Durango investor James Coleman is continuing his southwest spending spree.
The Texas-bred businessman this week bought Colorado’s largest snowcat skiing operation.
San Juan Untracked — formerly the San Juan Ski Co. — has a permit to access almost 36,000 acres of backcountry ski terrain just beyond the boundary of the Purgatory ski area, about 35 miles north of Durango.
Last month , a family-owned locals favorite a few miles outside Durango. Taking a page from the Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass playbook, Coleman’s $799 Power Pass offers unlimited skiing at Purgatory, Hesperus, New Mexico’s Sipapu and Pajarito ski areas and Arizona’s Snowbowl. That pass now includes discounts and last-minute deals for what is now called
“Adding Colorado’s largest cat skiing operation to our portfolio of resorts extends the powder skiing experience and elevates it to another level,” Coleman said in a statement.
Coleman did not disclose the price for the snowcat operation. Bob and Carrie Rule, who ran San Juan Snowcats for 15 years, , which included a Forest Service permit through 2020, four snowcats, a snow-tracked van and 10 snowmobiles.
Dennis and Amanda Martin bought it from the Rules in 2013 and sold it to Coleman. Dennis Martin will manage Purgatory Snowcat Adventures, which has one of the country’s largest backcountry skiing permits, with an area that reaches from Purgatory to Rico to the west, the southwest flank of Engineer Mountain to the north and includes Grayrock Peak and Graysill Mountain.
“James and I both love skiing and love Durango, so this merger will help both of us accomplish what is important to me, and thatap putting Durango on the map for amazing backcountry skiing,” said Martin, in a statement.
