Behind the Scenes: Running the Lifts at Purgatory

By the time we show up at our local resort, the crews have been working for hours to prepare for our arrival. The folks that work in mountain operations are the unsung heroes of wintertime, laying the foundation for every aspect of our enjoyment making turns, from park laps to groomer runs. In the center of it all is the lift maintenance crew, the keepers of incredibly complex machinery that ferries visitors uphill. In this video, meet Jim Brantley, the Director of Mountain Ops at Purgatory Resort. Jim is a snowboarder who has devoted countless seasons to ensuring that the chairs are running smoothly day in and day out at this Colorado mountain and he explains a little of what this entails. The bottom line, as you’re taking laps this winter, thank a liftie, a lift maintenance staff member, and your local mountain ops crew.