It was a beacon of winter, the Hesperus Ski Area.
Travel down U.S. Highway 160 any time after dark and you couldn’t miss the lighted slope with its evening hours of late.
But with unseasonably warm temperatures in the area the last two weeks, and more of the same in the long-range forecast, owner Jim Pitcher has decided to turn out the lights for the season at Hesperus. Monday will be the ski area’s last day of operation.
“We try to stay open through the middle of March,” Pitcher said in an email to The Durango Herald. “But when it is this warm, not only does the snow disappear, but so do the customers.”
The ski area has offered a variety of hours this season, but mostly has been open from late afternoon to mid-evening recently to allow for skiing under the lights.
Monday – also Presidents’ Day – Hesperus will open at 9 a.m., then close for the season at 4 p.m. According to the forecast, although the coolest day in recent days, the high temperature still is expected to reach the mid-40s in the area Monday.
