Purgatory Resort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Purgatory |
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A view of the resort from the chairlift in the summer
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 Purgatory
Location in Colorado
Purgatory
Location in the United States
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| Location | La Plata County, Colorado, United States |
| Nearest city | Durango, Colorado |
| Coordinates | 37°37′47″N 107°48′52″W / 37.62972°N 107.81444°W |
| 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 km2) |
| Runs | 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 cool ski resort found in the San Juan Mountains of Southwest Colorado. It's about 25 miles (42 km) north of Durango. This resort opened in 1965.
Purgatory Resort has 105 trails for skiing and snowboarding. It also has 6 terrain parks for tricks and jumps. The resort covers over 1,500 acres of skiable land. There are 12 lifts to take you up the mountain. These include one fast six-person chairlift and two speedy quad chairs.
The resort gets a lot of snow, about 260 inches each year! They also make artificial snow on about one-fifth of the mountain. The very top of the mountain is 10,822 feet (3,299 m) high. The vertical drop, which is how far down you can ski from top to bottom, is 2,029 feet (618 m).
Fun Things to Do at Purgatory
Purgatory Resort offers many things to make your visit great. You can rent condos right at the resort. These are owned by people who let tourists stay in them. There's also a fun nightclub or bar at the bottom of the ski slopes. It's right by the chairlifts.
- Getting Around: A shuttle bus runs between the resort and the nearby town of Durango. This makes it easy to explore the area.
- Learning to Ski: If you're new to skiing, Purgatory has a ski school. They have special "bunny slopes" which are gentle hills perfect for beginners.
- On-Site Care: A unique feature is the urgent care clinic right at the resort. It's open whenever the slopes are open. This clinic helps with ski-related injuries. The Purgatory ski patrol can take injured skiers directly to the clinic. This means you get help much faster without waiting for an ambulance from Durango.
Weather at Purgatory Resort
Purgatory Resort has a climate that's great for snow sports. It's known as a humid continental climate. This type of climate has warm summers and cold, snowy winters. It's also very close to a subarctic climate, which means it can get quite cold, especially at higher elevations.
Two weather stations, Cascade and Rockwood 6.9 NNW, are located near the resort. They help us understand the weather patterns. The table below shows typical temperatures and snowfall.
| Climate data for Cascade, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, 1986-2020 extremes: 8880ft (2707m) | |||||||||||||
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| 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) | |||||||||||||
