How Purgatory Resort Is Doing Its Part

I’M LAURIE SIGILLITO, OWNER OFFASTSIGNS AND THE CEO FOR LOCAL NEWS NETWORK. AND I’M HERE TODAY WITHDAVE RATHBUN WHO IS THE GENERAL MANAGER FOR PURGATORY SKI RESORT.DAVE, THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME. WHAT IN THE HECK? WHAT ARE WE DOING?WHAT IS PURGATORY DOING TO PIVOT AND ADDRESS THESE CRAZY TIMES?

EVERY DAY IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT, LAURIE. IT’S BEEN CRAZY.LIKE YOU SAID, EVERY, EVERY MOMENT SOMETHING DIFFERENT COMES UP.WE’RE TRYING TO KEEP OUR EMPLOYEES ENGAGED. WE’VE BEEN, HAD ALL OFOUR YEAR-ROUND STAFF, ABOUT A HUNDRED PEOPLE THAT WE’VE KEPT ON THEPAYROLL SINCE ALL OF THIS HAS OCCURRED, SO WE’RE JUST TRYING TO WAITIT OUT UNTIL WE CAN REOPEN THE RESORT IN SOME FASHION.

DO YOUHAVE ANY SENSE YET OF WHEN THAT MIGHT BE? ARE YOU GETTING ANY NODSTHAT MAYBE IT COULD BE THIS SUMMER OR YOU THINK THE SKI SEASON?

WE’D LIKE TO HOPE THAT IT’S GOING TO BE THIS SUMMER. WE’REUNDER, STILL, A CLOSURE ORDER FROM THE GOVERNOR THROUGH MAY THE 23RD.SO, YOU KNOW, NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN PRIOR TO LABOR DAY UP THERE,AND WE’VE ALREADY MADE PLANS TO REOPEN FOR SUMMER, JUNE THE 20TH. SOWE’RE HOPEFUL THAT BETWEEN NOW AND JUNE 20TH WE’LL BE ABLE TO FIGUREOUT REALLY SAFE WAYS FOR OUR EMPLOYEES AND OUR GUESTS TO COME BACK UPAND RECREATE.

THAT’S AWESOME, ‘CAUSE IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL UPTHERE IN THE SUMMERTIME. WE’VE GOT TO GET UP THERE. SO I, I NOTICEDSOMETHING ON YOUR WEBSITE EARLIER THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING SOMETHINGSPECIAL FOR THE SKI SEASON, THE 2020-2021 SKI SEASON. TELL ME ABOUT,WHAT THAT’S ALL ABOUT.

WELL, RIGHT NOW, WE’RE, WE JUSTLAUNCHED OUR SEASON PASS SALES AND IT’S, AND IT’S KIND OF ANUNCOMFORTABLE TIME. YOU KNOW, WE LOST THE LAST FOUR TO SIX WEEKS OFTHE SEASON, DEPENDING ON HOW THE SNOW WAS GOING TO HOLD UP. SO, IT’SA LITTLE PAINFUL TO GO OUT AND START TALKING ABOUT NEXT SEASON WHEN ALOT OF PEOPLE ARE DISAPPOINTED AND NOBODY’S MORE DISAPPOINTED THAN WEARE THAT WE WERE HAVING A GREAT SPRING BREAK. BOOKINGS WERE AS STRONGAS THEY EVER WERE FOR THAT LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS OF THE SEASON, ALLTHE WAY THROUGH EASTER AND THEN TO HAVE TO ABRUPTLY, LITERALLYOVERNIGHT, SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN. SO WE ARE SELLING PASSES FOR NEXTYEAR. IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN, AND WE’VE GOT INCREDIBLE DEALSFOR PEOPLE, AND ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT WE’RE DOING tTO SHOW OURCOMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY IS WE’RE GOING TO TAKE 1 PERCENT OF ALLOF THE PASS SALES THAT WE HAVE THROUGH MAY THE 29TH, AND WE’RE GOINGTO DONATE IT TO A LOCAL CHARITY TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE COVIDEFFORTS OF DURANGO AND THE COMMUNITY. SO WE’RE HOPEFUL THAT A LOT OFPEOPLE WILL STILL BE COMMITTED TO SKIING AND COME IN AND USE, USE OURPAYMENT PLAN OR PAY FOR THEIR FULL PASS BEFORE THE 29TH AND WE’LLTAKE ONEM (PERCENT) OF EVERYTHING THAT WE COLLECT AND PUT IT TOWARDTHAT RELIEF EFFORT.

THAT’S AWESOME. THANK YOU. THAT’S A,THAT’S HUGE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. SO, DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS OF WISDOM ORTHINGS YOU MIGHT WANT TO COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLYYOUR CUSTOMERSS AND OUR VIEWERS THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO SHARE?

WELL,WE TALKED TO A LOT OF PEOPLE ON FIRST AND FOREMOST. WE’RE TRYING TOKEEP EVERYBODY ON OUR STAFF INFORMED AND HOPEFULLY HAVE THEM FEELCOMFORTABLE THAT WE’RE ABLE TO PROVIDE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR THEM TOCOME BACK TO WORK. WE JUST COMPLETED A SURVEY OF OUR YEAR-ROUND STAFFON WHAT THEIR CONCERNS ARE, AND IT CAME THROUGH LOUD AND CLEAR: ABOUTHALF OF OUR STAFF IS PRETTY COMFORTABLE AND THE OTHER HALF STILL ISPRETTY APPREHENSIVE. A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY ARE FEELING THESAME WAY. SO MY, MY WORDS OF WISDOM WOULD BE, FIRST LET’S ALL FOLLOWTHE RULES. LET’S ALL MAKE SURE THAT WE CUT DOWN THE SPREAD, THECHANCE FOR SPREAD AS MUCH AS WE CAN BY FOLLOWING THE RULES AND BE,YOU KNOW, BE UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE VERYCONCERNED STILL ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON. SO THAT WOULD BE IT. JUST BE,BE CONSCIENTIOUS AND UNDERSTAND THAT NOT EVERYBODY MAY VIEW THESITUATION THE WAY WE DO. I’D LIKE TO THINK THAT WE’RE GOING TO GETBACK TO NORMAL, SOME SENSE OF NORMAL SOONER RATHER THAN LATER, BUTTHERE ARE GOING TO BE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE STILL EXTREMELYCONCERNED AND WE’VE GOT TO BALANCE EVERYTHING WE DO TO TAKE THEM INTOACCOUNT AS WELL.

WELL THAT IS VERY RESPONSIBLE FROM SOMEBODYFROM A SKI RESORT THAT HAS SO MUCH FUN, CRAZY PEOPLE UP THERE. SOTHAT IS REALLY GOOD TO HEAR

AND MANY PEOPLE. SO WE HAVE A BIGRESPONSIBILITY WHEN WE DO REOPEN TO, TO DO IT. RIGHT.

YEAH,I’M GLAD TO HEAR THAT. WELL, IF ANYBODY WANTS TO LEARN MORE ABOUTWHERE YOU ARE, WHEN YOU’RE OPENING ACTIVITIES THAT MIGHT BE HAPPENINGTHIS SUMMER, SEASON PASSES, WHERE SHOULD THEY GO?

THEY SHOULDGO TO OUR WEBSITE, GO TO WWW DOT PURGATORY RESORT.COM AND EVERYTHINGINCLUDING OUR LINEUP OF EVENTS, WHICH WE STILL HAVE TENTATIVELY.WE’RE STILL PLANNING TO GO AGAIN STARTING JUNE 20TH FOR THE ENTIRESUMMER SEASON.

AWESOME. WELL, DAVE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FORYOUR TIME, AND THIS IS LAURIE SILLITOE. THANK YOU GUYS FOR WATCHINGLOCAL NEWS NETWORK AND WE’LL SEE YOU SOON.

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