New Mexico Ski Trip recommendations

[stonewall]

We're looking at doing our first family ski trip. My wife and kids have never been - it's been 16 years for me. My kids range in age from 1.5 to 17.

I've been told Angel Fire is a good choice. I don't like that the tubing hill is pricey and very limited (only hour long sessions). I'm guessing the sledding area is good for the little ones. At the moment I have an ABNB rented there.

I'm considering switching to Cloudcroft. I'm thinking maybe CC is less crowded. We're only an hour away from the tubing hill in Alto (where you can get all day passes instead of an hour). we're also not far from white sands. However, I am concerned the snow may not be great that far south.

We're going Jan 3-10.

My parents are tagging along to help watch the 1.5 year old. I'm figuring my wife and older kids can do a private lesson. Then I'll take our 4 year old separately and do a lesson/school for him. Part of the CC thought is that the tubing in Ruidoso/Alto and White Sands are good fall backs in case the skiing is a dud with the family.

Any thoughts/recommendations?

Also, my kids are pretty good on skateboards - should they go with snow boards or skis?

thank you!

 

[swavescatter]

Depending on weather, I've seen Cloudcroft have pathetic levels of snow (man-made small pile on a hill) in the dead of winter.

Stick to northern NM. Angel Fire, Red River are popular with Texans.

 

[roadrunner]

Thoughts?...hope for some snow by then.

 

[Rusty Shackelford]

All the ski mountains and towns get crazy overrun here, but it’s shaping up to be a dry warm winter. I believe Taos is the only mountain with snow but that’s not a beginner mountain.

 

[kda082]

Not a master skier but ski Colorado typically as I live in KS. Wife had a work trip in Santa Fe Jan of 2020 and skied Santa Fe a couple days. Small, but good runs and short lines. Surprisingly had a good time and have always loved Santa Fe.

 

[Poser]

I’d be hesitant about skiing the SW until you know how this La Niña is going to shake out -the SW can really get the shaft with high pressure ridges blocking moisture out completely. If you look at the models, SW CO might, *might* fair ok for a slightly below average snowpack at best but the high pressure ridge is definitely going to put the hurt on NM. To what extent, it’s difficult to say.

 

[Theringworm]

Though Taos is steep mountain it is recognized (at least was 3-5 years ago when I was looking into it) as having one of the best ski schools in the country. Your kids would do great there. I would search to confirm that’s still the case.

 

[butcherboy]

If you don’t go to northern NM then southwest CO is a good option. Durango Mt. Resort is pretty good and there are lots of other activities there if skiing and snowboarding are a bust. Wolf creek usually has a ton of snow. Telluride might not be a bad idea either.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I’d just go shred wolf creek for a few days. New Mexico is trash.

 

[stonewall]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! This has been helpful

 

[GringoBling]

All the ski mountains and towns get crazy overrun here, but it’s shaping up to be a dry warm winter. I believe Taos is the only mountain with snow but that’s not a beginner mountain.

When you are at the base looking up, Taos looks very intimidating for beginners and novices. But, that's not actually the case at all. My youngest of 3 boys really learned how to ski while at Taos over the course of 2 seasons. There are plenty of beginner and intermediate runs and they have a good ski school. I think it's the best skiing in NM by far (I haven't been to most of those smaller NM resorts, but they seem to pale in comparison to Taos). You can either stay in TSV ($$$) and be right there on the mountain or 25 minutes away in town where there's cheaper lodging and more dining options.