pandemic, when international travel is either banned or discouraged,
“Covid is both a challenge and one of the things that’s
differentiating us,” said Dave Rathbun, general manager of
Purgatory Resort. “We’re a little bit off the beaten path. The
place doesn’t get skied out on a powder day like it does at
some of these other mega resorts. It’s a quiet little gem that
allows us to give people a great, more wide-open experience
that’s harder to come by at busier resorts. A busy day here is
5,000 people and they’re either driving in from a nearby state,
sometimes as far as New Mexico, or they’re driving 10 to 15
hours in their cars from Dallas, New Orleans, or even Southern
California, so it’s a good mix of locals and those from further
afield.”
Since skiers and snowboarders can get to Purgatory without
the need to fly, the resort staff are not overwhelmed, and
guests can have an enjoyable experience without the health
and safety concerns that can be found at larger resorts that
are closer to urban centers.
“Covid is helping us spread peak day demand into the offpeak,
and off-peak volume up, making the business model more
consistent and efficient, which translates to a better guest
experience,” said Rathbun.
So, what are the guests experiencing? How about 1,600
acres of skiable terrain, 105 trails, 11 lifts, multiple terrain
LIGHTING
midweek periods, bringing our peak day volume down
parks, a vertical drop of over 2,029 feet and a 40-foot-tall and
5,000-foot-long mountain coaster that goes up to 25 miles
per hour called The Inferno? Plus, for the more adventurous,
35,000 acres of catskiing – the largest catskiing acreage
in North America, according to Purgatory – with fresh powder
and runs that are so far from the actual resort, it requires
one to two weeks to build the roads to get there. Some roads
require a winch cat and one is built on a frozen waterfall.
“There’s one zone where we can actually see the ski area
and the chairlift and we’re so far from the ski area in that zone
that you can’t even see people on the ski runs. You can kind
of see the outline of runs cutting through the trees, but you’re
in a different world,” said Grady James, Purgatory’s lead guide
for its ski and snowcat adventures.
Of course, for those looking for a more traditional ski resort
experience, as a beginner to intermediate resort, Purgatory
has them covered.
“We’re a full-service resort with on-site lodging, dining and
shopping. We run horse-drawn sleigh rides, snowshoeing and
cross-country skiing and normally we run a tubing operation,
but we’re not running that this winter due to Covid-19,” said
Sam Williams, Purgatory’s director of operations.
However, while they lose some attractions due to Covid-
19, what the guests gain are fewer people on the runs, which
translates to an overall atmosphere that’s more relaxed,
EXCLUSIVELY DESIGNED FOR SNOW VENUES!
drivability pays dividends.
• Save up to 85% in operating electricity
• Reduce “In Rush” current up to 95%
• Save up to 600% on maintenance
• Increase visual acuity by over 100%
• Eliminate “Photobiological Hazards”
• Won’t Ice over like LEDs
• Dark Sky compliant design
VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT
like flicker and glare
WWW.ULTRATECHLIGHTING.COM
201.784.1233 | PO Box 566, Closter, NJ 07624-0566
RESORT PROFILE
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