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Signature Events

Artist carves a pieces a wood using a chainsaw at Purgatory's annual Carve Wars

New Year’s Eve Celebration
Torchlight Parade & Fireworks Display

December 31

Join us for festive music, seasonal drinks, and other fun holiday activities as you watch the annual torchlight parade and fireworks display. Ski instructors and mountain patrollers put on a light show as they ski down the slopes to the base area with bright torches. Then, an impressive fireworks display lights up the night sky over a snow-covered mountain.

  • Fireworks light up the mountain at the New Years Eve fireworks display
  • A nighttime view of the Purgatory Base area lit up
  • Torchlight parade winds down the mountain as fireworks light up the sky
  • Fireworks show there vibrant colors at the New Years Eve fireworks display
  • Long exposure shot of the the Purgatory torchlight parade

Uncle Clyde’s Run & Slide

  • Racers tube head first down the mountain wearing costumes at the Uncle Clyde's Run and Slide
  • Uncle Clyde's Run and Slide begins with racers battle to get in front of the pack
  • Girls dressed up as cows hanging out on their tube at the Uncle Clyde's Run and Slide
  • Your racer pulls his tube up the hill at the Uncle Clyde's Run and Slide

Mid-March

Uncle Clyde’s Run & Slide is a tag-team relay race consisting of two-person teams that run up the tubing hill and then slide back down. It’s really that simple. In the adult competition, teams compete in male, female, and co-ed divisions. There are also categories for parent-and-child teams and children’s competitions.

Pond Skim Competition

Early April

With live music, beer, costumes, and outrageous competition, the annual Pond Skim is the ultimate end-of-season celebration for both competitors and spectators. While the origins of pond skimming are unknown, it is one of the great traditions of skiing and snowboarding, and it has been a spring ritual at Purgatory since 2001.

  • Skier goes full superman once entering the pond skim
  • Ski patrol helps pull guests skis out of pond
  • Skiers in a dinosaur costume glides across the pond skim
  • Crowd gathers to watch the annual pond skim at Purgatory Resort

Mushroom & Wine Festival

  • Chef Joe harvest a chanterelle mushroom at Purgatory Resort
  • Mushrooms can be found everywhere at Purgatory Resort after the heavy monsoon rains
  • Mushrooms growing on the forest floor at Purgatory Resort
  • Chef Joe shows of the underside of a chanterelle mushroom at Purgatory Resort
  • Amanita muscaria mushroom shows off its beautiful red color and white spots at Purgatory Resort

August

Each summer, Purgatory hosts the Mushroom & Wine Dinner, followed by the Wild Mushroom Hunt. The San Juan National Forest above Purgatory offers a great place to look for porcinis, chanterelles, hawks wings, and other edible wild mushrooms. Spend the weekend eating gourmet food and going mushroom hunting to celebrate these fascinating organisms.

The Mountain Marmot Trail Run

Late September

Trail running in the San Juan Mountains is at its finest when the temperatures drop and the leaves begin to change colors in the fall. The Mountain Marmot high-altitude trail race starts at Purgatory’s base area and follows singletrack trails to the top of the mountain for an elevation gain of 1,800 feet. The run is followed by a post-race celebration with food, beer, live music, and festivities with stunning views of Engineer Mountain, Twilight Peaks and the West Needles Mountain range.

  • Mountain Marmot participants start the race from the base area of Purgatory Resort
  • Trail covered in fallen leaves as runner races to the top of the mountain
  • Aspens show of their colors as racers participate in the Mountain Marmot Trail Run
  • Mountain marmot racers jump for joy in front of the camera
  • A pack of runners run through the arrival court to start the Mountain Marmot Trail Run
purgatory tower at night

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