<\/p>\n
For Purgatory Resort\u2019s new owner James Coleman, replacing the notoriously slow-moving Legends Lift 8 is only the first step of his long-term vision that looks to improve the ski mountain.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to make it the best resort in Colorado for both locals and destination visitors,\u201d Coleman told The Durango Herald.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe plan on making lift improvements and adding new trails every year. We\u2019re trying to give skiers what they want, and that\u2019s a better, more fun mountain. That\u2019s the baseline of why people come up here. We really believe in that.\u201d<\/p>\n
This summer\u2019s estimated $5 million enhancement project includes dismantling the plodding, three-person Lift 8, which used to take about 13\u00bd minutes to climb 5,000 vertical feet. The new, high-speed four-person lift, complete with padded seats, will traverse that same distance in just five minutes.<\/p>\n
This week, crews will continue to pour concrete for two of the tower foundations at the top of the mountain, and then begin the terminal foundation. After that, the new towers will be assembled in the resort\u2019s parking lot, and helicopters will lift and install them in the next two weeks. Purgatory officials hope to have the 97-chair lift ready to go by early November.<\/p>\n
Mike McCormack, senior vice president of mountain operations, said the new lift will start at the bottom of the mountain and climb to the top nonstop, as opposed to the old lift, which had a mid-way transfer. The original 1965 chairlift will be kept in storage for eventual repurposing.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people are going to be disappointed they\u2019re not going to be able to feed the gray jays,\u201d said McCormack, referencing the fact the lift moved so slow, skiers would feed birds, also known as camp robbers, on the way up.<\/p>\n
McCormack, about to enter his 34th year with Purgatory, said he doesn\u2019t expect there to be added traffic as a result of the faster lifts. The resort also added two new trails off of Ray\u2019s Ridge and bolstered its snowmaking capabilities there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve done a number of improvements throughout the years but never the lift,\u201d McCormack said. \u201cThat\u2019s going to be a big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
All across the community, skiers and snowboarders expressed relief the antiquated lift would be taken down, and getting to the top would take about one-third the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a really great deal for the skiers,\u201d former ski patrol member Paul Folwell said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of new terrain they can open up. The only problem is at 76, I really liked the slow chair.\u201d<\/p>\n
Folwell was one of the first members of Purgatory\u2019s ski-patrol team, and even in his mid-70s, he still skis the mountain each winter. Taking in the views and having long conversations on the old chairlift were pleasures, but he said he understands the resort needs infrastructure updates.<\/p>\n
\u201cSkiing is a competitive business, and you have to keep up. And this is one of the things people expected,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a different sport than it was in 1965, so the new lift is necessary to attract skiers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even the business community heralded the new lift. Sarah Rome, owner of Cliffside Ski & Bike on U.S. Highway 550, said any improvement to Purgatory intrinsically helps her business.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe better Purgatory does, the better all of us in the ski industry here will do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are the one controlling the game, really. And we are really looking forward to see what this new ownership means to our whole community. We\u2019re excited.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coleman has long been invested in Purgatory Resort. He said it was the second mountain he ever skied on, and his family continually returned throughout his childhood. He traveled between Texas and Colorado but always dreamed of owning the ski spot. Ten years ago, when he moved his wife and two children to Durango, that hope started to become a more realistic possibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s near and dear to my heart,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a big part of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coleman closed on the sale of what was then Durango Mountain Resort in February from the previous managing partner, Chuck Cobb, and the Duncan family.<\/p>\n
The Duncans and a group of local investors were the original owners in 1965.<\/p>\n
In his first order of business, Coleman changed the name back to Purgatory.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike many of the locals and our longtime guests, I\u2019ve always known this mountain as Purgatory, and with next winter being our 50th anniversary, we believe it\u2019s appropriate to officially change the resort\u2019s name back to Purgatory,\u201d he said at that time.<\/p>\n
Since the purchase, Coleman has been putting in motion a master improvement project that was headed by Cobb in the early 2000s. However, those plans stalled when the 2008 recession hit, and only minor upgrades have been made since.<\/p>\n
Purgatory\u2019s 50th anniversary celebration is important, and Coleman said he understands a thriving ski area is essential to local skiers and ski business. He said he hopes the mountain will get better year after year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt all works together,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s really important that the community does their part, and we do ours. The foundation of skiing is trails and lifts. That\u2019s the starting place for us, and we\u2019ll make additional improvements from there.\u201d<\/p>\n