Skiing New Mexico
Sandia Peak & Sipapu
By Mitch Kaplan
New Mexico skiing is rounded out by Sandia Peak and Sipapu. Sandia Peak is a day area just a few miles outside Albuquerque. With a respectable 1,700-foot vertical drop and 200 acres of skiing, it's popular with locals. You get there either by driving half an hour from town around the to the backside and up; or, you can take the 10-to-15-minute drive to the western face, and take the 50-person tram, a lift that sees more dinner-and- view tourists than skiers over the course of the year.
You'll find Sipapu in the midst of the Pecos Wilderness and the Carson National Forest about 22 miles southeast of Taos. The word"Sipapu" means "Land of Paradise" or "Spirit Place" in the Tewa language, and the name is apropos. A very small, family-owned, strongly family-oriented, old-fashioned place, they've been skiing here since 1952. Currently, you'll find 19 trails, an 865-foot vertical drop and lodging for 175 people, served by three lifts— two surface tows and a chair. If you want to take your kids to someplace that smacks of the way skiing was when you were a kid, this is it. And all it costs you is $31 a day for an adult ticket, plus you can rent gear for 15 bucks. Sweet.
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