Storm brings fresh powder to New Mexico ski resorts

SANTA FE, N.M. — In just one night, Ski Santa Fe got 12 inches of snow.

“12 inches of snow is every skier’s dream,” said Eric Thompson, Ski Santa Fe director of marketing.

Angel Fire Resort got four inches of snow overnight.

“Overall season, total snowfall is about 58 inches, that’s amazing,” said Erika Staudt, with Angel Fire Resort. “Especially if you compare it to last year, so we’re off to a really good start here.”

Taos got four inches overnight, Sipapu got three inches, and Red River got two inches. Overall, Wednesday’s winter storm brought in a ton of fresh powder fo folks hoping to hit the slopes.

“It has really allowed us to begin opening more terrain,” Thompson said. “To date, we’ve kind of been relying on manmade snow.”

“All of the lifts are officially open,” Staudt said. “We have several beginner and intermediate trails that are open right now.”

Officials at Ski Santa Fe and Angel Fire say this is the first major storm of the season, and they’re hoping for more in the coming weeks and months. They have also noticed a spike in attendance.

Thompson said Thursday has been the busiest day of the season so far at Ski Santa Fe.

“We already had folks that were booked here for the New Year, transition from our Christmas crowd now to the New Year crowd,” Staudt said. “But now locals. I mean, we have it easy, right? We can just look at the forecast and just hop right in the vehicle and you’re an hour or two away from fresh snow.”

Both resorts hope this trend continues into the new year.

“I never like to count the snow until it actually hits the ground, but all conditions look very optimistic,” Thompson said.

In years past, resorts didn’t see storms like this until later in the season.