1^st Century Roman gourmand, Apicius was the first to adorn the phrase, “We eat first with our eyes.” Now a well-known consideration amongst the finest chefs, if flavour is the music to which our tastebuds dance, then presentation is turning up the volume. This season, Purgatory Ski Resort are practically blasting their culinary chords, with a unique dining experience that commences before you have even entered the restaurant.

Taking you places you never thought you could, Purgatory are literally parting the snow for guests to lap up the ultimate mountaintop entrance, arriving by snowcat. Short for snow and caterpillar, this one is certainly very hungry and its destination, just as exquisite as a butterfly. Starting with a taste of the Needles Mountains: an alpine delight, coated within the San Juan National Forest, this is no ordinary dinner. Up next, a selection of entrees, washed down with a mulled wine or champagne, are only set to line your stomachs for a sophisticated, five-course tasting menu with expert beverage pairings, prepared by an Executive Chef.

Purgatory Ski Resort boasts Colorado’s largest snowcat skiing and snowboarding operation, covering 35,000 acres of powder. A vast terrain with great variety, guests face the challenges of expansive bowls, steep trees, open cruiser glades, undulating gullies and chutes. A dream world for advanced and expert skiers, comfortable with taking on black diamond runs, Purgatory Snowcat Adventures are here to ensure that any and all abilities can explore their deepest powder. There are those who seek to shred and those who simply want to sit back and relax. From guided skiing and snowboarding to their scenic tours finished off with a hot cup of cocoa, either way, the snowcat is your superior transport of choice.

Now, under the light of the full moon, Purgatory have elevated this mountaintop experience to epic heights of the culinary kind. With each dinner date scheduled to align with this climactic phase of the lunar cycle, the spectacular views of the alpenglow and snowy mountain peaks are set alight. If your eyes are often bigger than your stomach, then this excursion certainly paints an endless menu of panoramic pistes. As the full moon ascends, so do you. Reserved exclusively for no more than twelve guests who arrive in this fashion, the snowcat climbs the trails to bring its diners to an intimate, fine dining experience on top of the mountain, from December right through to April.

Shining just as bright, Executive Chef, Joe Albright turns this feast for the eyes into one to satisfy the stomachs too. Bringing over 20 years of fine dining experience to your plates, working in Telluride, Tahoe andLos Angeles, he has been creating five-star dishes for Purgatory since 2019. A wild foods connoisseur, when the snowy peaks have melted away, he enjoys mushroom hunting in the San Juan Mountains over the summer and has become the mastermind behind an annual mushroom dinner. It is this kind of initiative and experimentation that drives the Snowcat Dinner Excursion. Supplied by Purgatory’s partners, Chef Joe starts with the wine and beer selections for the season and shapes the menu around the notes and flavours to compliment: a guaranteed, unique dining experience.

“We focus on seasonal, approachable wines that anyone would be happy to sip. Last year, we teamed up with Copper Cane Vineyards, which stocks both high-end and more approachable mid-range wines.” Specialising in local ingredients is something very important to Chef Joe and something equally impressive for his diners, tasting a slice of the very mountain surroundings they have been skiing down and now sit atop. However, with menus only available to view two weeks before the experience itself, the most addictive ingredient becomes one of mystery and intrigue.

Nestled between Silverton and Durango, a historic western town with more restaurants per capita than San Francisco, Purgatory Ski Resort is perfectly placed for such a sensual adventure. Like a good wine is to a good meal, life inside is designed to enhance the flavours and enrich our appreciation of the great outdoors. Harnessing the epitome of luxury ski-in/ski-out living, Purgatory Lodge is the result of of a $50 million base area investment. Its granite countertops and fire-lit living rooms open out onto private balconies that capture unparalleled views of the Needles Mountain Range. Kendall Mountain’s rooftop hot tub feasts your eyes upon the starry night sky, whilst Cascade Village encases you within its alpine landscape, warmed by the wood-burning fire for the feel of forested, rustic comfort.

On the southern edge of the San Juan Mountains, its slopes consist of steep tree-lined routes and wide-open cruisers. With the cat skiing and its black runs catering to the appetites of those more advanced, there are as many blue runs as there are bluebird days here to set your sights on. Averaging 260 inches of snow every year, 1600 acres of skiable terrain, 105 trails, 11 lifts and a vertical drop of 2029ft offer plenty of consistent, dry powder to fill your plate.

The best thing about a deep snowpack has to be the endless layers of fun that penetrate the surface. Just as quickly as the evening’s culinary offerings are lapped up from your plates, the snowcat gets to work on preparing tomorrow’s canvas for slipping and sliding. Far less crowded than its fellow state, sister slopes, a short chair lift ride away and 360-degree mountain views are yours for the taking. One of Colorado’s most family-friendly ski resorts, year-round activities include the Inferno Mountain Coaster, Snowcoaster Tubing Hill, snowshoe tours, sleigh rides and snowmobile adventures. In keeping with the theme of unforgettable entrances, even the area’s many terraces, rollers and banks allow riders to catch some air off some of the lips, this time taking the reins of your very own wild ride.

From piste to plate, a tour of the landscape that plays home to Chef Joe’s ingredients and inspiration brings his carefully curated tasting menu full circle. Dancing to the light of the moon and the flavours of these five courses, the mountains come alive with the sounds, smells and sights of Purgatory Ski Resort’s Snowcat Dinner Excursion.