Durango residents and western Colorado skiers will soon have access to a brand‑new expert‑only lift and expanded terrain at Purgatory Resort, a development that promises to draw more advanced riders and extend the mountain’s appeal.
According to the Grand Junction Sentinel, the Colorado Couloir Triple Chairlift will rise up to 200 feet above the namesake couloir and feature a maximum grade of 60 percent. The lift is designed to serve a handful of extreme runs that were previously reachable only by a small group of knowledgeable riders, while also acting as a transport lift that lets guests bypass the base village entirely.
The resort plans to open 40 to 45 acres of new expert‑only terrain, including roughly seven newly named runs such as a thinned glade and several steep chutes. Most of the new trails will be suited for highly skilled skiers and riders; the CEO, Dave Rathbun, warned that a fall in this terrain could be serious, saying, “If you fall in this terrain, you’re going to the bottom.”
Until now, the area behind a backcountry gate saw little traffic. With the new lift, the terrain will be avalanche‑controlled, freshly groomed, and more accessible. From the lift’s top, a few easier trails will connect riders to the main front‑side area, while the majority of the new runs will remain steep and technical, comparable to terrain found at Jackson Hole and Mammoth.
Construction on the project has been underway for nearly a decade, with tree‑cutting beginning last fall and the bulk of building completed this year. The final step is a safety inspection and licensing, which requires ski patrol to demonstrate evacuation capabilities for a lift that includes a 600‑foot segment floating 200 feet above a canyon.
Rathbun noted that ski patrol has undergone special training for the lift’s unique challenges and that the resort intends to add snow‑making capability and a plastic neoplast platform at the lift’s base in the future, though no snow‑making exists in the new terrain at present.
The resort’s season opening is scheduled for Nov. 20, but the new chair is not expected to begin operating until around Christmas, depending on weather and snow conditions. “We’ll be a little bit at the mercy of Mother Nature,” Rathbun said.
What’s next: Guests can look for an updated trail map and the official names of the new runs in the coming weeks. The lift is slated to start carrying riders around the holiday season, pending final inspection and favorable snowpack.
Sources: gjsentinel.com
