durango mountain resort

Our family of 3 had a fantastic time skiing at Purgatory/Durango Mountain Resort. This was the 1st time our 7 year old son just skied with us instead of going to ski school. The 1st day, we mostly stuck to the green runs off the Twilight Lift. There were several different runs to choose from. By the end of the day, we ventured over to the high-speed lift (so much better!!). My son found a little terrain park with little wooden houses he could ski through. He loved it. However, he then wanted to ski through that little terrain park every single time we went down the mountain. There is a variety of runs to choose from, but we stuck to the green runs (and a few blues by accident) and found plenty to keep us entertained for our 2 days of skiing. We didn't eat at the mountain, but it looked very expensive. A hot dog was $6, and a cheeseburger was $11 or $12. We heard about this and brought lunches from home. Also, if you need somewhere to store your stuff, there are lockers or you can check your bag(s) in the building where the ski rentals are. It was $8 a day, and we were able to store our ski boot bag and a backpack. We were able to go get stuff out as much as we needed. I did lose one of my ski gloves our 1st day while eating lunch. The ski rental store had some loaner gloves available for single gloves that were found but not claimed. Fortunately, someone did turn in my missing glove, and I was able to retrieve it the next day!! YAY...I thought it was lost forever, and I loved those gloves. Also, all of the staff we met were super friendly. I can't believe people had bad experiences. At the front, employees offered to help us carry our stuff, the employees where you get your lift tickets/rentals were all very friendly, and the lift operators were great. We were very nervous about getting our son on and off the lifts but it was no problem. He was tall enough to get on and off by himself, but they made sure he was in the right position, and if he was too far ahead or behind, they made sure he got on safely. We all truly enjoyed this ski trip from the very short lift lines (if at all), to the runs, to the staff,to the lift ticket/rental prices, and of course the beautiful scenery. Our family will definitely be back again!!

I took a much needed solo ski day and had a blast! I'm not a great skier but worked my way up to feeling comfortable on the blues this trip. Eleanor is the best boot fitter if you decide to rent skis, I wasn't sore the next day (which I usually am). I ate at backside bistro and their sliders and chips were delicious, and the beer cold! Overall I would recommend newbie skiers through advanced skiers to go and play on the mountain.

Rental staff was friendly; parking a bit difficult; lots of food options. Lift staff SUPER FRIENDLY and could tell they loved their jobs and enjoyed having us there. The snow was well groomed and mountain was superb.

We skied over New Years. Wow the snow was insane. We stayed at Cascade village, less than a mile up the mountain. We have skied at Taos for the last 8 years. and decided on a change this year. My kids learned on Taos so Purgatory was super easy, but plenty fun. Some nice shops, bars and skiing. Nice Powder. The only downfall if you aren't staying on property is the parking. Lots of idiots out there that don't know how to drive in the snow. Staff is friendly. Make sure you make some kind of boot/ski reservation if you don't have your own. I own my equipment, but our kids don't . If it's crowded you might not get boots and skies w/out reservations. I wish there were a few more lifts to break up some of the mountain here and there, but overall pretty great. Worth 5 stars...when they have snow! One last thing I forgot, The photography place on the mountain...uhmff, use them, but don't purchase too much the quality is sub-par. I posted a picture of us online they took on TripAdvisor, it looks okay because I'm a professional photographer and took it into Photoshop and fixed it best I could.

Really enjoyed our experience, everyone friendy and very accomidating. And the best thing, no one had their hand out for a tip! They just helped you because!

As a season pass skier to Durango Mountain Resort/Purgatory - I love this place. As noted by others, we do need a bit more snow at this time (February 2015)... so everyone "work on those snow dances". I do love the fun times of riding the ski lift chairs and meeting new people that are visiting this great area. Comparing ones times and places is always fun... funny how it is a small world. Since the snow is a bit 'lacking' at this time - do try the restaurants and the shops... fun times for all.... enjoy.

This was our first trip to DMR and we are looking forward to returning. Even though the resort is lacking for snow we had a great time skiing. The mountain has a lot of trails to choose from. We mainly do blue runs and we did not get bored. A variety of lifts keeps you moving across the mountain and opening up new runs to discover. It was a great day of skiing. Can't wait to experience DMR with the fresh powder they usually receive.

Visited in early Feb 15. Easy mountain to navigate, superb signage for trails and directions to all lifts. Best of any mountain I have skied on in VT, ME, NH,CO, UT, CA and OR! Restaurants on mountain are excellent. Great destination. Free parking and shuttle buses as well as limited parking near mountain base. Fun family area! Only complaint was price of rental lockers, $8 for medium size locker, although small lockers available, price was still $8, $10 for large locker, payable by cash or credit card.

We arrived last Saturday and stayed until Jan 29. Unfortunately, and no fault of DMR, there wasn't much new snow. The base was 32", which is okay for skiing. The DMR does a good job grooming, etc. Equipment is easily rented on site; equipment is overall in good condition.The good point of skiing this past week was the absence of crowds. It is overall a good experience.

This is a great place to go for everyone, my husband and teenage son were skiing all day my 5 year old was in skiing school, which she loved and myself not much of a skiier went snow shoeing, there was something for everyone.

Loved this mountain. The rooms are very well located to jump right on the mountain. Beds were comfortable and the heat lamp in the bathroom was a great touch. Purgys was nice but the staff was not very friendly at night for dinner service. Housekeeping staff was very nice. Will be back sooner

We've spent time Nordic skiing and Downhill skiing at DMR over the past couple of weeks and have had a very positive experience in all aspects. The Nordic centre is over the road from the main resort and is managed by the Durango Nordic club which is a non profit organisation. Cost is reasonable and gear can be hired. They maintain some lovely trails with great views. This setup is ideal for novice Nordic skiers or the more experienced will find some challenges here as well. The trip out to Boyce lake was a highlight for us. Transport from the Nordic centre back to the main resort is available by courtesy bus. A new Nordic centre building was under construction when we visited and when opened this will improve facilities for Nordic enthusiasts. We did several days alpine skiing at DMR and enjoyed the lack of crowds and the setup generally. All staff were very friendly and helpful. Ski hire and lift ticket purchase was efficient and we were on the slopes quickly. In terms of terrain available there seems to be something for all skiing standards from my limited viewpoint,but the slopes are well groomed and maintained. Enjoyed our skiing at DMR very much.

The Durango Mountain Resort offers first-class facilities that support appealing winter and summer activities. Of course, the primary winter activity is skiing. Overlooking Engineer Mountain and the Needles Range from a base of about 8,000 feet elevation, the resort has a variety of lifts that take skiers and snow boarders to elevations exceeding 10,000 feet, offering access to trails that will challenge skiers from novice to expert. Other winter activities include cross-country skiing, horse-drawn bobsled and dogsled rides, fast food and drink at the base of the lifts, and soaking in a huge hot tub. Summertime offers mountain biking, alpine sledding, trampolining and swimming in the pool. Attentive and enthusiastic staff help guests enjoy these activities and assure their safety. Facilities are modern and clean, and prices are reasonable. Located about 25 miles north of Durango, the resort is an easy drive from town and the airport. Although reasonably priced in relation to other resorts, food quality is lackluster and improvements would be welcome. Guests who do not hold lift tickets might appreciate the opportunity to catch a ride up to a restaurant on the ski slopes. Overall, the resort offers tremendous value to guests.

My family and I skied for three days right after Christmas. The views are amazing. The skiing is okay, not very steep with too many terraces for our taste. (A local referred to the mountain as "Traversatory.") There were some minimal lines, perhaps 5 to 10 minutes. Staff was friendly. It's definitely worth skiing, but we'd try another area instead of a future repeat visit.

I went to Durango Mountain Resort during Christmas 2014 and I had a blast! I followed the snow reports and they had snowfall for almost a whole week before Christmas. The weather reports and pictures provided at the website was accurate.I rented skis and lift tickets for 2 days. The process was simple and convenient. I simply had to pick up my lift ticket and skis/boots onsite. I was on the slopes within 30 minutes from arriving at the resort. The staff was friendly and efficient.This was a huge mountain with many trails. I only stuck with the side near the Purgatory Village Express lift as I was trying to pick up skiing again as I haven't skied for a few years but many of the trails were open and I could had went to other areas. There were not too many people so it was an enjoyable experience.The area is around 30-40 minute drive from Durango and the roads were salted and cleared of snow. I'll definitely come back and try the other trails next time!