Recent spring temperatures have turned the snowy trails at The Nordic Center at Purgatory to mud, forcing the center to close for the season Wednesday.
There are no snowmaking machines at the center, and it is totally reliant on Mother Nature, said Helen Low, the Nordic Center manager.
A mid-March closure is normal, and last year, it closed a few days earlier, she said. This year, Christmas was the most successful part of a season that suffered from a dry February.
In February, the center ran out of snow, forcing the center to cancel a race and close for a week.
The major snowstorms around Feb. 23 allowed the center to reopen.
“It was a refresh; we thought we were done,” she said.
The center is looking forward to opening before Christmas next winter, depending, of course, on our fickle weather conditions.
“We desperately hope we get enough snow,” Low said.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
