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All eyes on the sky

Chapman Hill snowmaking slowed by warm weather

Call it the little hill that could.

Chapman Hill, Durango’s in-town 38.3-acre recreation headquarters, is a hopping place year-round. And right now, it’s time for winter sports.

But there’s a problem. While snowplows are working hard on area passes, most precipitation in town has been rain. Durango’s above-average temperatures pose a problem for snowmaking.

“It’s been so warm,” said Cathy Metz, director of Durango Parks and Recreation, which runs Chapman Hill. “Normally in December, we have a nice cold snap, but this year, it’s been a bit of a challenge. We’re just trying to get snow, so we can use the little tow for our lesson program during the 9-R (school district) break.”

The ski area announced Tuesday it now is open for limited hours on the “Little Rope Tow,” with lift tickets discounted to $4 for all ages. It will be closed Christmas Day. The city plans to open the “Big Tow” next week.

There’s a small patch of white at the hill’s base, vivid in a world of brown. Temperatures are predicted to get colder as the week continues – highs in the low to mid-30s and nighttime lows from 10 to 14 degrees. So things are looking up on the snowmaking front, which hopefully will support the plan to fully open next week.

In the meantime, here are some fun facts about Chapman Hill to ponder as skiers tell Santa all they want for Christmas is white stuff – and lots of it:

The ski hill is only 7 acres of the 38-acre total, with most of the hill kept in its natural state.

Chapman Hill provides numerous activities because of community partners, including the Chapman Hill Improvement Association, the Durango Winter Sports Foundation, the Durango Area Youth Hockey Association, Durango Figure Skating Club, Durango DEVO and Trails 2000.

The ski hill has a vertical drop of approximately 300 feet.

Chapman Hill boasted 3,377 user days in the 2013-14 ski season, growing consistently since 2009-10, which had 2,109 user days.

“It’s just like what happened when we got refrigeration in the ice rink,” Metz said. “Once we started making snow, we had a longer season and better snow for skiing.”

The ice rink is open from 6 a.m. to midnight, and it is busy the whole time.

More than 14,000 people came to enjoy drop-in skating, and 2,350 people signed up for different league activities in 2013-2014. Summertime roller skating and drop-in passes add to that number.

“Of course, for the leagues, people come many times,” Metz said. “There’s some real dedication with these groups. Can you imagine starting a hockey game at 11 p.m.?”

About 235 people participated in group ski and snowboard lessons in the 2013-14 season, and the number of private lessons doubled to 27.

In 2013-14, Chapman Hill used 1,765,709 gallons of treated water to make snow. According to Ron Moore, parks and cemetery manager, the city goes through a similar amount of raw water to keep Santa Rita Park, the largest park in town, green.

“We play on it for the frozen months,” Metz said. “Then it just goes back in the ground and the (Animas) River.”

It costs $63,492 to run Chapman Hill for the 2013-14 winter season, which included making snow, staff salaries and benefits, gas, electricity and the Sno-Cat. Revenue was $42,168, so the winter activities were subsidized to the tune of $21,324. That’s a significant improvement from 2012-13, when expenses exceeded revenue by $51,000. The city’s goal is for activities to have a 90 percent cost recovery, and Metz said they’re continuing to work toward that goal.

After several years of improvements to Chapman Hill, there won’t be a lot of change this year, Metz said, except for some realignment of ski features with the advice and help of the Winter Sports Foundation.

“We’ve been working with Trails 2000 to develop a bike park at Chapman Hill,” Metz said. “But the (Great Outdoors Colorado) grants are getting so competitive, we’ve applied twice and been turned down. We’re going to do a feasibility study in the first half of 2015 with Alpine Bike Parks, so we can at least get started.”

But that’s a summer activity.

For now, all eyes are on the thermometer, hoping to see the mercury move down.

If we can’t have natural snow, cold temperatures, so we can make our own would be much appreciated, Santa.

abutler@durangoherald.com

This story has been corrected to reflect the correct vertical drop of Chapman Hill, which is about 300 feet.

If you go

Chapman Hill Ski Area has opened its “Little Rope Tow” at the bottom of the hill and plans to open the “Big Tow” next week. Hours of operation this week:

Wednesday: Noon to 3 p.m.

Thursday: Closed

Friday-Saturday-Sunday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit www.durangogov.org to learn more about the offerings at Chapman Hill and to register for activities.

Mar 21, 2014
Hockey’s not done yet
Jan 19, 2014
Passionate about winter sports
Dec 4, 2013
Snowmaking underway at Chapman Hill


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