I am writing this from Durango. No, no, not from a Durango SUV, but from the charming Southwest Colorado town with a ski resort just up the road.

With the paucity of snow all over the Northwest, I decided a snow-seeking road trip was in order, and having just spent most of a week here, I am thrilled with what I’ve experienced. Durango itself is an authentic western style town, with great scenery, restaurants, a famous railroad, and not far from the Mesa Verde historical Anasazi dwellings.

But it was Durango Mountain Resort that drew me here. I needed to make some linked turns in the alpine, and I was totally inspired by what this mountain has to offer.

Here are some basics. The mountain, which used to be called Purgatory in prior years, sports a 2000 foot vertical rise, has nine chairlifts, on slope lodging, five terrain parks, and over 1300 skiable acres. I would be remiss in not mentioning that the mountain scenery is marvelous, with the San Juan Mountains completely encircling the resort.

But when digging beneath the basic facts, you will find much more than expected. First of all, virtually every trail is tree-lined, making this a terrific option for skiing and riding during times of limited visibility. And these runs are really long; you can ski from top to bottom with just one lift ride. The runs have varying pitch and direction, so you swoop left and right, and up and over many rises, so nothing is boring. Everyone I skied with had huge smiles on their faces; it is a fun, playful mountain.

Lift lines? Never saw one. Apparently this is one of Durango’s calling cards, as crowded conditions are scarce. And then there is the grooming. How do you spell excellent? The grooming isn’t just done down the middle of the trail, but right up to the trees, and even through tree islands. In a year like this one, with limited snow in the mountains, good grooming will make the difference between a marginal experience and a good one.

The whole Durango Mountain Resort prides itself on being family friendly, so there are lots of kids programs. Compared to its Colorado cousins like Vail, Aspen and Telluride, Durango is reasonably priced. I’m not saying skiing is cheap, but you can achieve some savings over other resorts. I noticed that on Thursdays you can buy a $49 lift ticket, a nice discount from the normal $79 rate. By the way, did you know a daily lift ticket at Vail now can cost $145?

One of the reasons that Durango is family friendly is due to having slopeside lodging options. The Purgatory Lodge and Village Center properties have size options to fit even large groups, with up to 4 bedrooms if desired. However, there are only three places to dine at the base of the resort, not counting the two on-mountain daytime lodges.

So many visitors either cook dinner in the lodging kitchens, or plan on driving 30 minutes down the mountain into Durango itself. If the dining options are limited at the mountain itself, the exact opposite is true for the city of Durango. This town lives way larger than it should based on its population, and the restaurant options are unexpectedly excellent, numerous and tasty.

The local population is very excited to see what the new resort owner, James Coleman, will be able to accomplish once the sale is completed later this season. The mountain could really use at least one more high-speed lift to access the steeper terrain on the far backside, and Coleman says he has that improvement on his wish list. Stay tuned along with me; I’m going back.

John Naye is a Mercer Island resident and the past president of the North American Snowsports Journalists Association. He can be reached by email at jnaye@trekworks.com.