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Headwaters

Double black (off-piste) Purgatory, CO

Steepest pitch15°
Vertical121 ft
Length903 ft
Average pitch8°
FacesNE
Top10,430 ft

Headwaters drops 121 vertical feet over 903 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 15° about 280 feet below the top. That's steeper than 2% of the 2,251 double black runs we've measured in North America, and the 85th steepest of 90 named runs at Purgatory. It faces northeast.

How well Headwaters holds snow

Snow preservationAverage

Facing northeast at an average 8°, Headwaters gets about 83% of the winter sun that flat ground at Purgatory does, December through March. That's shadier than 50% of the runs we've measured, and the 62nd shadiest named run at Purgatory. Its top sits at 10,430 feet.

It gets an ordinary dose of sun: powder lasts a typical amount of time, and spring snow softens on a normal schedule. Shading from ridges and trees isn't counted yet.

Headwaters profile

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

Where it is on the mountain

Runs like Headwaters elsewhere

Nearby at Purgatory

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.