Durango Mountain Resort (Purgatory)
Organized By Jeanne Pastore
The 2nd Annual Tour de Ski Nordic Skate Ski race will take place in the beautiful San Juan Mountains January 24th, 2009. Set in the backyard of Durango, Colorado, the Tour de Ski promises to evoke images of skiing in the Swiss Alps with a start and finish at the top of Purgatory Mountain at Durango Mountain Resort. The Tour de Ski will also utilize the Hermosa Valley as a big section of its course, part of the largest road less area in the state of Colorado. With one of the highest race start and finishes in the United States, the Tour de Ski challenges athletes in with half-marathon (20k), and marathon (42k) races with the total elevation gain of approximately 3000 feet. There are also kid’s races of 6 and 12k distances. Views of Grizzly Peak, climbs up to Cascade Divide Road, rest stations with hot chocolate and cookies from local bakery Bread set this event apart.
