Ear to the ground:

 “Panties? Just a waste of material … and a stupid name as well.”
– Local female athlete discussing her preference for going commando

First chair

This weekend the wheel house opens for business when Purgatory celebrates the official opening of the new Lift 8, now called “The Legends Express.”

The high-speed Leitner-Poma quad lift transforms the 15-minute ride that often felt like an eternity into a five-minute quick trip to the top. To go with the new lift are two new trails off Ray’s Ridge and an intermediate trail leading down to the bottom.

The one loss in the changeover is there won’t be any midway loading, which is why they’ve also added some snowmaking equipment to the bottom to make sure the loading zone is covered.

The party starts just before 9 a.m. when a Lift 8 welcoming party heads up the mountain and over to the backside for the ceremonial first chair at 9:45 a.m. It continues with a birthday celebration, plenty of cake and live music on the deck at Dante’s at 12:30 p.m.

One of the past debates over the Lift 8 replacement was about the possibility of unwelcome heavy traffic. Would it make the backside more attractive to visitors and not the secret spot for locals it had been? Starting next week, everyone will know the answer.

And speaking of getting a lift, Purgatory Resort is once again offering its downtown skier shuttle for those who are vehicularly challenged or just want to leave the morning Purgy 500 to someone else. The skier shuttle departs the Transit Center at 8:30 a.m. sharp Friday - Sunday and departs the Purg roundabout at 4:30 p.m. – just enough time to grab an apres beer or three. The shuttle will run throughout the ski season as well as select holidays and spring break, including: Dec. 21-31; Jan. 18; Feb. 25 and March 28-31. The round trip ride is $10; 10-punch passes are $75; and a 20-punch pass is a mere $100. Cheaper than gas and much cheaper than getting pulled over after the aforementioned apres celebration. For more info, call 970-426-7282. 

Home for the holidays

Just a reminder that the Telegraph will be taking its annual week of rest and relaxation next week. This means there will be no issue on 12/24 as we deck the halls, jingle our bells, roast our nuts or work at our other jobs. In the meantime, enjoy our action-packed, Godzilla double issue, complete with not one, but two horoscopes.

And fear not, we’ll be back in action the week of Dec. 31 – just in time to help you plan your big – or small – New Year’s Eve activities.

In the meantime, if your calls or emails are not immediately returned, you can find us drinking Rumchada by a crackling fire or making turns on the nearest ski hill.  Or better yet, take a few turns yourself and we’ll get back to you bright and early(ish) the morning of Mon., Dec. 28.