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Lower Purgatoire Glades

Black diamond Cuchara, CO

Steepest pitch27°
Vertical242 ft
Length604 ft
Average pitch24°
FacesN
Top9,896 ft

Lower Purgatoire Glades drops 242 vertical feet over 604 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 27° about 70 feet below the top. That's steeper than 33% of the 4,740 black diamond runs we've measured in North America, and the 9th steepest of 32 named runs at Cuchara. It faces north.

How well Lower Purgatoire Glades holds snow

Snow preservationExcellent

Facing north at an average 24°, Lower Purgatoire Glades gets about 49% of the winter sun that flat ground at Cuchara does, December through March. That's shadier than 93% of the runs we've measured, and the shadiest named run at Cuchara. Its top sits at 9,900 feet.

Shaded snow stays colder and drier, so it holds powder longer after a storm and is slower to crust over or turn to slush in spring. Shading from ridges and trees isn't counted yet.

Lower Purgatoire Glades profile

under 25°25–35°35–45°45°+ Hover to follow the line on the map.

Where it is on the mountain

Runs like Lower Purgatoire Glades elsewhere

Nearby at Cuchara

Measured by ZRankings from 1-meter USGS lidar. Steepest pitch is the steepest stretch of about 50 vertical feet along the skiable line. Run lines come from OpenStreetMap and can sit a little off the skied path.