If you caught the sound of rotor blades echoing across the valley on August 17th and 18th, that wasn’t just another flightseeing tour; that was the Colorado Couloir crossing its biggest milestone yet. Over those two days, every single lift tower for the new chair went into the ground, and with it, the end of this build is closer in sight than ever.
From Vision to Reality
Here’s what those two helicopter days actually delivered. Crews flew tower sections, crossarms, and sheave assemblies up the line in a carefully choreographed sequence—set a tower, bolt on the crossarm, hang the sheave assembly, move to the next pad. (Sheave assemblies, if you’re new to lift-speak, are the pulley trains that the haul rope actually rides across at each tower.) By the end of the second day, the full string of towers was standing, crossarms attached, sheaves hung and ready for rope.
On top of that, the top terminal is now built! This is the structure at the top of the line that will house the return bullwheel, which is what keeps everything tensioned correctly once the haul rope is installed. Now that the towers and the top terminal are in place, the physical skeleton of the Colorado Couloir is essentially complete. What’s left from here is the bottom terminal that drives the lift, the installation of the haul rope that carries the chairs, electrical and controls that operate the lift, and the testing and certification process by the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board that makes us officially lift-ready.
The Ground Game
While the helicopters had the more dramatic job, plenty of work has also been happening underfoot. Glading and brushwork are done on both new and existing trails served by the Colorado Couloir. We opened up the fall-line terrain, and cleaned up the skiing on the runs already in that neighborhood. Ground work doesn’t make headlines the way a helicopter does, but it matters just as much when you consider what this terrain will feel like under your skis or board this season.
What Does That Mean For You?
This is an expansion of terrain that brings Purgatory up another level. Some of the steepest, most demanding expert terrain we have that was previously a trek to get to, will now be gladed and brush cut, and it will be lift served. The technical skiing you have been craving is now at the tip of your skis, and steps from your tailgate
The Colorado Couloir will also change how you access the mountain. It will be a direct line to the top of the frontside, so that you can skip the base area entirely. That means less time spent getting on the hill, and more time on snow. Whether you’re chasing first tracks on the steeps, or just trying to skip the base area crowds and traffic, this lift is more than just access to new terrain.
We know it’s been a long time coming, but every tower in the ground and every acre of glading gets us closer to exploring the terrain, and riding the Colorado Couloir to the top of the mountain. Stay tuned. We’ll keep sharing progress as the haul rope is installed, chairs are hung, and official commissioning is underway. We can’t wait to see you lapping the Colorado Couloir this winter.
We’ll see you on the Mountain, The Purgatory Team
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