What’s in a Name?
03-02-2015
Author: Blog Editor in Roadrunner History Buff
This week, the new owner of the local ski area here in Durango changed the name of place back to the original one, that being Purgatory. It had been called Durango Mountain Resort, but the new owner, James H. Coleman, Jr. said “Like many of the locals and our longtime guests, I’ve always known this mountain as Purgatory, and with next winter being our 50th anniversary, we believe it’s appropriate to officially change the resort’s name back to Purgatory.”
The executive director of the Durango Area Tourism Office said the name change makes sense alongside Coleman’s locally and regionally focused strategy. “He puts a lot of emphasis on the local market and the close-in New Mexico-Arizona drive market,” Kunkel said. Coleman also owns three other ski areas in New Mexico and Arizona.
Years ago, the ski area’s owners changed the name from Purgatory to Durango Mountain Resort (DMR) because they thought it contacted a friendlier, family orientated image. Now people thought that DMR didn’t really conjure up anything particular to skiing.
Where the name, Purgatory, got its name in the first place is debatable. The story I heard that I like to think is the correct one is this: The Spanish were exploring a valley north of town when one of their members fell into the Animas River and he was never seen again. In those days, the Spanish wore heavy breast works making swimming difficult. They looked for the unfortunate explorer but finally gave up saying that he had gone to purgatory.
The ski resort, Purgatory, has been cited by several magazines and reviews as being one of the best in the country. It is family orientated. With inexpensive lodging in Durango, a plethora of restaurants, a small local airport, and an old time western feeling Purgatory is a popular local and destination ski area.
In the last few days, the San Juan Mountains have been receiving heavy snowfall with more on the way. After big storms over the Christmas holidays, a six week period of January/February thaw had people riding bikes and golfing instead of skiing. Skiers are happy because the skiing is fabulous and should extend into April, as usual.
Read www.epug.com for more fun facts about Purgatory Ski Resort. The name of the ski runs themselves is interesting.
The author of this blog, a skier himself for 61 years, a professional ski instructor, racer and ski patrolman, now volunteers at Purgatory helping the ski patrol with its safety program.
Mountain Safety Volunteer
Snowy Scene Northeast of Durango
About the Blogger: Victor Ray has had a love for travel and history since he was a small boy. Now he has found a way to combine the two, traveling in his motorhome with Raleigh, his pure bread Australian Shepherd. He shares his passions exploring the highways and byways in search of scenic, historic, unique and pristine places.
The executive director of the Durango Area Tourism Office said the name change makes sense alongside Coleman’s locally and regionally focused strategy. “He puts a lot of emphasis on the local market and the close-in New Mexico-Arizona drive market,” Kunkel said. Coleman also owns three other ski areas in New Mexico and Arizona.
Years ago, the ski area’s owners changed the name from Purgatory to Durango Mountain Resort (DMR) because they thought it contacted a friendlier, family orientated image. Now people thought that DMR didn’t really conjure up anything particular to skiing.
Where the name, Purgatory, got its name in the first place is debatable. The story I heard that I like to think is the correct one is this: The Spanish were exploring a valley north of town when one of their members fell into the Animas River and he was never seen again. In those days, the Spanish wore heavy breast works making swimming difficult. They looked for the unfortunate explorer but finally gave up saying that he had gone to purgatory.
The ski resort, Purgatory, has been cited by several magazines and reviews as being one of the best in the country. It is family orientated. With inexpensive lodging in Durango, a plethora of restaurants, a small local airport, and an old time western feeling Purgatory is a popular local and destination ski area.
In the last few days, the San Juan Mountains have been receiving heavy snowfall with more on the way. After big storms over the Christmas holidays, a six week period of January/February thaw had people riding bikes and golfing instead of skiing. Skiers are happy because the skiing is fabulous and should extend into April, as usual.
Read www.epug.com for more fun facts about Purgatory Ski Resort. The name of the ski runs themselves is interesting.
The author of this blog, a skier himself for 61 years, a professional ski instructor, racer and ski patrolman, now volunteers at Purgatory helping the ski patrol with its safety program.
Mountain Safety Volunteer
Snowy Scene Northeast of Durango
About the Blogger: Victor Ray has had a love for travel and history since he was a small boy. Now he has found a way to combine the two, traveling in his motorhome with Raleigh, his pure bread Australian Shepherd. He shares his passions exploring the highways and byways in search of scenic, historic, unique and pristine places.
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