Purgatory

970-247-9000
www.durangomountainresort.com

Purgatory is located 25 miles north of Durango, Colorado off U.S. Highway 550 in the San Juan National Forest. Annual snowfall is about 260 inches.

Purgatory’s picturesque setting covers 2,500 acres on national forest service land. Its 85 trails are maintained on 1,200 acres. Snowmaking equipment now spans 250 acres of the resort’s maintained acreage with snowmaking coverage beneath nine of the resort’s eleven lifts (four triples, three doubles, one high-speed quad, one high-speed 6-passenger super chair, one surface lift and one Magic Carpet).

At the resort’s tubing hill, the Alpine Snow-Coaster, participants are pulled uphill by a surface lift and slide down a 600-foot-long track on special tubes.

The Purgatory Village Center has ski and snowboard rentals, restaurants, a small grocery store and deli, sports shop and coffee shop. There are several on-mountain restaurants and food outlets.

Durango Mountain Resort offers ski school/lift packages and beginner packages for first-time skiers or snowboarders and a children’s lesson/lift ticket package. Some programs require reservations.

Stats at a glance Elevation Elevation at summit Vertical drop Skiable Acres Resort Acres Longest run (miles) Beginner trails Intermediate Advanced/expert Adult Daily Adult Half Day Child (6-12) Daily Child Half Day Senior (62-69) Daily Senior Half Day 70 and over 5 and under 8,793' 10,822 2,029' 1,200 2,500 2 23% 51% 26% $55 $40 $28 $18 $40 $27 $15 free Chairlift Hours: 8:45am - 4 pm Holiday prices will be higher than the regular season rates Call for more infomation on holiday dates.

Wolf Creek Ski Resort
970-264-5639
www.wolfcreekski.com

Wolf Creek Ski Resort, east of Pagosa Springs, is usually knee deep in powder. Located in southern Colorado atop the Rockies in the Rio Grande National Forest, Wolf Creek receives more snowfall than any other area in the state – 465 natural inches annually.

Wolf Creek starts its sixty-third season this year. When the area opened in 1939, there was one rope tow, used by local ski enthusiasts. The more traditional terrain at Wolf Creek (500 acres and approximately 50 trails) is serviced by two triple chairlifts, two double chairlifts and a children’s lift. Unique to Wolf Creek is the 1,000 acres serviced by the Alberta quad. This lift gives access to steep chutes and many intermediate powder glades that adventuresome skiers and boarders enjoy.

Cross-country skiing is also available. The ski school offers individual, group and private lessons as well as the popular Wolf Pup program for children. Snowboard and telemark lessons are also available.

Wolf Creek stats Elevation Elevation at summit Vertical drop Acres of skiing Longest run (miles) Beginner trails Intermediate Advanced Expert Adult Daily Adult Half Day Child/Senior Daily Child/Senior Half Day Tot (5& under) 10,300' 11,904' 1,604' 1,600 2 miles 20% 35% 25% 20% $43 $31 $25 $18 $5 Hours: 8:15am - 4:30 pm There are early season discount prices

Kendall Mountain Ski & Recreation Area
970-387-5522 or 387-0182

Kendall Mountain Recreation Area, located in Silverton at an elevation of 9,300 feet and with a yearly snowfall average of 200 inches, is open for affordable family fun. The ski lift, which is a 950-foot rope tow, operates 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and on holidays when the snow “flies.” The rec area offers free ice skating for those who have their own skates, and there are skate rentals at the Visitors’ Center. The new terrain park is improved for this winter. There are snowmobile trails as well as groomed trails for cross-country skiing. Sledding areas are also available with a gentle slope for children and steeper slope for the more adventuresome. Remember, this is old-fashioned fun, so be ready to hike and bring your own sled. Adult lift ticket: $7/day. Children’s lift ticket: $4/day. Seniors lift ticket: $4/day.

Silverton Mountain
970-387-5607
http://www.silvertonmountain.com

Silverton Mountain is a new facility for advanced and expert skiers and snowboarders. The one double chairlift offers access to the steepest, most powder-filled skiing this side of Valdez, Alaska.

The facility is a guided-only operation handling fewer than 100 skiers per day. The high elevation ensures an early and long season. An easy hike to 13,300 feet offers an approximately 3,000-foot vertical drop.

Ticket price for November, December or April is $99 (includes a mandatory guide). Ticket price for January, February or March is $119 (includes mandatory guide).

The Nordic Center

970-385-2114

The Nordic Center in Durango is operated by the Durango Nordic Ski Club. It has 16 kilometers of groomed trails for both classic and skating ski techniques. This scenic area offers terrain for beginners, intermediate and advanced skiers.

Trail fee is $9 (65 and over and 12 and under, $5) and season passes are available. Rentals for classic and skating skiing are available for adults and children.

Lessons, both group and private, are offered daily and there is a “combo” package for $35, which covers lesson, equipment rental and trail fee.

The facility is open 9-4 on weekends and 10-4 on weekdays. There are local race series plus clinics at the center.

The Nordic Center at Purgatory is 25 miles north of Durango on Highway 550 and is located across the highway from the entrance to Durango Mountain Resort.

Telluride Ski Resort

1-800-801-4832
www.tellurideskiresort.com

The inaugural season of Prospect Bowl (2001-2002) brought an additional 733 acres of diversified terrain that nearly doubled the size of the mountain to 1,700 acres. With its three high-speed quads, Prospect Bowl provides a new level of connectivity to the mountain, linking three interconnected mountain faces with varying degrees of difficulty.

The broad, gentle runs of the Meadows are suitable for beginners and novice skiers. Sunshine Peak, with nearly ten miles of beginner trails, enables skiers to build confidence on long runs. Ute Park, the new beginner training area in Prospect Bowl, provides beginner skiers with gently rolling slopes in an unparalleled setting.

Behind the ridge from the resort’s Front Face, Lifts 4, 5 and 6 and the new terrain in Prospect Bowl, make about half of Telluride’s terrain. More intermediate runs are located on the Front Ridge.

Telluride also offers ultimate ski runs. There is the Front Face, which provides steep pitches, tree skiing and big bumps for expert skiers. It dips 3,165 feet to the town below. The Plunge and Spiral Stairs, well known and challenging trails, are located on the Front Face.

Telluride has 16 lifts – 7 high-speed quads,
2 triple chairs, 2 double chairs, 1 Poma, 1 Magic Carpet, 1 surface lift and a high-speed, three-stage gondola transportation system. The gondola is free for foot passengers.

Telluride stats Elevation Elevation at summit Vertical drop Acres of skiing Longest run (miles) Beginner trails Intermediate Advanced Adult Daily Adult Half Day Child Daily Child Half Day Senior (65+) Daily Senior Half Day 8,725' 12,260 3,535' 1,700 3.0 24% 38% $74 $62 $43 $35 $54 $43 Hours: 8:45am - 4 pm There are early season discount prices

Chapman Hill
970-375-7300 (Durango Parks & Recreation Office)

Chapman Hill serves as Durango’s in-town ski area and winter sports center. The hill, located
on the east side of Florida Road, provides terrain for beginner and advanced skiers. The top of Chapman Hill, which accounts for much of the 500-foot vertical drop, is one of the steepest slopes found anywhere. The base area, however, is gentle and just right for beginners.

The area offers skiers two rope tows, an ice skating rink, and a supervised warming house with hot drinks and snacks. Both the lifts and ski hill are supervised by trained staff. Lessons are available.

Hesperus Ski Area
970-259-3711

Hesperus Ski Area, just west of Durango, is a small, friendly, inexpensive place to ski day and night. It is 75 acres of skiable terrain featuring a 700- foot vertical drop. It is served by one double chairlift.

The area is located at Hesperus,which is 12 miles west of Durango on U. S. Highway 160, 26 miles from Cortez and 32 miles from Farming-ton, New Mexico, via the La Plata Highway.

The hill has nine alpine runs – Lone Pine, Quick-draw, Easy East, Face, The Line, Easy West, West Bowl, East Bowl and Show Off. 90% of the terrain is lighted until 9 p.m. – including a lighted snowboard park. A beginners’ area is serviced by a rope tow. Both group and private lessons in downhill, telemark, and snowboarding are available for all levels of abilities – beginners, intermediates and experts.