When we talk about snowmaking at Purgatory, it’s easy to think about the snow itself: the guns running, the white trails, and the work happening overnight while most of the mountain is quiet.
But snowmaking is really about something bigger—reliability for all skiers and riders.
Every winter, our team works with Mother Nature to build and maintain the conditions our guests need to enjoy the mountain. That’s especially important on the trails where new skiers and snowboarders are learning the fundamentals, building confidence, and taking their first turns.
That’s why this summer, we’re expanding snowmaking coverage on our beginner terrain off of Lift 4 with The Divinity Pipeline.
The project will ad approximately 13 acres of snowmaking coverage, extending from the top of Twilight Chair (Lift 4) down to its midway loading station. This will give our snowmaking team the ability to produce and maintain a more consistent base across one of Purgatory’s primary learning areas.
Why Divinity?
For many guests, Divinity is a primary learning area after graduating from the Columbine Beginner area. It’s a place where beginners learn to link their first turns, families spend time together, and returning skiers build the skills that allow them to explore more of the mountain. Having dependable snow coverage in this area isn’t just about opening a trail; it’s about creating a more consistent environment for learning and progression.
Expanding snowmaking from the top of Twilight Chair to the midway station also gives our team more flexibility when building the mountain early in the season and maintaining coverage throughout the winter.
That matters because natural snowfall doesn’t always arrive on our schedule.
Building for the Long Run
Snowmaking is one of the most important tools we have for managing the variables that come with operating a ski area. Purgatory has continued to invest in snowmaking because we know that a dependable foundation helps us make the most of every winter.
This project is another piece of that long-term approach.
The goal isn’t to replace natural snow. We’ll always celebrate the storms, the powder days, and those mornings when the San Juans deliver exactly what we’ve been waiting for. Snowmaking gives us another tool to make sure that, between those storms, important terrain remains covered and ready for our guests.
For Divinity, that means approximately 13 additional acres where we can build a reliable snow surface, support our ski school and learning programs, and help more people experience the freedom of skiing.
That’s the Purg-spective behind this project: investing in the terrain where progression happens and building a more dependable foundation for the seasons ahead.
NOAA has given us their predictions; Mother Nature has been delivering the moisture just like they said, which means it’s time to pick your team this winter: Tickets or Season Pass?
We’ll see you on the Mountain,
The Purgatory Team
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