Colorado

Our oldest moved to Phoenix for school and we wanted to visit. It was spring break and for Andy that means skiing. We flew into Phoenix and drove to Durango, Colorado. This was my first time skiing in Durango at Purgatory. We do like our ski vacations and have been to a couple of places in Colorado. We really wanted to stay slope side and were lucky that they had Kendall available. Tip: While slope side may seem more expensive than farther away, think about how long everyone is going to ski, transportation, parking and lunch (do you want to purchase lunch for the whole crowd at the lodge daily?). I do not ski as long as Andy so it was important to me that I did not have to drive to get back to our place.

Spring break at Purgatory was fantastic! They had demos (leading to Andy wanting a new board), they had music, things to do and such a fun atmosphere. I found myself not wanting to be in the condo but more where everything was happening, even when not skiing, and I could do that. It was also nice to be in the condo making lunch, reading or watching tv and knowing that they were close by and that I did not need to drive to pick them up when they were finished.

Going on a ski vacation that involves planes takes planning and decision making. For example, Andy always wants his snowboarding gear. I have some new gear now that I spoke about in my Chamonix post that now makes me want to take my gear with me. Tip: Skis and snowboards are more expensive to take by plane than your suitcase. You can ship them out, but that is not more cost effective than the plane. That would be more a convenience thing. For me, I used to just rent wherever I went as it didn’t really matter to me. Tip: Whatever you do, do not leave equipment or not rent to save money. Wear the helmet!

I definitely look forward to a return trip to Durango and Purgatory!