| Purgatory | |
|---|---|
 A view of the resort from the chairlift in the summer | |
  PurgatoryLocation in ColoradoShow map of Colorado PurgatoryPurgatory (the United States)Show map of the United States | |
| Location | La Plata County, Colorado, United States |
| Nearest major city | Durango, Colorado |
| Coordinates | 37°37′47″N 107°48′52″W / 37.62972°N 107.81444°W / 37.62972; -107.81444 |
| Vertical | 2,029 ft (618 m) |
| Top elevation | 10,822 ft (3,299 m) |
| Base elevation | 8,793 ft (2,680 m) |
| Skiable area | 1,650 acres (6.7 km) |
| Trails | 105 total  22% beginner  35% intermediate  43% advanced |
| Longest run | 1.3 mi (2.1 km) |
| Lift system | 12 lifts: 1 high-speed six-person chairlift, 2 high-speed quad chairs, 3 triple chairs, 3 double chairs, 3 surface lifts |
| Lift capacity | 15,000+ skiers/hr |
| Terrain parks | 6 |
| Snowfall | 260 inches |
| Snowmaking | 21% |
| Website | http://www.purgatoryresort.com/ |
Purgatory Resort is a ski resort located in the San Juan Mountains of Southwest Colorado, 25 miles (42 km) north of the town of Durango. Established in 1965, Purgatory offers 105 trails, including 5 terrain parks, over 1,500 skiable acres, and 12 lifts, including one six-person and two high speed quad lifts. Average annual snowfall is 260 inches per year, and artificial snow is produced on approximately one-fifth of the mountain. The elevation at the summit is 10,822 feet (3,299 m), with a vertical drop of 2,029 feet (618 m).
Facilities
Facilities at the resort include condos that are rented out by their owners to vacationing tourists, a nightclub/bar at the bottom of the ski slopes by the chair lifts, a shuttle that goes back and forth from the resort to the nearby town of Durango, and a ski school with "bunny slopes". One of the more unusual features of the resort is an urgent care clinic, staffed by midlevel health care providers from the nearby town of Durango, Colorado. The on-site urgent care clinic is available anytime the slopes are open, and treats mostly ski related injuries. The Purgatory ski patrol takes injured skiers off the mountain directly to the clinic, expediting treatment and eliminating the need for patients to wait for an ambulance to respond from nearby Durango, Colorado.
Climate
Cascade and Rockwood 6.9 NNW are weather stations located near Purgatory Resort. Purgatory Resort has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), closely bordering on a subalpine climate (Köppen Dfc).
| Climate data for Cascade, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, 1986-2020 extremes: 8880ft (2707m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 61 (16) |
65 (18) |
74 (23) |
74 (23) |
86 (30) |
90 (32) |
95 (35) |
89 (32) |
97 (36) |
82 (28) |
80 (27) |
61 (16) |
97 (36) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 54.5 (12.5) |
55.7 (13.2) |
62.3 (16.8) |
65.9 (18.8) |
74.0 (23.3) |
82.1 (27.8) |
85.8 (29.9) |
82.1 (27.8) |
79.3 (26.3) |
71.0 (21.7) |
62.0 (16.7) |
54.6 (12.6) |
86.7 (30.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 40.9 (4.9) |
42.5 (5.8) |
48.9 (9.4) |
52.4 (11.3) |
61.2 (16.2) |
71.5 (21.9) |
76.4 (24.7) |
73.4 (23.0) |
67.4 (19.7) |
58.2 (14.6) |
47.2 (8.4) |
40.0 (4.4) |
56.7 (13.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 27.0 (−2.8) |
28.4 (−2.0) |
34.4 (1.3) |
38.7 (3.7) |
46.1 (7.8) |
54.2 (12.3) |
60.0 (15.6) |
58.6 (14.8) |
52.5 (11.4) |
44.2 (6.8) |
33.8 (1.0) |
26.6 (−3.0) |
42.0 (5.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 12.9 (−10.6) |
14.5 (−9.7) |
20.1 (−6.6) |
25.1 (−3.8) |
31.0 (−0.6) |
37.2 (2.9) |
43.9 (6.6) |
44.0 (6.7) |
37.7 (3.2) |
30.3 (−0.9) |
20.5 (−6.4) |
13.2 (−10.4) |
27.5 (−2.5) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −3.8 (−19.9) |
−1.1 (−18.4) |
5.1 (−14.9) |
12.4 (−10.9) |
20.6 (−6.3) |
26.8 (−2.9) |
36.4 (2.4) |
37.5 (3.1) |
27.5 (−2.5) |
17.3 (−8.2) |
2.6 (−16.3) |
−5.0 (−20.6) |
−7.3 (−21.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −16 (−27) |
−14 (−26) |
−9 (−23) |
−6 (−21) |
6 (−14) |
6 (−14) |
18 (−8) |
19 (−7) |
6 (−14) |
5 (−15) |
−6 (−21) |
−22 (−30) |
−22 (−30) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.37 (86) |
3.43 (87) |
2.83 (72) |
2.21 (56) |
1.92 (49) |
0.95 (24) |
2.45 (62) |
3.12 (79) |
2.93 (74) |
2.84 (72) |
2.89 (73) |
3.29 (84) |
32.23 (818) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 41.7 (106) |
45.8 (116) |
33.8 (86) |
9.7 (25) |
10.8 (27) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.5 (1.3) |
4.1 (10) |
19.7 (50) |
54.1 (137) |
220.3 (558.55) |
| Source 1: XMACIS2 (Cascade normals & Rockwood 6.9 2015-2022 snowfall) | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (Precipitation) | |||||||||||||
References
- "Purgatory Ski Resort | On the Snow". onthesnow.com. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
- "Data of Meteorological Station Cascade, Colorado". geographic.org. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
- "Data of Meteorological Station Rockwood 6.9 Nnw, Colorado". geographic.org. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
- "xmACIS2". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
- "Cascade, Colorado 1991-2020 Monthly Normals". Retrieved January 1, 2024.