$6 Million Poured Into On-Mountain Improvements at Colorado Ski Resort
Purgatory Resort, Colorado has invested $6 million into its slopes and facilities ahead of the 2025-2026 ski season, bolstering snowmaking, constructing a new chairlift, and installing other smaller upgrades, like expanded Wi-Fi coverage and new HD webcams. POWDER learned about the investments via press release on May 21, 2025.The previously announced chairlift, the Gelande, is a fixed-grip, Skytrac three-person ropeway that will provide direct access to intermediate and expert terrain on the mountain's frontside without requiring guests to return to the Columbine or Village base areas. The lift will be accompanied by five new trails and trail connectors. In April, Purgatory Resort announced that in order to implement the lift and trail projects, it was creating two new groups of year-round employees totaling 12-15 people per group, many of whom were current seasonal employees.As construction begins on the project this summer, Purgatory Resort's bike park will be temporarily closed for the season, allowing the ski area to focus its resources on building the Gelande lift. During the closure, Purgatory Resort plans to maintain and improve the bike park's existing trails.Want to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates.
The planned snowmaking improvements at Purgatory Resort will cover the bottoms of the Ray's Ridge, Blackburn's Bash, and Legends Bypass runs, which, according to the ski area, will help them stay open earlier and later during the season.Further improvements include upgrades to the alpine slide for summer, new HEAD ski and snowboard rental equipment, and a new Prinoth Bison snowcat.'These improvements reflect our long-term commitment to the mountain and to the guests who return to Purgatory year after year,' said Dave Rathbun, general manager of Purgatory Resort. 'As we look ahead to celebrating six decades of skiing and riding in the San Juan Mountains, we're proud to invest in the future of outdoor recreation in Southwest Colorado,' he added, making note of Purgatory Resort's 60th anniversary, which will arrive in December 2025.Purgatory Resort closed for skiing and riding last month. The summer season at the mountain, which will include scenic lift rides, on-mountain activities, and weekly live music, begins June 14.The 2025-2026 Power Pass, a multi-mountain season pass that provides access to Purgatory Resort, is now on sale for an adult price of $849.
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