Freestyling at Powderhouse and tree-skiing around the back of the mountain!
Durango Purgatory has pretty much everything a snowboarder could wish for. Down mountain from the Powderhouse (the restaurant at the upper terminal of the Engineer lift) they've installed a nice halfpipe on the Pitchfork trail. Just below the restaurant are a few small kickers. For more, check out the Paradise Freestyle Arena at the upper terminal of the Needles lift, where you'll find the more challenging kickers and rails. Up mountain from the base terminal of the Purgatory Village Express is another terrain park especially for the more advanced snowboarders. Unfortunately, Purgatory does have one huge disadvantage: the entire ski area is located below the tree line, so you won't find any wide open powder runs. What you will find is a balanced selection of easy slopes off the Twilight lift and intermediate slopes between the Hermosa Park Express and Legends lift in the western part of the ski area. There are also a few exhilarating tree runs through the San Juan National Forest. Basically, as is true for skiers, beginner and intermediate snowboarders won't get bored quickly at Durango. It's the more advanced skiers and boarders who may not be satisfied with the limited selection of black diamonds.