By nolandeck | August 24, 2022 6:00 pm ET
Purgatory is one of those resorts that I’ve never actually been able to make it out to, but have always wanted to find a way onto their slopes. The San Juan mountains are epic (I’ve only seen them in warmer months) and with an average snowfall of 260″ on the resort, it seems like an incredibly good time. Yes, it’s family friendly, but it also has what appears to be very solid runs for more experienced skiers. Some day, hopefully some day very soon, I will make the 7 hour drive to Durango so I can check out those slopes, and this season may be the best season to do that.
Purgatory just announced their opening date, set at November 19th, and with it, many, many upgrades for the 2022-23 season. Specifically, the mountain has put their focus towards snowmaking. A large expansion of coverage (from lower Paradise to the midway loading of Needles Triple) has the opportunity to allow for high mountain skiing if early season weather isn’t cooperating.
“Upgrades include nine rebuilt primary and booster water pumps; replacing five inefficient, outdated air compressors with a single new energy-efficient Ingersoll Rand NX-5000 compressor; and automated control systems upgrades housed in a new computerized snowmaking control room.” – Purgatory press release
Snowmaking on mountain is set to begin in mid-October, assuming temperatures are low enough. The mountain’s grooming fleet will also receive improvements, with a Prinoth Leitwolf X winch cat scheduled to be delivered in November.
“Over the last 3-years, Purgatory has made significant investments to replace its entire fleet of grooming machines. Prinoth Leitwolf is known as the most powerful snow groomer in the world and is the gold standard for ski resorts. The resort now boasts one of the most modern and technologically advanced grooming fleets in the industry.” – Purgatory press release
Several improvements to the overall resort experience, including dining improvements, an increase in parking capacity, a new, Völkl supplied rental fleet and demo skis and snowboards available through online reservations, improved WiFi capability and connectivity, and a more advanced radio system for ski patrol are all set to impact the 2022-23 ski season.
The resort also participated in large amounts of hazard tree removal throughout 2022, helping to reduce the risk of wildfires. The spring of 2023 will see a continued effort of beetle kill tree removal while snow is still on the ground, allowing for easier wood removal and a decrease in soil disturbance and erosion.
All in all, this season should be a good one for Purgatory. At some point this winter I’ll have to pack up my car and make that seven hour drive so I can give you all a first hand report.
A post shared by Purgatory Resort (@skipurg)
Image Credit: Purgatory Resort, Purgatory Resort on Instagram
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