Durango
Ski: People and Seasons at Purgatory
{ Second Printing with new Afterword }
Charlie Langdon
ISBN 978-1-887805-28-5,
6” x 9”, B/W 111 pages
Price: $15.95
More than four
decades ago, people from many backgrounds and professions came together
in a monumental undertaking
that one can barely imagine in this era of big business. To this day
many of their names are immortalized on the slopes of Purgatory
at Durango Mountain Resort: Ray’s Ridge, Chet’s, Paul’s Park, Elliott’s
or Sally’s Run, and Blackburn’s Bash.
In Durango Ski, they and others whose roles may not be so well
known tell the story of a small town and a big idea.
Charlie Langdon’s story of Purgatory Ski Resort’s early years, first
published in 1989, is a timely reminder of how
a group of people can make their dreams a reality, and benefit an
entire community in the process.
From Durango
Ski:
“Everyone involved in Purgatory’s first days makes casual mention
of continuous snow and rain, mud, and running water.
They smile or laugh while remembering the frustrating, maddening but
magical summer and fall of 1965.
They recall the moment when each member of the now legendary crew
hoved into view, and they salute him or her with a smile
warmed by sentiment. Despite considerable differences in background
and temperament,
they share the unbreakable bond of having been present at the creation
of a daring enterprise.”
