Ear to the ground:

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Well, it's official. James Coleman's signature is barely dry on the DMR sale, and his first order of business: changing the name back to the much less acronym-ed "Purgatory."

CEO Gary Derck sent out a mass email to passholders Wednesday afternoon announcing the finalized sale as well as the return to the new old name.

"Dear friends, As a member of the Purgatory family, we wanted to update you on the sale of the resort," read the email.

"As you know, we announced this past fall that James Coleman, a local Durango businessman and avid skier would be purchasing 100% of Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort. We are pleased to announce that the sale of the resort to James has been finalized.

James is passionate about skiing in the southwest, having lived in Durango for nearly a decade and growing up skiing at Purgatory. When the ski area was first founded in 1965, it was called Purgatory, and James believes that this name and all it represents hold a special place in the hearts of passholders and guests; in addition, next winter is the resort’s 50th anniversary. So as the new owner, James’ first order of business is to change the name of Durango Mountain Resort back to 'Purgatory' Resort and use the ski area’s popular 'retro' logo with the red and white inverted triangles."

The email went on to say that Coleman is eager to put his passion for skiing and knowledge of resort operations and development to work at Purgatory. He is committed to expediting the approved projects in the resort’s Master Development Plan, including adding new terrain and making lift improvements while maintaining "a focus on value and the family-friendly nature of Purgatory."

Since 2000, Coleman has been the managing partner at Sipapu resort, near Taos. Last year, he entered into a partnership with Los Alamos County and is in the process of acquiring Pajarito Ski Area in Los Alamos. He is also in the process of acquiring Flagstaff's Arizona Snowbowl, which is expected to be finalized by the end of the ski season.

Former owners Chuck Cobb and the Duncan family will retain ownership of the surrounding real estate holdings.

The resort wasted no time in implementing the first executive order, with the DMR, er Purg, website  already boasting the new old logo.