A locally beloved ski area in southwest Colorado will stay closed for the 2023-24 season due to a “major mechanical failure,” according to a Wednesday announcement.

Near Durango, Hesperus Ski Area was preparing to kick off its season in recent weeks when operators identified a failing gearbox, according to that announcement. A news release described the gearbox as “crucial,” acting as the transmission between the lift’s motor and bullwheel.

While $100,000 was spent on other improvements at Hesperus this offseason, the gearbox failure caught operators by surprise, Theresa Graven told The Gazette, speaking for the ski area’s owning company, Mountain Capital Partners.

“It’s an old part, and as with a lot of these lifts, there’s not a replacement for it,” Graven said. “It has to be completely re-manufactured.”

Without snowmaking, Hesperus is limited to a short season afforded by Mother Nature; the aim is Christmas through as much of March as possible. “It’s going to take much more time than that to rebuild this thing,” Graven said.

Mountain Capital Partners also owns the much bigger Purgatory Resort on the other side of Durango.

The company is “committed to keeping Hesperus as a viable, affordable option,” Graven said. “They’re going to do everything they can to open Hesperus again in the near future. … Hopefully next season they’ll come back.”

Affordability is core to Hesperus’s reputation. Since 1962, the humble ski area of 60 acres and 700 vertical feet has served as learning and training grounds for Durango youth, while also attracting families from rural parts and Native reservations.

Hesperus has also prided itself as offering the region’s largest night skiing operation. Locals have taken to the 13 trails under the lights after work.

For the workout, many have opted for the uphill season pass. Those guests “earning their turns” won’t be allowed to do so this winter, according to Wednesday’s news release, which also said the parking lot will not be plowed and other parts of the mountain left unmanaged. 

Uphill season passholders can get a full refund or apply as credit toward a Purgatory pass or Hesperus pass for next season, as outlined in the news release. Other passholders can swap for another Purgatory product at a discounted rate or use as a credit toward other options.

The company on Wednesday declined to say how many passholders and employees were affected by the closure. The news release said workers were “encouraged to explore the possibility of working at Purgatory Resort this season.”

Night skiing would be a loss, Graven recognized, while also noting Cortez skiers’ preference for Hesperus’s closer proximity. She otherwise described Purgatory as a sensible “cross-over,” calling it similarly “affordable and attainable for families and people new to the sport.”

Purgatory’s website showed lift tickets as low as $45 in January as part of a demand-based pricing model announced ahead of the season. For the upcoming holiday weekend, costs were closer to $150 as of Wednesday evening. (Full-day Hesperus tickets had been listed at $48).

Purgatory’s demand-based model means prices go up with more customers. The model sparked controversy last season, when a local Arizona ski area saw tickets soar past $300 following significant snow.

Asked if the Purgatory experience would change with the Hesperus closure, Graven said she didn’t think so. “We have a pretty mellow ski experience here compared to other parts of the state and areas that are easier to get to from the Front Range.”

Night skiing is popular ata Hesperus Ski Area, about 11 miles outside of Durango. Photo credit: Scott DW Smith/Hesperus Ski Area