The Fab Four
Actually comprising 4 runs off the Mother chair (Nuther Mother, Sidewinder, Breathless, and Precious), the Fab are also known as Pajarito’s Fearsome Four. Unrelentingly steep, and peppered with the kind of Volkswagon-sized moguls that your parents still lament, the Fab are where real New Mexico skiers are made (sometimes, into quivering mounds of snow pudding).
Bumps R Us
Tucked away from the action of Red River’s base-area cruisers and steeps, Bumps R Us hulks quietly beneath the Silver Chair liftline, where screaming thighs, double-daffys, and high-fives are mandatory. It’s short, sweet, and ultimately lapable.
Roadrunner
While locals may be content in the knowledge that hits along Wizard and Pope Snows serve up more variety, it is Roadrunner (directly beneath the Tesuque Peak chair) that serves up more memorable exhibitionism. The run develops an interesting slant about halfway down, which further challenges riders (or entreats them to exit, stage left – to Fall Line, which is every bit as bumpy).
Nice Day
When I was younger, like so many other naive skiers, I used to wonder “where Angel Fire puts the bumps in the springtime,” because they’re that perfect. Nice Day compliments the fall line beautifully, and Volkwagon (and Volvo)-sized bumps abound. A very nice pairing with any of the steeps on Angel Fire’s backside.
Al’s Run
We thought to perhaps laud another of the many famed mogul marvels at TSV, but we felt that this list could not possibly be complete without the inclusion of Al’s. Every visitor’s gaze is immediately drawn to this one by default, as it serves as the lone arbiter of things to come as you take your first chairlift ride of the day to mid-mountain. Unforgettable, indelible, and iconic as any in North America.
