Santa Fe, NM: 12/08/02

[jamesdeluxe]

One of the hard and fast rules of destination travel is "never book a ski trip to New Mexico before the New Year." Good thing that back in late 2002, the beginning of my third season downhill skiing, I hadn't acquired a big storehouse of conventional wisdom. That year, the NM tourism board was offering some preposterous skiing/lodging deal to attract skiers before the Xmas holidays — I think I returned with more money than before I went.

After it snowed like hell around Thanksgiving (it was an El Nino year), Bob from Los Angeles -- whom I'd met through the nascent Epicski forum -- and I pulled the trigger. The trip was a homecoming of sorts, my first visit to the state since I'd attended grad school at the University of New Mexico, 1991 to 1993.

With the summit at 12,000 feet, Santa Fe is worth visiting for the desert vistas alone. Looking south behind Bob and the trail signs are Albuquerque's Sandia Mountains, 50 miles away:

Looking west toward Los Alamos and Pajarito ski area, which was unfortunately not open at that point of the season.

This is the gate to the Big Tesuque sidecountry run:

1,600 verts and a lot of variety, including great tree skiing:

One of my favorite blue-squares anywhere, Gayway:

Me on Lower Gayway:

Everyone, even those on four legs, was enjoying themselves:

 

[tirolski]

Nice jd.
I got accepted to the grad school program at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces (solar engineering research) but went to Ole Miss instead.
The nearby mountains and sunshine were pluses.

 

[raisingarizona]

Bob (Santa Fe local) made sure to take us down Gayway. The views are huge!

 

[jamesdeluxe]

I got accepted to the grad school program at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces (solar engineering research) but went to Ole Miss instead. The nearby mountains and sunshine were pluses.

Interesting. My Master's thesis advisor was a professor at NMSU and I went down a few times. Seemed very much like Tucson for climate and topography.

Bob (Santa Fe local) made sure to take us down Gayway. The views are huge!

Great that you got not only a local's tour but also the guy who designed the tree skiing. Yeah, the views -- south to the Sandias and west to the Jemez (which is where I did most of my mountain biking in the early 90s) are killer. If you get a chance, try Powderhorn in western Colorado for a similar look and feel as Santa Fe.

 

[Cornhead]

Bob (Santa Fe local) made sure to take us down Gayway. The views are huge!

I'll never forget looking over my shoulder on the way up on the quad, I think you can see all the way to Colorado. Base elevation 10,350, summit 12,075. I took my sister's friend's husband, he hadn't skied in years. He missed skiing for free by a couple months, 70 and over, back then IIRC. He ended up buying equipment, but never caught the bug. Golf is his passion. No justice, million dollar house, 12 miles from some incredible free skiing. Oh well, maybe in my next life.

 

[raisingarizona]

I'll never forget looking over my shoulder on the way up on the quad, I think you can see all the way to Colorado. Base elevation 10,350, summit 12,075. I took my sister's friend's husband, he hadn't skied in years. He missed skiing for free by a couple months, 70 and over, back then IIRC. He ended up buying equipment, but never caught the bug. Golf is his passion. No justice, million dollar house, 12 miles from some incredible free skiing. Oh well, maybe in my next life.

The more I think about it I feel Ski Santa Fe may be the best sub 2k vertical mountain I’ve ever been to. The terrain is awesome.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

I think you can see all the way to Colorado.

If I'm not mistaken, Santa Fe is west-facing so you're probably looking at the Jemez Range and beyond -- regardless, it's a great desert/mountain view.

From north-facing Pajarito (below), you can see the white-topped Sangre de Cristo range 70 miles away, where Taos Ski Valley is located. I'm guessing that you can't see across the state line to Colorado from that vantage point.

 

[Cornhead]

I didn't get to take advantage, but I remember a gate at the top of a lift that you could leave a car on the access road, and ski the side country. I bet that would be pretty sweet.

Ski Santa Fe may not be a destination resort, but it would make a very cool home mountain. Taos is only about an hour away if you want something more challenging. Taos is definitely that. We traveled to Taos from Santa Fe for a non ski day trip, went to the bridge, had lunch. I had my sister drive up to the ski area so I could check it out. Went through the lodge, exited the hill side, YIKES! Al's run staring you in the face. You can't see the cross trail from the base, it looks like Al's is the only way down. After skiing there one of the locals said he's known of people that turned around and called it a day before ever getting on a chair. I can see why.

 

[raisingarizona]

I didn't get to take advantage, but I remember a gate at the top of a lift that you could leave a car on the access road, and ski the side country. I bet that would be pretty sweet.

Ski Santa Fe may not be a destination resort, but it would make a very cool home mountain. Taos is only about an hour away if you want something more challenging. Taos is definitely that. We traveled to Taos from Santa Fe for a non ski day trip, went to the bridge, had lunch. I had my sister drive up to the ski area so I could check it out. Went through the lodge, exited the hill side, YIKES! Al's run staring you in the face. You can't see the cross trail from the base, it looks like Al's is the only way down. After skiing there one of the locals said he's known of people that turned around and called it a day before ever getting on a chair. I can see why.

The Taos ski patrol does amazing work with their snow safety program. It’s a very dangerous place and dealing with that snowpack and terrain looks ridiculously challenging.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

I didn't get to take advantage, but I remember a gate at the top of a lift that you could leave a car on the access road, and ski the side country. I bet that would be pretty sweet.

Yes, that's Big Tesuque -- you can see the gate in the fourth pic from my TR above.