Don’t know anything about Purdue, but I spent a good chunk of my life in Phoenix and have some friends at GCU. Closest skiing is 2.5 hours away at Snowbowl. Most of the people I know at GCU are pretty religious. Honestly if I were to have stayed in state, I would have definitely gone to NAU. All my friends over there ski 50+ days a season as opposed to the 1-4 days my friends at ASU, GCU, U of A, etc get. Just depends on what you’re looking for, what your priorities are, and what kind of a person you are.