New and improved trails, more snowfall get the season going
Last week, I provided some details on what’s new and improved at our regional ski areas — in New Mexico, Southern Colorado and Arizona. Here is more news, and updates on openings, plus conditions as of Thursday morning.
Ski Santa Fe has a 22-inch base and seven runs open, including Midland from the summit of the Super Chief quad. On Saturday, enjoy live music from the Kitty Jo Creek Band on the Totemoff’s deck from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Angel Fire Resort, with a 12-inch base, will fire up the Chile Express chair on Saturday, with one run — Headin’ Home — from the summit. It also has a handful of beginner runs open at the bottom. Recognizing that our snow seems to be coming later and falling longer into spring, Angel Fire decided to extend its season through March 25.
“For the past few winters, we’ve seen the best snow come in March,” said Andy Whitacre, director of the resort’s mountain operations. “These late winter storms are often the driest powder and create the perfect late season skiing for spring break families. We’ve decided as long as the weather cooperates again this year, we will be open an additional week.”
Angel Fire is opening a new hike-toaccess black diamond trail this winter, named C-4. Located in what was previously out-of-bounds territory, it accesses a 9-acre enclave with a 1,000-foot vertical drop for expert skiers. The run is reached via a 15-minute hike from the top of the Southwest Flyer quad chairlift. It will open when snow conditions allow. Additionally, skiers and snowboarders can enter the black diamond trails Nitro, Detonator and Baa-Da-Bing via the same hike, which all descend into the Back Basin.
Under the direction of terrain park designer Jon Eppler, Angel Fire’s three parks — Liberation Park, Sweet Street and Night Rider — have been expanded with new or improved features and jumps. Eppler, who created parks for major events, including the Winter X-Games and the Burton U.S. Open, completely redesigned Liberation Park in 2014 and continued to develop and improve the parks each season.
The resort also tweaked its snowmaking equipment with two new TA-40 fan guns, a newly released TR8 demo fan gun and some new state-of-the-art stick guns. Additionally, it installed 2,900 feet of new snowmaking lines on the popular blue run, Jaspers. Alongside Exhibition and Headin’ Home, this improved, groomed run will offer skiers an alternate way down the mountain in the early season.
“This year we’re adding brand new wayfinder signs on the mountain,” Whitacre said. “While it offers our mountain an updated look, it will also help our guests navigate the newer named trails.”
Sipapu has an 18-inch base and seven runs open. Expansion and renovation of Sipapu’s historic two-story timber and stone lodge was completed this summer. The 2,141 square-foot addition on the west side includes a new rental shop, ticket office, restrooms, locker room and gathering space.
“The expansion and renovation of the Lodge will improve our guest experience by enhancing the overall flow in base area
and allowing people more time on the slopes,” Sipapu mountain manager John Paul Bradley said.
Pajarito kicks off its season Saturday. Its new magic carpet and the beginner chair will spin, with access to beginner trails including Mushroom, Run Out to Zero Road East, and the beginner’s area. Discounted prices are in effect, with $24 lift tickets for all skiers and snowboarders. Pajarito will be open daily through Jan. 7. For updates on schedule beyond Jan. 7, visit their web site.
“Even though we had to delay our opening due to unseasonably warm and dry weather, our mountain crews were able to take advantage of colder temperatures and make sufficient snow for our opening day.” states Pajarito general manager Tom Long, “With snow in the forecast this week, everyone at Pajarito is excited to get ski season started on Saturday!”
Taos Ski Valley has 18 inches, with Powderhorn and White Feather open off Lift 1, and the Pioneer beginner section functioning. It is offering reduced tickets: adults $65, senior/teen $50, youth $40 and military $50.
Purgatory has a 10-inch base and eight trails open, including a few from the top of the Village Express chair. Purgatory has added new intermediate and expert trails on the mountain’s backside and frontside, as well as some gladed terrain.
“Our mountain crews have been removing dead and hazard trees in an effort to help maintain a healthy forest,” said Ed Youmans, vice president of Purgatory’s Mountain Operations. “These efforts help protect our forest while providing additional tree skiing for our snow enthusiasts.”
The triple chairlift, Needles Lift 6, has a new mid-way loading zone to provide an easier way to access terrain for ski teams, terrain park users and skiers who want to make laps on the upper half of the mountain.
The resort has also installed a new mountain coaster accessible from the base area. Located just north of the Twilight Lift 4, the coaster will operate during both winter and summer seasons. It runs some 4,000 feet in length with a 300 foot-vertical, and features nine switchbacks and one loop.
Improvements have been made to the snowmaking infrastructure, nearly doubling capacity on the frontside with new pipe, access to electricity and additional energy-efficient snow guns and fans. Crews have boosted snowmaking capacity on the upper portion of the frontside to help improve early season conditions.
“By upgrading our snowmaking system and boosting our capacity and efficiency,” Youmans said, “we’re able to make more snow during a shorter amount of time, which ultimately allows us to open the mountain earlier and maintain our solid base throughout the spring.”
These projects are part of a $15 million multi-mountain capital improvement plan for the 2017-18 season that was announced earlier this year by officials of the company that now operates five regional ski areas: Purgatory Resort, Arizona Snowbowl, Sipapu Ski & Summer Resort, Pajarito Mountain and Hesperus Ski Area (a small hill in Durango with night skiing).
They also operate Colorado’s largest snowcat skiing operation, Purgatory Snowcat Adventures. The Southwest’s largest ski area collective invested some $35 million over three consecutive seasons.
Wolf Creek has a 12-inch base, with 41 inches having fallen so far; Crested Butte has 14 inches, with 16 trails open; Monarch has 18 inches, having received 47 inches this season-to-date. Telluride opened and received 14 inches so far, with its six open runs supplemented by man-made snow. Silverton Mountain plans to open Dec. 28, but is not reporting current snow conditions. Arizona Snowbowl, near Flagstaff, opened with an 8-12-inch base and six runs open, including some intermediate trails, from its high-speed Grand Canyon Express chair.