{"id":48479,"date":"2021-02-18T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-18T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/skiers-push-for-purgatory-resort-to-allow-uphill-travel\/"},"modified":"2021-02-18T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-02-18T12:00:00","slug":"skiers-push-for-purgatory-resort-to-allow-uphill-travel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/skiers-push-for-purgatory-resort-to-allow-uphill-travel\/","title":{"rendered":"Skiers push for Purgatory Resort to allow uphill travel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Rachel
Rachel Landis and Darren Cioppa begin to skin up Hesperus Ski Area on Tuesday west of Durango. A petition is circulating to allow uphill travel at Purgatory Resort. Both ski areas are owned by Mountain Capital Partners.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

A petition has been circulating in recent days calling for Purgatory Resort to allow uphill travel on its slopes.<\/p>\n

Uphill skiing, also known as skinning, is when people climb mountain slopes with skis fitted for backcountry travel. Once at the top, skiers can adjust their gear and glide downhill.<\/p>\n

While bypassing the convenience of ski lifts may sound crazy to some, advocates of uphill travel revel in the exercise and say the practice at established ski areas allows for some of the experience of backcountry skiing largely without the avalanche risks.<\/p>\n

Purgatory Resort, however, does not allow uphill travel.<\/p>\n

David Taft, a Durango resident, hopes to change that, starting a petition that had gathered more than 500 signatures as of Wednesday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cCompounded with the ongoing (COVID-19) pandemic which is limiting lift capacity and closing gyms, there is huge demand for skiers to forgo the lifts, get a bit of cardio and earn their turns,\u201d the petition says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a huge number of skiers in the region who would gladly take advantage of this opportunity to avoid high avalanche risk days in the backcountry (particularly in this exceptionally fatal season), test out new gear and get their fitness in top form,\u201d the petition says.<\/p>\n

So why isn\u2019t uphill travel allowed at Purgatory Resort? Dave Rathbun, the resort\u2019s general manager, said there really isn\u2019t a reason.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt hasn\u2019t been a topic of discussion since I\u2019ve been here,\u201d said Rathbun, who took the job in November 2018. \u201cIt\u2019s not come up as an issue. It\u2019s interesting; a lot of ski areas do it. But at this stage, Purgatory does not have an uphill policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Currently,
Currently, the only way to get up the mountain to ski at Purgatory Resort is using the ski lifts, but a petition is calling for the resort to allow uphill travel, which has become popular at other resorts in the state.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Indeed, the rise in popularity of uphill travel has been leading ski resorts to embrace the emerging sport.<\/p>\n

A recent \u201cEnd of Season Survey\u201d by the National Ski Areas Association said more than 50% of resorts in the country allow uphill skiing, according to a report in The Aspen Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In an interview with The Durango Herald<\/em>, Jeff Hanle, vice president of communications for Aspen Skiing Co., which operates Aspen\u2019s four major mountains, said uphill travel has been allowed for years.<\/p>\n

Each mountain \u2013 which includes Aspen Mountain, Snowmass, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk \u2013 has its own particular regulations, such as whether people can travel uphill during operational hours and specific designated routes.<\/p>\n

Overall, there really isn\u2019t much of a conflict between those who purchase lift passes and those trudging up the mountain, Hanle said. But, with the \u201cexplosion in popularity\u201d recently, the resort is looking at how to manage crowds.<\/p>\n

In some spots on the mountain, Hanle said more people are traveling up the mountain on their own volition than people skiing down.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing hundreds of people every day going up the mountain,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty wild.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Skiers
Skiers make their way up Hesperus Ski Area on Tuesday west of Durango. Uphill travel at ski resorts is growing in popularity and is seen as a safe way to exercise while, at the same time, having the feel of backcountry travel.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Hanle said the resort constantly works to educate all skiers, so both user groups can enjoy the outdoors symbiotically. At Aspen Skiing Co.\u2019s mountains, uphill travel is free and seen as the next big thing in the ski world.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s part of the culture and it\u2019s become more that way,\u201d Hanle said. \u201cBut we have to keep educating to make sure the two forms can coexist side by side. It\u2019s a privilege, not a right, and we need everyone\u2019s cooperation to make it work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katherine Fuller, communications manager for Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, said uphill travel at the mountain is free for people with a season pass. Or, people can pay for a $59 pass for solely uphill travel for the season.<\/p>\n

During the resort\u2019s operational hours, access is restricted, though it\u2019s fair game early in the morning before the resort opens and in the evening after it\u2019s closed. Some of the resort\u2019s remote and dangerous terrain is off-limits, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s super popular outside operating hours, actually,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople are good at staying where they need to be. It\u2019s been really successful for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fuller herself enjoys uphill travel at the resort, touting the fact you can trek up on groomed trails with relatively low avalanche risk.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a much different experience,\u201d she said. \u201cI love it because it\u2019s great exercise. I don\u2019t have backcountry training or equipment, so this is a way for me to get outside and do something different.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same demand for uphill travel appears to be present around Durango.<\/p>\n

Brandon Mathis, marketing manager for Backcountry Experience, said the shop that sells ski gear has seen a significant increase in sales, especially for backcountry skiing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe demand is incredible,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve never experienced a demand like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Chelsea
Chelsea Gardner and her dog, Birdi, climb the slopes at Hesperus Ski Area on Tuesday. While Hesperus Ski Area allows uphill travel, a petition is circulating to allow the sport at Purgatory Resort, where it is prohibited.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Mathis said allowing uphill travel at Purgatory would let people get some runs in before work. And, again, he stressed it would be safer than traveling into the backcountry of the San Juan Mountains, notorious for its avalanche danger.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really a way to get some exercise, raise the heart rate and earn your turns,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Steve Ward, a longtime Durango resident who recently moved to Dolores, said he signed the petition hoping to get Purgatory to change its policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt allows a way for people that want to go backcountry skiing to be safe,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a different cup of tea for different people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Purgatory\u2019s Rathbun said uphill travel is allowed at Hesperus Ski Area (both are owned by Mountain Capital Partners, though Hesperus Ski Area has limited terrain).<\/p>\n

Purgatory Resort is on public lands and operates through a permit issued by the U.S. Forest Service.<\/p>\n

Forest Service spokeswoman Lorena Williams said if Purgatory were to decide to change its uphill policy there would be some details that would need to be worked out between Purgatory and the Forest Service.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, an amendment to Purgatory\u2019s permit would not be required in order to offer uphill travel,\u201d Williams said. \u201cThe changes could be addressed in an annual operating plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rachel
Rachel Landis and Darren Cioppa prepare to skin up Hesperus Ski Area on Tuesday west of Durango. Uphill travel is growing in popularity across the state, with many ski resorts allowing the emerging sport.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Rathbun reiterated that a call for uphill travel hasn\u2019t been a topic since he took the job a few years ago, but he said given the dangerous avalanche season in the backcountry, he can see why people have now called for access at the resort.<\/p>\n

This winter has been one of the deadliest for backcountry travelers in the state in recent history. As of Wednesday, 10 people had died in avalanches, five of whom were killed in the San Juan Mountains outside Silverton.<\/p>\n

Rathbun said it would be too late to allow uphill travel at Purgatory this season, but he would be open for a discussion with the community to possibly change the resort\u2019s policy for next winter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe timing is not right,\u201d he said. \u201cBut if people want to talk about it, we\u2019d be happy to talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

jromeo@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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