Recent snow dusting helps area ski runs
With regional ski area preparing for spring break, the dusting we got Wednesday helps, and most areas are reporting at least decent conditions — with some in prime shape.
Taos Ski Valley has a 32-inch base, and the new snow allowed Lift 4, serving Kachina Basin, to open Thursday. Almost all the frontside steeps, including Al’s and Inferno, have also opened, along with Juarez and Hidalgo off the hike-to Highline Ridge.
On March 5, active and retired U.S. military personnel receive half-price lift tickets and 35 percent off lodging at The Blake. TSV just canceled its major annual competition, the Taos Freeride Championships this week, because of the lack of snow. Hopes are still alive, however, for the 22nd annual Ben Myers Ridge-A-Thon, set for March 16-17, so make your plans and get in shape.
Ski Santa Fe has a 24-inch base (with 49 inches this season so far) and 42 percent of its terrain open.
Friday is its annual Customer Appreciation Day. Enjoy $25 off lift tickets and 25 percent off rentals, instruction, Chipmunk Corner, the sports shop and food.
Greg Butera and the Gunsels will be playing live on the Totemoff deck from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Also at 3 p.m., inside the Totemoff Annex, I will read brief passages from my new book from UNM Press, Skiing New Mexico, A Guide to Snow Sports in the Land of Enchantment, the first comprehensive ski guide to the state.
There will also be a short New Mexico ski trivia contest based on information in the book. Prizes include a signed copy of the book and a T-shirt. Copies ($20) will be for sale.
Upcoming events include live music from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Totemoff ’s on Saturday with JJ and the Hooligans, March 10 with Little Leroy and his Pack of Lies, and March 17 with Pigment. Its popular Jeff Gladfelter Memorial Bump Run is set for March 24, and its third annual rail jam contest is March 25. The Gladfelter will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is open to boarders and skiers of all ages.
Registration to this event is from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at La Casa Lodge.
The rail jam will have men’s and women’s ski and snowboard divisions, as well as under-14 ski and snowboard divisions. Helmets are required, and participants under 18 will need a waiver signed by a guardian. Registration will begin at 10 a.m. at Totemoff ’s. Music will be provided by DJ Your Boy Re-Flex.
Sandia Peak saw a surprising 32 inches of snow fall this season so far, and on an 18-inch base, the careful grooming and slope ground preparation allowed all runs to be open. But management is unsure if this will be the case this weekend.
Angel Fire Resort has a 20-inch base, and just a few of its expert runs are open. Recently opened are El Sol, Fire Escape, Fat City, Eagle Glade, Heck No, Short Cut and Minder Binder. On Saturday, the resort hosts USASA slalom and GS races, followed by a night rail jam, and on Sunday, it will have a USASA slopestyle comp in Liberation Park.
Ski Apache has a 28-inch base, and all runs are open on its 1,900-foot vertical drop. This includes steeps like Terrible, wide-open Apache Bowl. Are you the fastest in the Wild West? Prove it by competing for the Lone Star Cup on the Apache Star Race Course on March 11.
The course is located on Smokey Bear just off Midway at Chair 2. The fastest boarder and skier of the day will win cool prizes, swag and a trophy. For more information, call 575-4643600.
Sipapu, with a 27-inch base, has runs off the top of its lift-served terrain open and all lifts running. Lift 4 runs include Razzmatazz, Lower Jimmy Pop, Lower Glades, No Kaboos, Worm and Chopo’s. Lift 3 is serving up Brandy, The Playground, Flight School and Candy. Join a guided moonlight hike and campfire experience to mid-mountain Saturday.
Red River has a base of 20-24 inches. Almost all beginner and intermediate runs are open, as are more than half of its expert slopes. Enjoy a torchlight parade down The Face and fireworks every Saturday night from the Lift House bar and restaurant.
Pajarito, with just 29 inches of snow this season so far, has a 14-inch base and three beginner trails open.
Arizona Snowbowl, near Flagstaff, is enjoying a base of 39-45 inches and has skiing from its summit on both the ridge side and bowl side of its exposure.
Wolf Creek has a midway depth of 75 inches, with all 1,600 acres skiing beautifully. On Saturday, it hosts the Wolf Creek Challenge, a 40-plus gate GS course on middle and lower Charisma with technical gliding sections.
It is open to individuals and teams. Sign-up is at 8:30 a.m. at base camp, course inspection is at 9:30 a.m. and the race begins at 10 a.m. The combined entry fee and lift ticket is $36 for racers 18 and under and $68 for adults over 18.
Purgatory has a nice base of 42-47 inches, with all runs and its five terrain parks open. On Saturday, from 10 a.m. to noon, the resort will hold the Uncle Clyde’s Ride & Slide event. Team participants run up the tubing hill and slide down; the most laps completed wins. Teams must consist of two people in order to compete; three-person teams are also allowed if you are just out for fun, not prizes and glory. There will be male, female and co-ed divisions for adult teams, as well as race categories for kids and parent/child teams. This event is limited to just 60 teams. Registration costs $25 per team, and tubes are provided.
Telluride is headed into spring break in good condition, with a 45-inch base and all lifts running. All four of its terrain parks are open, as are three Nordic trails. Almost every intermediate run is open, as well as about half its expert runs off the Gold Hill and Prospect Express chairs, and all its frontside steeps. The Mountain Village ice rink is also in operation.
Crested Butte has a 45-inch base, with all but its North Face Lift operating and 93 of 121 runs open, plus four out of five terrain parks.
This Friday through Sunday it hosts USASA skiercross and boardercross competitions. On March 15-17, with the IFSA, the resort presents two Freeride World Qualifier extreme skiing contests, a competition form that CB helped pioneer several decades ago. For details, call 855534-7153 or visit www.freeskiers. org. On March 18, it hosts the annual Al Johnson Telemark Race. In this costume event, a tribute to a rugged 19th-century mailman, competitors climb 660 feet, then descend 1,200 feet down double-black diamond steeps. There are prizes for best times, best costumes and best fall. For details, visit www. cbavalanchecenter.org.
Monarch Mountain has an enviable 60-inch base.
Friday is the annual Customer Appreciation Day at Ski Santa Fe. Enjoy $25 off lift tickets and 25 percent off rentals, instruction, Chipmunk Corner, the sports shop and food. Greg Butera and the Gunsels will be playing live on the Totemoff deck from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.