that not only ruined your hands but your clothes to today’s braided polyurethane version, which is able to stay static and not twist.

Back in the ’50s and ’60s Chapman was known as the Third Ave. Ski Hill and home to notorious winter carnivals sponsored by the Durango Herald.

“There were ski races, a prince and princess, fireworks, and torch light parades,” Kuss said. “It was some of the most fun I’ve ever had at the hill.”
By the ’70s the city recreation director, Leon Borrows, held a contest to rename the hill. The winning name referred to the spotty spring snow-melt. Calico Hill replaced the Third Ave. Ski Hill, but not for long.

In 1978, a man by the name of Colton Chapman passed away. Chapman, a former highway engineer, had dedicated most of his life to maintaining the hill and teaching kids to ski. He and his son, Bob, built the Chapman House in 1953, which is still used today as a warming hut.

“You could find him making hot chocolate for all the kids on a cold day,” Kuss said, who worked closely with Chapman over the years. “He took care of everybody’s children.”

So in 1979, the city renamed the hill one more time. A picture of Chapman in a 1961 Denver Post photo spread on Durango winter sports can be found resting on the fireplace in the Chapman House.

Today Nicholas and his friends, who race for the Purgatory Alpine Team, still appreciate the slope so wonderfully situated in the heart of Durango.
“It’s quick, so you can get 35 runs in one night,” 4 he said.

And the conditions this year are amazing, Unkovskoy says, probably the best conditions Chapman has ever seen. “The unsung heroes from the city, the snow-making and grooming crew, are what’s keeping Chapman alive,” he said.

Another alpine coach, Alexis Mclean, said the kids love training there so much that it’s hard to pull them off the hill at the end of the night. The alpine team is able to run gates in the evening at least twice a week.

“There’s a neat sense of camaraderie with an old family style ski hill feel,” she said. “Everyone’s just out to have a good time.”

Cathy Metz, director of Durango Parks and Recreation Department, said that attendance at Chapman is at a record high this year.

“We saw similar dynamics with the ice rick that we are now seeing with the ski hill due to the improved conditions,” Metz said. In 2009, Canyon Construction installed a snow-making system with an approved budget of $550,000.

Conditions permitting, the city opens the ski hill in mid-December in conjunction with the 9-R School District winter break. According to Metz, from opening day last year through Jan. 27, 659 people used the ski hill. From opening day this season until Jan. 27, there have been 1,448.

With the 12-inch base of quality man-made snow, Tim Kuss, son of Dolph, predicts the Chapman season will run through March, but a little help from mother nature wouldn’t hurt.

Tim Kuss, who grew up skiing and working at Chapman, now operates the hill’s newer cat for grooming and builds the features and rails. Like his father, he also hails from an impressive ski background and knows what needs to be done to keep the conditions in top shape.

“It’s a bustling little place that’s getting really popular with so many options for the kids,” Kuss said.

Plus the dedicated crew of employees helps make Chapman the classic run that it is. Lee Choinacky, is in his second season as a litfy for the rope tow, said everyone who works there wants to be there and enjoys the job. “I feel as long as we can keep everyone in tune, it will only makes things better,” he said. “It’s a great crew.”

On a typical Monday night, you can find skiers and snowboarders of all ages and abilities. The alpine ski team is running gates, the free-style team is grinding rails, and shredders are practicing for their regular jib-jam and slope-style events.

Kennan Harvey has lived in Durango for the past 13 years and only made his first Chapman pilgrimage with his 6-year-old daughter last week.
“I might have thrown my arm out on the rope tow, but other than that it’s impressive,” he said.