Ski New Mexico

Skiing and Snowboarding in the Land of Enchantment

Archives for March 2019

5 Great Stops on Your Way to New Mexico

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Driving to New Mexico from Oklahoma or Texas can be a great experience if you know where to go. These five places are perfect to stretch your legs and explore. They will leave you excited and refreshed during your trip to the mountains!

 

Photo by @wanderyonder.photography

Cadillac Ranch

The Stonehenge of the West is a must see for any traveler driving through Amarillo. Check out ten Cadillacs buried nose down, covered in spray paint and other artwork left by visitors. Bring your own can of paint to make your mark!

 

Palo Duro Canyon

Stretch your legs and take in amazing views at Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Here you’ll find countless walking trails, scenic overlooks, and one of the more underrated canyons in the U.S.!

 

Photo by @pbarfarms

Stafford Air and Space Museum

Stop on Route 66 at one of the most comprehensive air and space museums in the U.S. Named for a Weatherford, Okla., astronaut, it showcases thousands of items sure to delight and intrigue the curious mind!

 

Photo by @kleverdagreat

The Big Texan Steak Ranch

Try out your eating chops at The Big Texan Steak Ranch. The rules are simple. Eat a 72 oz. steak with all the fixings in an hour or less. Succeed, and get a free steak (plus a belly ache). Fail, and get slapped with a $72 bill.

 

Photo by @johnsunphotography

Devil’s Rope Museum

Stop in McLean, Texas, to check out an incredible display of barbed wire, including sculptures and historic items at the Devil’s Rope Museum!

Ski NM Annual Pond Skimming Events

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The rules are simple: get down the slope as quickly as you can and preferably in the wackiest costume you can find, then do your best to sustain both verticality and forward momentum as you glide or skim across the surface of an ice-cold body of water.

Make it all the way across, and glory will be yours as you bask in the roars of the appreciative crowd. Fail to get enough speed, mistime your jump, or get slightly out of balance and there will be no mistaking the chill of failure.  Either way, showmanship is key. The crowd can often determine your fate and sway the judges’ decisions in your favor. Do something truly unique and even a splashdown could be rewarded with victory!

Whether you’re going for ultimate glory as a competitor or choose to be a warmer, drier spectator, there’s nothing like the fun of pond skimming or enjoying one of those amazing bluebird days in New Mexico.

Pond Skim Events

Sipapu Ski & Summer Area – March 23

Skiers and boarders test their balance and bravery—and try to stay dry—as they race down the mountain and attempt to “skim” across lake Sipapu. Prizes awarded to the best finishers, including a Never Summer snowboard and Praxis skis, both featuring a colorful and awesome Sierra Nevada design.

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Red River Ski & Summer Area – March 24

Join Red River Ski & Summer Area as they send off the ski season with their annual Pond Skim, an event you won’t want to miss!

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Taos Ski Valley – April 7

Celebrate the end of the season by laughing until your sides hurt at this must see event. Competitors will use any means necessary to skim across a pool of ice cold water (best costume earns points). Each competitor will get two chances to show off their skills with plenty of opportunities to win prizes from Sierra Nevada, Never Summer, Smith and more.

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Ski Santa Fe – April 13

Ski Santa Fe presents Slush Cup 2019 on Saturday, April 13! Test your Pond Skimming skills from noon – 3pm at Totemoff’s or just join us for the show with live music. Costumes are encouraged and registration is free. The “Winner” will receive a special Slush Cup Trophy. Grab your skis or board and come enjoy the final weekend of the 2018/2019 Ski Season with our closing weekend festivities and live music on the deck at Totemoff’s.

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The Season is Not Over Yet

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Thanks to record snowfalls, New Mexico Ski areas are ringing in spring with fun events and an extra week of skiing! Some areas are reporting more than 250 inches of snow and have even had some late season storms. What a better way to celebrate the extended season than with some pond skimming?

Ski Areas with Extended Openings

Pajarito

Open daily until March 24, and on weekends until April 7.

Sipapu

Open daily until March 24, and on weekends until April 7.

Taos Ski Valley

Open daily through April 14.

Ski Santa Fe

Open daily through April 14.

4 Reasons to Use On Mountain Childcare

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Family vacations are often yearly highlights. There’s nothing like getting time to unwind, relax, and have fun together away from the daily grind of work, school, and so on. But sometimes, vacationing with children can be a struggle! Next time you go skiing, you might consider leaving your children in one of the resort child care centers. Here’s why.

 

  1. They’re safe.

Let’s face it. Leaving your children with someone you don’t know is scary! Luckily, the employees at the centers are trained to care for children just like yours, they’re in a public place, and there are security systems in place to make sure you’re the only one who can pick up your child.

 

  1. They’re close by.

If you’re nervous about leaving your child in a daycare center, it’s nice to know you can pop in at any time to see how they’re doing. If you need a break, want to grab a snack, or just want to check in, it’s easy to do so when the childcare center is right by the slopes.

 

  1. They’ll have fun.

Each ski area invests in the childcare center and in their employees to make sure day care is a fun experience for each child. Oftentimes, they’ll even take your little outside to play in the snow so they can learn to love the mountains as much as you do!

 

  1. You’ll be able to spend time on the mountain.

No more taking turns hanging out with the baby or forgoing skiing altogether. Taking advantage of the lodge childcare center means you can hit the slopes knowing that your child is safe, close by, and having fun.

 

If you’re planning a trip to a New Mexico ski area, be sure to call ahead and save a spot for your child. They often fill up quickly, especially on the weekends or holidays. Get ready to have a great vacation!

5 Reasons to Take A Private Lesson

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If you’re planning your next trip to the mountains and trying to decide between a private or group lesson, here are some reasons you might go with the former.

1. Get individualized attention

Nothing can replace the value of one-on-one attention from an expert trained to instruct you in skiing or snowboarding. When you take a private lesson, you get all of their knowledge to yourself or your small group, meaning you can work on exactly what you need to, instead of trying to keep up with everyone else.

2. Get to know your instructor

Instructors come to New Mexico from all over the world. They might be there to teach you new skills, but a one-on-one lesson could give the space to get to know someone new and learn how they became so good at the sport!

3. You can spend time with your loved ones

Private lessons are not just for one person, at most areas you can add on as many people as you would like which also brings the cost down.  If you want to take a private lesson with your spouse or family members, it’s a great bonding experience. With the instructor and two of you, a lesson can become a great family activity and you’ll make memories that will last a lifetime.

4. Skip the lift lines

Who doesn’t hate waiting in line? Most ski areas let instructors conducting private lessons and students skip the lift lines. That means you get prime access to all the ski area has to offer. Plus, less time in line means more time practicing your new skills!

5. You’ll get better, faster

Sure, you could spend a day or two on the slopes trying to teach yourself what to do, but if you’re serious about improving, a private lesson is the way to go. You’ll be taught by a trained expert, observed for improvement, and then coached accordingly. Save your time (and your body) and reserve a private lesson!

 

So go ahead and book your private lesson today. You’ll quickly learn why so many people opt for the individualized attention and smaller groups. Get ready to enjoy your new skills on the slopes!

Our First Family Vacation in Red River, NM

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Red River, N.M., will always hold a special place in my family’s heart. It’s where I got my first snowboard lessons as an adult, it’s where I perfected my “falling leaf,” it’s where I waited out a snowstorm at the only hotel in town with a generator, and now, it’s where I took my children for our first family vacation.

 

My husband and I made the decision to become foster parents in August, and six months later, we were blessed with two beautiful boys to welcome into our family. As first-time parents, we were thrilled, excited, nervous, and overly prepared. (Don’t ask me about how many toys we have in our house, or the giant box of extra clothes in the closet.)

 

One of the first things we wanted to do with them was take them on a family vacation to experience the mountains, skiing, the torchlight parade, and the joy of a long road trip. So, we got our approval from DHS, asked our parent friends for some pointers, packed up the car, and hit the road.

 

New Mexico is the ideal place to enjoy the mountains due to the ease of getting there. From Oklahoma City, we had an easy drive on I-40 most of the way. As a plus, we had cell service most of the way, so we never lost our directions getting there. We had plenty of places to stop and use the bathroom, and even grab a few treats. Between the snacks, naps, some shameless screen time, and plenty of bathroom breaks, we made it to Red River, ready to enjoy our first trip as a family.

 

The first thing we did in the morning (aside from eating!) was get our rentals. We rented from Sitzmark. The second we walked in the door, we felt welcome. My husband and the four-year-old were both new to snow sports, so they had someone to walk them through finding the perfect fit, how to put on the boots, and picking out a good board. Plus, they had helmet rentals to keep the four-year-old safe, and a supply of last-minute needs. (Read: Goggles for my husband who forgot his at home.)

 

One neat thing the Sitzmark offers is rental delivery. You can fill out your information ahead of time, and then your rentals get delivered right to your door. We’ll definitely be taking advantage of this service on our next trips, especially now that we know the ropes.

 

With all of our gear, we headed out to the mountains, dropped the one-year-old off at the daycare, picked up our lift tickets from guest services, and brought our four-year-old to his lesson. Something we’re always concerned about as foster parents is daycare security, but we were provided with a “receipt” that we would need to show to pick up either child. That made me feel a little better that they would be secure until we could pick them up!

 

After the children began their day, my husband and I went to begin our private lesson. I’ll share more about private lessons (and why you should try one!) in another post, but it was amazing. First of all, as new parents, riding up the lifts together felt like a mini-date! Secondly, it was nice to work in a smaller group setting with someone I felt comfortable failing in front of. We encouraged each other, laughed at each other, and enjoyed the bonding experience.

 

With our lesson behind us, the one-year-old in daycare, and the four-year-old in lessons, we had the day to spend as we wished! Since lessons take place right on the main slope, we were able to watch our son make some trips down the bunny slope and ride back up the red carpet. Then, we walked over and grabbed lunch at the lodge and relaxed together.

 

Finally, it was time for us to practice what we learned in our lesson! We rode up and down the mountain, took a few spills, and enjoyed being outside. Our four-year-old loved being on the mountains and skiing. The instructors at Red River were great about teaching him the basics in words that he could understand and remember. (Now that we’re back home, he tells everyone he learned to ski “without the sticks!”)

 

When all was said and done, our little family was ready for a nice long nap and a good meal. Fresh and revitalized, we tried one of the most fun activities of the weekend: tubing. If you haven’t yet, check out this article I wrote about our experience. It is at the top of my must-do list for a trip to the mountains!

 

Right after that is the torchlight parade. I had seen it before, but watching it through my children’s eyes topped that experience by a million. I loved answering his questions about why the people were carrying fire and what colors the fireworks were. Plus, hot chocolate from The Blake was a huge hit.

 

As you can imagine, we were ready for bed! We slept long and hard and were ready to get back at it the next day. My husband and I took turns with the children, and when it came my turn to snowboard, I was determined to level up. I’ve always struggled with my toeside turns, but something from my lesson finally clicked. I made three runs down the mountain, and FINALLY, FINALLY, FINALLY, got my toeside turns. Can you hear me squealing? Because I am.

 

Like most vacations do, ours ended way too soon. We packed up the car, loaded up the boys, chugged some coffee, and started the trip home. Luckily, we were able to bring some new memories with us.