Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 17, 1993 TAG: 9310150450
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: F-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By Linda Shockley
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
And New Mexico is the perfect complement to any ski getaway. If vacations are truly the time to leave it all behind and explore new territory, then the Land of Enchantment is the mother lode - especially in the season of the ski.
The ski season in New Mexico runs from Thanksgiving through mid-April, weather permitting, with average on-slope snow bases of between 200-350 inches. With eight alpine areas (seven in northern New Mexico) and backcountry in abundance, skiing is accessible for all levels and all styles. While Santa Fe and Taos draw the highest numbers of skiiers, others to consider include Angel Fire Resort, Pajarito Mountain Ski Area, Red River Ski Area, Ski Apache, Sandia Ski Area and Sipapu Ski Area.
A well kept secret for locals is the Pajarito Mountain Ski Area in Los Alamos. Offering 30 trails (35% expert/40% intermediate/24% beginner) on 700 acres, Pajarito is smaller, quieter and less expensive than Santa Fe or Taos but is open only on Wednesdays, weekends and federal holidays. Additionally, there's a sweet outdoor ice skating rink and easily accessible trail maps for cross-country skiing in the Jemez Mountains. Call Nancy or Sarah at the Los Alamos Ski Club for more information, (505) 662-5725.
All areas offer specialty instruction, children's programs and unusual skiing festivals throughout the season, such as Angel Fire's World Shovel Race Championships. For something different, ask about cross-country opportunities, torchlight parades, moonlight tours, dog sledding and snowshoeing. Avoid Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays if possible as even the big mountains are overloaded.
The Taos Ski Area might be the hands-on favorite in the region. Taos can convert the non-skier. It can make any level skier want to be better. It can make the money-conscious spend new tire money on lift passes and lessons. Taos is the answer to any ski argument with endless runs and truly spectacular views. Built in the 1950s, the Taos Ski Area has a distinct European flavor and is located just 19 miles from the tiny town of Taos, known for its Taos Pueblo, historic churches and arts community. And ski purists who take their snowy steeps, shutes, bumps and bowls without pesky snowboarders head straight to Taos which keeps them off the mountain. Taos, especially, has earned a reputation as a masters' moutain and is one of the few resorts in America where expert skiiers can receive the kind of instruction they need. This year, the Super Ski Week will run for eight weeks of intensive, full-day classes.
In addition to soft, glistening powder and blue skies, skiers in New Mexico may do well to heed a few notable details. Use sunscreen on and off the slopes. The city of Santa Fe is nestled at an elevation of 7,000 feet, and guests walking around the city experience the slow burning sun and the increased heights in a variety of ways: shortness of breath, a need for more fluids and sometimes even nausea. Alcohol may have a stronger effect and travelers find they sleep well here. The air, while cold, is crisp and dry, much less chilling than an East Coast winter air. It's best to layer clothing and adjust for comfort.
Even if the plan calls simply for skiing, there's something about a day of exhilarating downhill or a peaceful cross-country sojourn in the southern Rockies that creates an itch for additional apres-ski adventures. Whether that itch leads to a search for a bowl of steaming green chile with fresh tortillas, mysterious Anasazi ruins exciting Spanish fiestas, solumn and beautiful Native American feast days, healing mineral baths, or simply a roaring fireplace with a hot toddy, New Mexico has adventures aplenty, on and off the slopes. If travelers can spare the time, following are a few suggestions.
Art lovers can keep those skiing muscles limber with walking tours around Santa Fe and Taos, acclaimed for their historic and present-day artistic communities. Stop by the galleries for the most sought-after work in styles as varied as Spanish textiles and santos, Western painting, contemporary sculpture, and Native American jewelry, drums and pottery.
For a new twist, take to the streets. Watch for public art on the prowl: colorful murals painted right on restaurant walls, hand-carved altar pieces in churches and santuarios, sculpture gardens, and hand-wrought ironwork on gates, window grills and fences. Spend time enough for a second glance at lovely wooden doors and adobe entranceways in the Spanish Colonial tradition that lead to private courtyards in snow. Once you develop an eye for public art and craft, you'll be surprised by its abundance and quality.
Retrace the steps of the creation of the atomic bomb through the Los Alamos Historical Museum's recording of the Manhattan Project. Or explore the 12th-century Anasazi ruins of Bandelier National Monument, located 14 miles south of Los Alamos, where Park service paths lead the way through a valley of cliff houses, ceremonial kivas, petroglyphs anbd pictographs.
If shopping's the name of the game, visitors are thrilled with the offerings. For Santa Fe, the Plaza marks the end of the Santa Fe Trail where mule teams once carried wool to market. Today, it's still a hub of commerce as boutiques, galleries and museums mark the spot. Taos, too, boasts a colorful Plaza with shops, restaurants and galleries. For unusual shopping, remember museum gift shops and the pueblos.
Don't miss the pueblos which offer the most concentrated doses of the best of New Mexico: art, architecture, culture, dances and food. Pueblo feast days are highlighted by vivid traditional dress, dancing and the rhythmic drumming and singing of elders. Dress warmly as the dances are outdoors, and please pay attention to pueblo etiquette. Permits are often required for sketching, photography and video use and some feast days or ceremonials prohibit it. For information on pueblo dances, call the offices of the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos, (505) 753-9381.
Skiing works up an appetite and the regional cuisine, created in Spanish and Native American kitchens for centuries, provides sustenance for the slopes. Prepared with fresh, often locally-grown ingredients, don't be surprised to find yourself taking recipes homes. The chile pepper is a favorite of locals, which is ordered red, green or Christmas (a combination of red and green). Rich in flavor, chiles are often hot, so some visitors order it on the side as a culinary precaution. While many love the blue corn chicken enchiladas, carne adovada or chile rellenos, a simple don't-miss is a steaming bowl of green chile with beans and a side of sour cream.
Best tips: try a breakfast burrito at Tia Sophia's before heading up to the Santa Fe Ski Area, and follow a day on the Santa Fe slopes with a hot tub in the Japanese gardens of 10,000 Waves (located right right on the ski area road). If you're staying at the Eldorado Hotel in downtown Santa Fe, the rooftop jacuzzi can't be beat on a snowy evening. When calling about lodging, ask about ski packages.
New Mexico is truly the mother lode for skiers. Call it cowboy chic. Call it the Best of the West. Call it the Land of Enchantment: New Mexico is this and much more. While trendy catch phrases can easily develop into cornball cliches, New Mexico continues to survive the hype while offering spectacular surroundings, a casual lifestyle and an invigorating mix of cultures. For a complimentry New Mexico Vacation Guide, call (800) 545-2040.
The motto of the New Mexico Film Commission is: Don't Shoot Till You See The Blue Of Our Skies. Skiers in the state know better than most just how blue those skies can be.
Linda Shockley, a Moneta-based freelance writer, lived and skiied in New Mexico for 12 years.
If you go . . .\
TAOS SKI VALLEY
P.O. Box 90, Taos Ski Valley, NM 87525 Information: 505-776-2291; 24-hour Snow Phone: 505-776-2916 Lodging: 800-776-1111 (out-of-state); 505-776-2233 (in NM) Ski School: 505-776-2291 Season: November 25, 1993 - Apil 10, 1994 Mountain Stats: Base Elevation, 9,207 ft; Peak, 11,819 ft; Vertical Drop, 2,612 ft. Average Annual Snowfall: 300+ inches Snowmaking on 85% of beginner and intermediate trails Number of Named Trails: 72 24% Beginner; 25% intermediate; 51% Expert Snowboards are not allowed. Lifts: 11 total: 3 quads, 1 triple, 6 double, 1 surface Total Uphill Capacity: 13,500 skiers per hour 1993-94 Lift Ticket Prices: Adult Full-day: $35 Child Full-day: $20 Adult Half-day: $23 Child Half-day: $15 Special rates for multi-day passes and for novice lifts. Special discounts apply during January and Low seasons. (Low season: 11/5/93 to 12/19/93; 3/28/94 to 4/10/94. January season 1/3/94 to 2/16/94 (except for Martin Luther King holiday weekend). Seniors 70 and older ski free; 65-69 all day for $12. Credit Cards Accepted: MC, Visa, Amex At Base Area: Ski rentals, repairs, lodging, retail shops, variety of restaurants and pubs, information center, lost & found, lockers and basket check, meeting rooms. Ski School: Nation's top rated alpine, private and group lesson. Ski week, special children's programs, race camp.
TO GET TO TAOS SKI AREA: Fly into Albuquerque International Airport, 134 miles SE of Taos; Interstate 25 north to Santa Fe, NM 84 exit to Espanola, NM 68 to Taos, proceed north to NM 150, turn right and travel to end of road.
SANTA FE SKI AREA
1210 Luisa St. Suite 10, Santa Fe, NM 87501 Information: Ski Area, 505-982-4429; Snow Reports: 505-983-9155; Lodging and Ski Packages: 800-776-SNOW
Season: November 25, 1993 to April 10, 1994 Mountain Stats: Base Elevation: 10,350 ft.; Peak: 12, 000 ft.; Vertical Drop: 1,650 ft. Average Annual Snowfall: 225 inches Snowmaking on 30% of trails Number of Named Trails: 38 20% Beginner; 40% Intermediate; 40% Expert Snowboarding Allowed Lifts: 7 total: 1 quad, 1 triple, 2 double, 3 surface Total Uphill Capacity: 7,300 skiers per hour 1993-94 Lift Ticket Prices: Adult All-day: $33 Child All-day: $20 Adult Half-day: $23 Children 12 years and under and seniors 62 and older ski all lifts, all- day for $20 (Over 72 and kids under 46" tall in ski boots ski free). Novice lift is $17 all day. Multi-day packages available. Credit Cards Accepted: MC, Visa, Amex and Discover At Base Area: Ski rentals (alpine, recreational to high-performance) snowboards, boots. Mall includes retail shops, ski equipment rentals and sales. Variety of restaurants, lounge. Ski School: Alpine, specialty classes/workshops in bump, powder, telemark, race and snowboard. Special childrens' programs.
TO GET TO SANTA FE SKI AREA: Fly into Albuquerque International Airport, 65 miles SW of Santa Fe; Interstate 25 north to Santa Fe, then NM 465 16 miles to ski area.
by CNB