In a short statement Friday, the Passenger Tramway Safety Board gave no specifics about the inspection or what maintenance and operational issues were found.
“The Hesperus Ski Area has voluntarily shut down to address maintenance and operation issues that were identified during a routine inspection by the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board,” Lee Rasizer, spokesman for the agency, wrote in an email to the Herald. “The Board will need to verify that all necessary corrections are completed before the area will be authorized to resume lift operations.”
Purgatory Resort, which is part of a ski area collective in the Southwest, including Hesperus, also gave no specifics.
“Hesperus Ski Area has temporarily closed its operations to take care of deferred maintenance, and it will reopen as soon as possible,” wrote Kim Oyler, in an email to the Herald. “All Hesperus passes will be honored at Purgatory Resort during the closure.”
When asked for further explanation, Oyler said lift maintenance is needed.
“Officials are still assessing the time line for the closure, because parts for the lift are on order, but they should know more soon,” she wrote in an email Friday.
The Durango Herald on Friday filed an open-records request with the Passenger Tramway Safety Board seeking more information.
Hesperus Ski Area was purchased last year by James Coleman, who added it to a collective of ski areas in the Southwest, including Purgatory, Arizona Snowbowl, Sipapu Ski & Summer Resort in New Mexico and Pajarito Mountain in New Mexico.
Check back at www.durangoherald.com for updates.
shane@durangoherald.com