NEW ON THE SLOPES
Ski resorts beef up offerings for kids, snowmaking capabilities
The news on the mountains this season is not as momentous as past seasons when new lifts or new runs or new accommodations grabbed attention.
Among skiing fans, a long-standing tradition may be disappearing — or it could just be a piece of hyperbole designed to drum up numbers.
At Angel Fire Resort, the beloved annual Shovel Race, which marked 40 years last season, could be on the brink of extinction.
“We’re promoting this year’s snow shovel race as our last snow shovel race,” says marketing director Greg Ralph. “The event has been in decline for the last few years. If I promote this as the last one, either people will come in and fight for it passionately and prove me wrong or it will be the last shovel race.”
The resort also is beefing up its commitment to younger skiers with new, all-day ski schools that allow parents to enjoy a full day on the runs, he says.
Additionally, more age groups have been added to keep the young skiers together more efficiently.
And a children’s snowboard school has been added.
“We have kids as young as 5 years old who want to snowboard,” Ralph says. “So we added programs for them.”
Make it snow
On the heels of last season’s amazing snowfall and in optimistic anticipation of a similar result, Angel Fire has
taken steps to make sure that the slopes will open as early as possible.
“We’re looking at snowmaking changes and getting more efficient,” he says. “We’re always looking at ways of improving our abilities to make snow and get the mountain open earlier.”
That means adding new snowmaking guns that produce more snow at warmer temperatures, Ralph says.
“We can produce more snow at higher temperatures,” he says. “It’s a little more efficient so when we’re blowing snow at 30 degrees we get a lot more snow out of those so those marginal snowmaking conditions will be more efficient.”
Additionally, work is being done on the slopes, trimming the underbrush back so less snow is needed to make the runs usable sooner.
“They’re out there right now mowing the grass and the brush on our runs,” Ralph says. “Cutting all the vegetation down to a couple of inches so we can open with less snow now. Instead of having to wait until we have 16 inches of snow, we can now open with six inches of snow.”
When it comes to new snowmaking, Taos Ski Valley is buying into new technology in a big way.
Already a certified B Corp., a business that meets the strict standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability, Taos has been looking for ways to further reduce its footprint.
“We’ve had a lot of things in the works,” says David Norden, Taos Ski Valley chief executive officer. “We are evolving as an innovator in the business nationally.”
Toward that end, Taos has doubled its snowmaking capabilities in the past five years, using state-of-the-art machines heralded for their efficiency.
Additionally, the gas-powered grooming machines are a thing of the past, Norden says.
“We’re the 10th location in the world to be using electric-powered grooming machines so we can get off fossil fuels,” he says. “The technology is being used in Europe. We’re using a prototype this winter and see how that technology finishes the slopes.”
This summer work began on the new Blake Residences to complement the recently completed 80-room The Blake. The Residences, which should be ready by next ski season, will include 24 fully appointed residences, an ice rink, summer event stage and conference space.
Focus on kids
At Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort and Pajarito Mountain Ski Area, children are also taking center stage with a new concept designed to create lifelong skiers, says Christiana Hudson, spokeswoman for the two ski areas.
“We are doing four-week, Saturdayonly, all-day classes for ages 5-12,” she says. “The same group of kids progress with the same group of kids. It’s a great way to have some continuity in the lessons and really see your child progress. It’s perfect for parents who want to get their kids involved and get them skiing … quicker.”
Pajarito also is adding some innovative specialty days, like a ski and yoga session.
“We have partnered with a local yoga studio once a month to have yoga classes on the mountain,” Hudson says. “We’ve been doing it this fall and it’s a really beautiful way to experience the mountain.”
One of the more interesting new changes to the ski areas is happening right outside Albuquerque as the old High Finance restaurant has been replaced by the recently opened Ten-3 restaurant.
No restaurant management was available to discuss the restaurant, but according to a March 2018 construction summary, the restaurant retains the old footprint of 11,200 square feet. It seats 77 in the bar and 83 in the dining area. It includes an outdoor deck for special events.
“While the new building will not change substantially in capacity, significant improvements to the amenities will advance the guest experience at the top of the mountain,” the summary says.