Fun in
Purgatory
While Covid-19 has
battered many larger ski
resorts, Purgatory Resort
in Colorado’s San Juan
Mountains has embraced
how pandemic requirements
have forced them into the
future to great effect
By Aaron Broverman
In the pandemic environment, Purgatory Resort has
proven to be the opposite of its name, as the Covid-19
pandemic has helped the resort differentiate itself in a
positive way.
As other resorts were completely shutdown or experienced
their worst ski and snowboard season in years, Purgatory is
uniquely positioned not only to excel, but set itself up for a
prosperous future.
Nestled within the San Juan Mountain Range about 30
miles north of Durango in southwestern Colorado, the area
has a serviceable airport, but Purgatory is seen as more of a
local resort as most attendees drive in from nearby states –
sometimes as far as Albuquerque, N.M. Typically, if a resort
were trying to boost attendance or build international prestige,
PHOTOS: GJAMESHR 6 April 2021 | snowopsmag.com
not having thousands of people fly to the resort every
year would be perceived as a negative. However, during a
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