Wife and I are wanting to take a trip to New Mexico to ski this winter. Ski Apache is the closest to central Texas and will be the most reasonably priced of the resorts in NM. Anyone skied there in February? Any advice about the mountains, the Inn of the Mountain Gods resort, best time to go, etc... would really be appreciated.
As much as wed like to just head to Angel Fire or Santa Fe, its just not in the budget this year.
Ski Apache is a good mountain in terms of skiable acres (750) with a good variety of trails from beginner up to advanced. Best time to go is any time outside of holiday season, dec 25th- late to mid january. or during spring break time. The mountain is usually packed during those times and traffic can be a nightmare. Februrary is normally a good time to go when the snow is usually good and the crowds are lighter than normal. They still will pick up on the weekends but nothing crazy. I would suggest going any time during the week if you can, you will basically have the mountain to yourself especially if you go towards the top, using chairs 1,2,8, and the gondola. There is normally a good mix of groomed runs and natural runs that fit many different styles of skiing or snowboarding.
Inn of the Mountain Gods is a beautiful resort with plenty of ammenities. I have not stayed the night there but have been to numerous concerts or just to the casino. I believe they have stay and ski packages around $100 in which they provide transportation to and from the mountain which is a huge plus. Hope this helps, let me know if you'd like some more info.
We are definitely thinking early to mid february... This makes me feel alot better about our trip. I think we will do a long weekend, so our Friday runs should be pretty chill, then we will just deal with the "traffic" on sat and sun.
I love the Inn, however I hate skiing at the mountain. I have been on all the mountains in NM over the past 30+ years, and the attitude at Ski Apache just seems to be rude, if you are able to go with your own gear and just deal with the employees when your using the lifts, it is ok, but anything else seems to annoy them. It really isn't that much further up to Santa Fe, and IMO the enviroment is WAY better, the trails are groomed and unlike Apache, you can find powder to play in almost all season long! Don't mean to discourage your trip, skiing is fun anywhere, just saying for a few extra bucks you can have a way better experience.
I have to agree with Truck633. SkiApache can be a downright horrible experience on weekends when *everyone* comes in to hit the slopes. My sister has been pushed down by other skiers, dislocated a hip, and been yelled at by people zipping by when she was on the ground. If you do go in Feb, go during the week. It is so much nicer.
I skied at Sierra Blanca (now ski apache) years ago. It was a decent sized area even then. The main issue this year is probably going to be snow cover.
Was at Ski Apache yesterday with my son, he says the snowboarding is excellent. Just an fyi, the Ruidoso Schools have a program that allows the kids to get off half a day on Wednesdays to ski so there will be some extra "traffic" during the week during February. All in all it is a pretty good place to ski. There are lots of rude people that come from Juarez, Mexico but most of the locals are awesome. Enjoy your trip to our beautiful mountains!!
__________________
I know today I cannot change the wind, I can adjust my sail ~Lori Lee~
I don't know if you have made your trip yet but Ski Apache just got dumped on with this last storm. The mountain is now 95% open which is almost unheard of at this mountain. I am debating going up there this weekend supposed to be good snow. If you get there and the bowl is open check it out, it is a nice place to have some fun.
Linear Mode
