After years of being a no-show. El Niño finally came to the San Juans this winter, dumping 199 inches on Purgatory Resort so far - 3 feet in just the past week. With an average snowfall of 260 inches and two months left, it’s an average that could get dusted before the end of the season./Photo by Jennaye Derge

Heaven sent

Purgatory’s serendipitous season hits one little snag

by Tracy Chamberlin

It just might be heaven in Purgatory. With plenty of snow thanks to El Niño, the resort’s 50th anniversary weekend ahead and an appearance in the 50th Super Bowl by the local team, it all seems to be coming together for the resort’s new owners.

“The entire weekend will be one big celebration,” said Kim Oyler, Purgatory Resort’s Director of Communications.

This weekend Purgatory Resort has some special plans for its anniversary season including discounted lift tickets, evening concerts in the plaza, a fireworks show and torchlight parade.

It all starts with a trip back in time for all the eateries. Each restaurant is draped in decorations from a different era. Purgy’s is stuck in the 1960s, Powderhouse in the 1970s, and Dante’s Backside Bistro and the Paradise Café are ready for the 1980s. Even the menu items are inspired by the trends of the day.

The nostalgia continues with a concert from 1980s tribute band The Goonies at 5 p.m. Fri., Feb. 5, in the plaza. The next day a Rolling Stones tribute band, Start Me Up, hits the plaza stage at 5 p.m., bringing guests back to 1965, the year the resort opened. During the band’s break, at 6:30 p.m., a fireworks show and torchlight parade get under way on the frontside.

The weekend festivities culminate on Sun., Feb. 7, with $50 lift tickets and Super Bowl celebrations, including a color parade at noon for everyone decked out in orange and blue to support the Denver Broncos’ appearance in the Super Bowl.

“It’s a great weekend to host a party,” Oyler said.

And, it all comes on the heels of a recent snowstorm that left almost 3 feet on the mountain.

After years of being a no-show. El Niño finally came to the San Juans this winter, dumping 199 inches on the resort so far. With an average snowfall of 260 inches and two months left, it’s an average that could get dusted before the end of the season.

It’s not just the San Juans either.

Snowpack is high across the region, which includes the San Miguel, Dolores, Animas and San Juan River basins. The total so far is 121 percent of average. At this time last year, it was just 65 percent of average.

According to the National Resources Conservation Service’s Water and Climate Center, the entire state is enjoying some additional precipitation. As of Feb. 1, the snowpack statewide was 111 percent of average. Last year’s number at this time was only 83 percent.

Not only are skiers and riders enjoying El Niño, the snowfall also impacts boaters, farmers, ranchers and everyone who relies on ample water. For now, though, it’s making conditions up north simply divine.

“We’ve had incredible snow, fantastic conditions … that’s brought up lots of guests,” Oyler said.

From the start of the season, which began a week earlier on Nov. 21, through Jan. 31, the resort was up 26 percent in skier visits compared to last season.

Oyler said plenty of factors contributed to the increase, like the early opening, the snowfall, the new Lift 8, anniversary season celebrations and even the new ownership.

Last season, the resort changed hands. James Coleman came on as Purgatory’s new owner and managing partner at the midway point, so this is his first full season at the helm. In many ways, it’s turning out to be more like paradise than Purgatory.

The one stumbling block in an otherwise sublime season is a new skier bypass on the backside, running down to the bottom of the new Legends Lift 8.

The old Lift 8 had a midway loading station. This allowed for intermediate skiers and riders to stick to what they knew, avoiding the steep pitches and expert terrain at the lower runs leading to the bottom.

When the new Legends Lift was installed this summer, though, that was no longer an option. The high-speed quad whisks skiers from the bottom to the top in just five minutes, moving too fast to allow loading at the midway point.

In order to give intermediate skiers another option, a skier bypass was added. Unfortunately, it hasn’t turned out to be helpful. Instead, it’s been just another type of challenge. The narrow path takes sharp turns along an incline that leaves little room for error or distraction.

“We realize this is frustrating for those who love skiing the intermediate trails accessed by Lift 8,” Oyler explained.  

She said the trail is seeing more use than they anticipated, and everyone at the resort is working hard to improve conditions. At least, as much as they can in the middle of the season.

They plan to add some additional signage, snow and staff. “In addition, Purgatory’s mountain crew continues to groom Lower Ray’s, Lower Blackburn’s, Siegele Street and the bypass more regularly,” she added.

Until the snow melts and the summer kicks into gear, there’s little that can be done. Any significant changes, like widening the bypass, can’t be done while the snow and skiers are on the ground.

“This summer, our crew will work to improve the bypass in an effort to make it easier for skiers to get to the bottom of Legends Lift 8,” Oyler said.