SKIING THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT
Skiing the Land of Enchantment
It’s been 20 years since I’ve skied resorts in New Mexico and NASJA, the North American Snowsports Journalists Association, set their annual Western Winter Summit to ski Santa Fe, Taos & Angel Fire Resorts in the Land of Enchantment, January 26 – 31, 2020.
Dan Giesin, 40 year ski bud and former sports editor of the San Francisco Chronicle and myself, along with Hula-Gan, the Good Luck Powder Monkey, was loaded up to set off on this year’s road trip adventure…
Saturday, January 25, 2020: On the Road
The Subaru Outback was loaded with 2 pairs of skis each in the roof box, luggage packed with at least a week’s worth of clothing and necessities, boot bags, several ski outfits, plus ice chest of drinks and bag of snacks…
Pointers on taking a successful road trip…
- A Reliable 4WD / AWD Vehicle with recent servicing and oil changed.
- Good Tires… I have a second set of wheels with Winter Master Studded Tires.
- Replaced windshield wipers, both front and rear…
- Windshield washer fluid tank filled and take an extra gallon of -20F washer fluid. Plus, inside window cleaner with a roll of paper towels.
- Vehicle navigation system or smart phone with navigation app.
- Accommodations Reservations made in advance or itinerary of time line with destinations and friends that you may crash on their couch.
- Hanging cross bar clothing rack.
- Small Ice chest to carry water and soft drinks, etc., including an optional can of Red Bull or caffeine based drink.
- Snack foods – chips, trail mix, fig bars, chocolate bar, jelly beans, etc.
- XM Satellite Radio or IPod with good tunes… audio books…
- A hard snow ski and a wider soft snow ski, preferably tuned & waxed.
- Heated boot bag with all your accessories.
- Accessories: Helmet, 2 pairs of goggles, or 2 lenses for bright sunlight and flat light along with lens cleaning cloth, pair of warm gloves, pair of spring gloves, face-neck gaiter, Ski-Gee, a bar of all temperature rub on wax, etc.
- Your season pass, Epic, IKON, Mountain Collective, Powder Alliance, or Indy Pass… After all, most road trips are predicated on what resorts your season pass allows you to ski…
- Don’t forget your prescription medications, ibuprofen or other pain-sore relief meds.
Blue skies and a great travel day as this would be a long haul south from the Carson Valley on Hwy 95 to Las Vegas and beyond to Kingman, Arizona… Approximately 521 miles and over 8 hours of driving time… by time we were loaded and fueled up, it was 8:45am.
Hwy 95 runs south from Interstate 80 and passes through Fallon, NV, down through Hawthorn, Tonopah, to Las Vegas and onward to Arizona. We drove Hwy 395 to Holbrook Junction, through Smith Valley to Yerington, NV and catching Hwy 95 in Shurz, NV… Hula-Gan enjoyed the view of Walker Lake coming into Hawthorn and we stopped for fuel and a bite in Tonopah…
Dan took the steering wheel so I could take photos and navigate and we continued the drive to Las Vegas, passing Mt. Charleston and roadway up to Lee Canyon Ski & Snowboard Resort, to which we skied a few years ago, then connected onto to 93/95/815 through Las Vegas, then Hwy 93/11 to Boulder City and crossed the new bridge over the Colorado River to enter Arizona…
We made it Kingman about sunset, mountain time, and checked in to the Holiday Inn Express… As mentioned in previous blogs, we like staying at HIE properties because they provide clean rooms, usually a work out center, indoor pool, laundry facilities, wi-fi and they are reasonably priced… We both have a rewards membership with them, but Dan has been booking the rooms and gaining the points…
It was the Chinese Lunar New Year, so we had to seek out a Chinese Restaurant to celebrate and we found Lins Little China… The menu had all the usual Chinese style dishes including combination plates… I tried their Beef LoMein combo and Hula-Gan enjoyed the Won Ton Soup.
Sunday, January 26, 2020: Santa Fe, New Mexico
The next morning, Dan was behind the steering wheel and we headed out on Hwy 40 (parallel to Route 66) continuing east through Arizona to New Mexico… Navigation system reminded us that it was 530 miles and would take 7 hours and 20 minutes… So, another long day on the road… I had driven this route in 2016, celebrating my 66 year on planet earth, from the Santa Monica Pier to Amarillo Texas and driving it again brought back some great memories of that road trip where I stopped in Seligman and Williams and visited the Grand Canyons… But, not today.
We decided to have a mid-morning breakfast in Flagstaff, Arizona… We could see the mountain and snow of Arizona Snowbowl from the highway, but really didn’t have the time to take a few runs as our destination was Santa Fe, New Mexico that afternoon to meet up with our NASJA Snowsports Media group.
We stopped in the Historic Crown Railroad Café that seemed to be the place as it was full of folks looking for a hearty breakfast… Lots of Train memorabilia, even a model train on a track circling the dining hall… An Omelet did the job for me…
We had to make a stop in Winslow, Arizona to “Take it Easy”… “Standin’ on the Corner”, from Jackson Browne & Eagles famed tune… This is one of Winslow Arizona’s biggest tourism attraction and I stopped in 2016 and HAD to stop again to take some photos as Hula-Gan missed that trip…
Hwy 40 continued and we entered New Mexico at Gallup with the scenery changing and soon we were crossing the Continental Divide…
We made it to Albuquerque, NM and headed north on Hwy 25 to Santa Fe… As planned, we arrived around 4:00pm and checked in to a beautiful resort property, The Inn & Spa at Loretto… A Heritage Hotel & Resort with a Southwestern Adobe façade and first class accommodations, restaurant, bar, shops and parking valet…
I decided to go for a walk and stretch my legs before the meet & greet NASJA dinner and was amazed to see all the beautiful southwestern art pieces offered just up the Santa Fe Trail across the road and up the street… Hula-Gan posed with a few and continued to greet fellow members of NASJA as most of them travelled by air to Albuquerque and were transported by charter bus to the hotel…
Hula-Gan continues to meet up with friends and fellow ski journalists…
Peter Hines & Phil Johnson John Naye
Daniel Gibson
We had a fabulous Welcome Reception & Dinner in the Hotel’s Luminaria Restaurant, hosted by George Brooks from Ski New Mexico and Jordan Guenther with Tourism Santa Fe. NASJA member, Daniel Gibson, from New Mexico and author of Skiing New Mexico, spoke about all the resorts and sites to see…
Both Jordan Guenther and George Brooks welcomed NASJA to New Mexico & Santa Fe.
Their special menu selection had something for everyone’s taste and I went for the short rib… and it was excellent, prepared by Executive Chef, Jason Stewart! They continued to poor wine and the service was outstanding! For more information, visit: www.hotelloretto.com
Pretty sure I slept good that night in anticipation to our first ski day the next morning.
Monday, January 27, 2020: Ski Santa Fe
By 8:00am we were loaded onto a shuttle bus and driven about a half hour to Ski Santa Fe Resort. There is also the BLUE BUS available from the City of Santa Fe to the ski area… The cost is $5 each way, and when you arrive at the ski hill, you receive a $5 token to redeem on purchasing your lift ticket, rentals or meals…
We were welcomed by Ski Santa Fe’s Jessica Fox, Stephen Trask & GM Ben Abruzzo, who distributed welcome bags and made us feel comfortable while some members picked up rental equipment…
Ski Santa Fe Stats:
Base Elevation: 10,350 Feet
Summit Elevation: 12,075 Feet
Vertical Drop: 1,725 Feet
Skiable Acres: 660 Acres
Number of Lifts: 5 Chairs & 2 Surface Lifts
Number of Trails: 86
Annual Snowfall: 225 Inches
Groomed Runs: 36 Daily
Snowmaking: 55%
Website: www.skisantafe.com
Adult Lift Ticket: $84.00
SR Tickets (62-71): $64.00
Super SR. 72+: $0
It had been 20 years since I have skied at this resort and as I recall, it was a warm spring-like day and the conditions were slush from the get go… This time there was over 70” of snow pack with temps in the teens and lots of groomed packed powder… We gathered in front of the La Casa Lodge in groups and headed out with their staff for a tour of the mountain… We rode to the top of the Santa Fe Super Chief Quad and skied groomers back down. Then back up and over to Tesuque Peak Lift to the top… Did several groomers down Gayway, Midland, Parachute, Thunderbird & Santa Fe Trail…
We met for lunch in the La Casa Lodge where they have a Food Court with lots of choices… After lunch, I skied a couple of more runs, and the cloud was descending on the mountain and the light got flat, so I quit early… others had also quit early and were de-booting in the lodge and by 4:00pm, the shuttle bus took us back to The Inn & Spa at Loretto. All in all, Hula-Gan enjoyed skiing at this resort and wants to come back to spend more time exploring this mountain. Ski Santa Fe has much to offer and spending but one day wasn’t enough slope time to capture the scope of this resort… We will be back!
That evening, fellow NASJA members, Dino Vournas and Greg Snow, joined Dan and I for dinner… We walked a couple block to the Santa Fe Plaza that was lit up like Christmas… Really an awesome site and we dined at the Plaza Café Downtown. The menu was mostly Southwestern and their food was good and reasonably priced… Hula-Gan had to have their Indian Taco. www.plazacafesantafe.com
Tuesday, January 28, 2020: Taos Ski Valley
Dan and I loaded up the Subaru and headed out by 7:00am in route to Tao’s and Taos Ski Valley. We were dress to ski… The other NASJA Members that didn’t have vehicles departed at the same time in the chartered shuttle bus… We met the shuttle bus at the El Monte Sagrado Hotel, another Heritage Hotel & Resort in Taos, where they unloaded luggage, to check in later this day after skiing…
We got our skis & boot bags and rode with the others on the shuttle bus to Taos Ski Valley…
The shuttle bus dropped us off at The Blake entering the Resort Center and we walked with gear up to the base of the lifts and put on our boots in Tenderfoot Katie’s / Martini Tree Bar Lodge to get lift tickets, maps, etc… Taos Ski Valley is an IKON Pass resort and also is a member of the Mountain Collective Pass.
It was a beautiful Blue Bird day at Taos with great snow coverage, temps in the 20’s and packed powder conditions with recent fresh snow…
We met up in groups by the lifts and headed up for a mountain tour… I can remember skiing and staying here, 20 years ago, but I don’t remember much of the mountain other than you had to hike Kachina Peak for the good stuff, back then… Now they have a lift that will take you to the top of Kachina Bowl…
Taos Ski Valley Stats:
Base Elevation: 9,270 Feet
Kachina Peak Elev: 12,481 Feet
Vertical Drop: 3,274 Feet from Kachina Peak
Skiable Acres: 1,294 Acres
Number of Lifts: 14 total: 1 Gondola, 1 HS Quad, 3 Quads, 4 Triples, 1 Double & 4 Surface Lifts
Number of Trails: 110
Annual Snowfall: 300 Inches
Snowmaking: 100% of beginner and intermediate slopes
Website: www.skitaos.com/ www.taosskivalley.com
Adult Lift Ticket: $110.00 (discounts if purchased online – multi-day, in advance)
SR. Tickets (65-79): $90.0
SR. 80+: $0
We had the pleasure to ski with Peter Blake, son of the original owner, Ernie Blake… Ernie and his wife Rhoda and friends dreamed of building a ski area and on a shoestring budget, opened Taos Ski Valley in 1955… New ownership took place in 2014, with the expansion of the lift up Kachina Peak, new runs, restaurants, shops and the Blake Hotel in 2017.
Peter took us up Lift 1 and we skied down to Lift 2, then up to the top where we skied a variety of Blue Groomers… Then up Lift 7, with a couple of runs… and Lift 4, with a few more before lunch. The Kachina Peak Lift was turning, but not ready for bumps said my knees and back!
The skiing was great and non-stop and the best part was the stories that Peter told of growing up with his family in Taos. Wheeler Peak, New Mexico’s highest point at over 13,000 feet is visible from the top…
Peter Blake & Hula-Gan
Lunch was hosted on the outside deck of The Bavarian Restaurant on the mountain at the base of Lift 4… A charming and authentic European alpine lodge featuring comfort food & German Beers. NASJA members and Tahoe locals, Jaime Pirozzi and Alex Silgalis, who write the Local Freshies Blog, enjoyed the riding and lunch… as Alex and I went for the Weinerschnitzel…
Local Freshies: Jaime & Alex
Photos: Peter Hines
After a great lunch and beautiful weather, it was extremely difficult to leave this deck and click back in the bindings… I skied one more run off the top of Lift 4 all the way back down to the base of the resort center… it was a long cat track back and my legs were feeling it, having it being my 4th day on skis of this year… Yes, work has been getting in the way… Here it is the end of January and I’ve only skied a total of 4 days… and, mind you not full days… I use to pride myself in skiing days equal to my age… back in 2016 when I was 66, I made that goal… skiing at least 66 days and as mentioned drove Route 66… But, it is, what it is… and over the past three years dealing with correcting medical issues and still experiencing fatigue in walking, I’m thankful to continue to ski and enjoy the passion of carving turns. In March I will have completed my 70th journey around the sun and hope to continue my passion of skiing and riding bikes.
Photo: Peter Hines
I got back to the lodge and changed out my boots and the group was invited to a presentation by David Norden, CEO of Taos, in the 192 Restaurant/Bar of the Blake Hotel… Great to meet up with Chris Stage, who was the GM at TSV when I first skied there 20 years ago… The future look very bright for Taos Ski Valley with investments in the construction of the Blake Residence and revitalization of the base area, road upgrades, mountain bike trails and much more as explained by TSV’s CEO, David Norden. Taos is a certified B Corporation with total sustainable development goals…
Chris Stage: TSV VP of Public Affairs David Norden: TSV CEO
Since we would be back the next day, the onsite rental shop allowed us to store our skis with them overnight, so one less item to take back on the shuttle bus…
We arrived at the El Monte Segrado Hotel in Taos and checked in to our rooms… As mentioned, another Heritage Hotel & Resort property that is first class in every way… We had a spacious two-bed room with outside deck and large bathroom located in a wing that had garden views and convenient to the main hotel lobby and restaurant. It was wonderful to be treated to stay in this hotel…
Photo: El Monte Segrado
Photo: El Monte Segrado
Photo: El Monte Segrado
Later that evening, several members had dinner in the beautiful Anaconda Bar.
Wednesday, January 29, 2020: Diaz Dos Taos Ski Valley
We took the shuttle bus to Taos Ski Valley for a second day of sliding on snow… This time only packing the boot bag as the skis were stored overnight at the resort rental shop… As we were booting up in Tenderfoot Katie’s, Peter Blake stopped by to say good morning… I was impressed but, not so much, as hospitality at Taos is in his DNA… I asked him if he was working that day, and he replied, “I’ll show up at Line Up, but hoping not”. I’d rather ski instead, as well!
Dan Giesin, John Naye and I, headed up the up Lift 7 and then down to ride Lift 4… The best groomed untouched runs for warm-ups is always in the freshly groomed terrain park… Why? It’s Just that way… Believe me… And, we did several laps…
Another beautiful southwestern day with bright sunlight and a few clouds… and, the snow conditions were great! We skied a couple of more runs off Lift 2 and my legs were feeling it… so, I took a mid-morning break at the Whistle Stop at the base of Lift 2.
Photo: Peter Hines
We skied a couple of more runs then down to the bottom for a hosted lunch at the 192 Restaurant in the Blake Hotel… 192 was the number on the small aircraft that Ernie Blake use to fly and commute in when he also owned Ski Santa Fe…
Before lunch, I stopped into the Blake Residence Real Estate office to check to see if an old friend and former clothing designer / sponsor was in, as she was Facebooking me to stop by… It was great to catch up with Leslie Campbell. Her and partner Debbie Chase had a line of distinctive ski vests, fleece jackets & coaches coats… She was a former racer and coach at Heavenly, when we originally met. Zah-buu was the line and she provided me vests to wear on my morning television show as well as provided vests for my judges and staff when I produced the Coors Light Freestyle Bump Series at Sierra Ski Ranch / Sierra at Tahoe in 90’s. I must have over a dozen different Zah-buu World Cup Vests in every color and fabric that was produced and wore it proudly as it was very stylish compared to anyone else that making a fleece vest in the day…
Leslie Campbell / Blake Residence Discovery Center
Lunch was the absolute bomb! Held in the conference room in the 192… I chose the Duck Wings… Why? Because I’m a Wing Man and so is Hula-Gan… Plus, I have never had duck wings served like chicken wings…
Eduardo Samper, General Manager of the Blake Hotel Welcomed NASJA in the 192
With our bellies filled there was still more skiing ahead to round out the afternoon… some took more runs… others continued to relax and tell stories in the 192…
We took the shuttle bus back to the El Monte Segrado Hotel and some chilled or warmed up in the hot tub as the hotel had a special suite with a multi-person hot tub open… reluctantly, I had to catch up with some work, but all good…
Later that evening we headed out to The Gorge Bar and Grill a few blocks down the street from the hotel… along the way is the Kit Carson House Museum… I visited this historic building 20 years ago… Yes, Kit Carson resided in Taos, New Mexico… It’s interesting that the name of the town / pueblo is TAOS and very similar sounding to TAHOE… Go Figure…
The Gorge was in the Taos Plaza and NASJA sprung for a variety of appetizers that was more than anyone could eat or replace in a dinner… 3 kinds of boneless wings, loaded fries, fried string beans, calamari, salad, nachos, etc. etc… they kept bring the goods out…
Photo: Peter Nines
What a great trip, so far visiting Santa Fe and skiing at Ski Santa Fe and Taos skiing at Taos Ski Valley… but wait, there’s more… Angle Fire Resort is still on the schedule as well as a post trip to Red River…
Thursday, January 30, 2020: Angel Fire Resort
Another Beautiful New Mexico morning with temps in the teens as we loaded up the Subaru to drive to the Moreno Valley and Angel Fire Resort. Good friend and Director of Marketing for Angel Fire Resort, Greg Ralph sent a shuttle bus from Angle Fire to pick up the NASJA members at the hotel… Not knowing how much space would be available, Dan and I decided to follow Greg back to the resort…
Greg Ralph and lovely wife, April Prout Ralph, have been great friends for over 20 years… Going back in time when he was a partner at Monarch Ski Resort and she was in the Public Relations at Crested Butte… We skied with them at Monarch when they lived in Salida, then over the past 6 years, Greg was the Director of Marketing at Purgatory in Durango, to which we skied several times and also stayed with them… When we heard, last spring, they were moving to Angel Fire, it was a no brainer to connect with them on this NASJA Western Winter Summit and add on skiing at Red River, as April is now the Executive Director of Red River Tourism…
Angle Fire Resort is about a 45 minute drive from Taos, through a canyon and drops into the Moreno Valley… This resort is a planned community with a country club, golf course, homes, real estate and infrastructure such as lakes, walking and biking paths and more…
We arrived at the resort and unloaded our gear and parked in a nearby lot… The shuttle bus dropped the group off and we gathered in a conference room of The Lodge Hotel… Greg and his assistant Marketing Manager, Collin Wheeler, set us up with lift tickets, maps, gift bags and an orientation of the resort and future development plans…
Angel Fire Stats:
Base Elevation: 8,600 Feet
Summit Elevation: 10,677 Feet
Vertical Drop: 2,077 Feet
Skiable Acres: 560 Acres
Number of Lifts: 7 total: 2 HS Quads, 3 Double & 2 Surface Lifts
Number of Trails: 81
Annual Snowfall: 210 Inches
Night Skiing: Yes
Snowmaking: 52% of the Mountain, 85% of Beginner Terrain
Website: www.anglefireresort.com
Adult Lift Ticket: $84.00
SR. Tickets (70-74): $29.00
SR. 75+: $0
Angle Fire is a cruising kind of mountain with 56% of the terrain as wide open intermediate runs and 23% deemed advanced with wide open glades…
Our group gathered at the base of the lifts and headed up the mountain on the Chile Express. Greg and Collin took us all over the mountain, one cruiser after the other, down runs like Free Flight & Jasper, Domingo & Bodacious… Then, skiing runs off the Southwest Flyer Quad down Mother Lode & Hully Gully…
What I found here at Angel Fire was a relaxed – no hurry pace… and not crowed at all… it’s market are second homeowners and ski week families from Texas and nearby skiers & boarders from Santa Fe and Taos…
Photos: Peter Nines
I was ready for a lunch break and we met at the Summit House. A good sized wooden yurt structure with great views and outside deck at the top of the Chile Express. Nothing like a good ole fashion skier staple… A Chili Dog with Cheese & Onions…
After skiing we were invited to enjoy Apres Ski activities at the nearby Angel Fire Country Club…
Photo: Larry Turner
A Fun & Memorable Day of skiing with NASJA members and good friends at Angel Fire!
We drove back to Taos to spend one last additional evening at the El Monte Segrado Hotel and later that evening Greg & April came by and picked us up, as I traditional treat them to dinner when we visit… We headed to Donabe Asian Kitchen in Taos. Hula-Gan, of course had to go for the Asian Wings as a appetizer to which was devoured and then a noodle bowl for dinner. A perfect ending to a great day on the slopes with friends…
Friday, January 31, 2020: Farewell to NASJA Associates
This was the end of NASJA’s Western Winter Summit and most of the members were on the shuttle bus back to the airport in Albuquerque by 9:00am… We met and hugged each other before they boarded the bus and made plans to meet again in Idaho to ski Tamarack and Brundage, prior to our Annual Meeting in Sun Valley in conjunction with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame week in late March… Great to enjoy this experience with writers, photographers and bloggers from both the east and west coasts…
Post Trip to Red River
We headed out to Red River, New Mexico, about a :45 minute drive and met up with April at the Red River Visitors Center… Another Beautiful Day and Drive…
We adjusted space in the Subaru and loaded April’s gear and traveled just a couple blocks down the road and parked in the lot at the Main Chalet… Incredible blue bird day with mild temps and great snow…
Red River Stats:
Base Elevation: 8,750 Feet
Summit Elevation: 10,350 Feet
Vertical Drop: 1,600 Feet
Skiable Acres: 209 Acres
Number of Lifts: 7 total: 1 Quad, 1 Double, 3 Triple & 2 Surface Lifts
Number of Trails: 63
Annual Snowfall: 214 Inches
Snowmaking: 85% of Terrain
Website: www.redriverskiarea.com
Adult Lift Ticket: $80.00
SR. Tickets (65-69): $64.00
We rode up the Gold Chair then skied over to the Platinum and skied down Linton’s Leap.
From there, back up the Platinum Lift and skied back down past Landing Strip & Pasture Ability… We met up with Red River’s Reed Weimer & Walt Foley (Mtn. Mgr) to ski down Kit Carson to Boom Town, then back up the Copper Chair to the top of the Emerald Chair to visit the Moon Star Mining Camp… Dan & April took a run down True Grit and rode back up the Silver Chair and then together, we headed for Summit Camp for a lunch break…
April had to depart, so I skied down the mountain back to the Main Chalet and enjoyed some sunshine on the deck… Such a fun hill with lots of fall line cut runs and wide open glades…
Dan and I changed out of our ski pants in the parking lot at the end of the day, as we were going to hang out and meet back up with April, Greg and our Local Freshie’s friends, Jaime & Alex for Apres Ski and dinner that evening…
We met up in the Red River Brewing Company & Distillery and were treated to tour of the distillery by Chris Calhoun, son of the owners… Interesting tour and yes it is science and chemistry in the process of brewing different kinds of beers, grains, hops, etc… Chris takes his job seriously and is a master of this as his passion in telling each steps was truly inspiring… Too much info for my brain to collect, and for me, being non-alcoholic and allergic to alcohol, per my geniality, my attention spam diminished… But, fascinating process and recommend everyone to take tour of a brewery – distillery…
For More information, visit: www.redriverbrewing.com
We head up or down the street to Texas Reds Steakhouse & Saloon, serving up great food at reasonable prices with generous portions of friendly service in an “Old West” atmosphere…www.texasredssteakhouse.com, Joining us was Linton Judycki, GM of Red River Ski Area and one of the youngest owners of a ski resort in the US and Reed Weimer, who we had skied with that day…
The menu was printed on newsprint and there was a lot to choose from… I could not pass up the ribeye steak!
Owner, Steve Heglund, stopped by to greet us and tell us about the concert venue that evening, just next door at the Motherload, to which Alex & Jaime were going to check out after dinner… They have live music every night starting at 6:00pm.
Steve also is huge in promoting the music scene and owns Bitter Creek Ranch, where concerts are featured in the summer. One big annual event is Michael Martin Murphey’s American Westfest, set for July 9-12, 2020. I will have to attend this in the future as Murphey is one of my favorite “cowboy” story telling artist. www.americanwestfest.com
All in all, a great evening of food, spirits and friendly conversations getting to know Red River, New Mexico!
We drove back to Angel Fire that evening as our accommodations were at Casa de Ralph… Yes, once again staying with Greg & April in their newly remodeled home, on Monte Verde Lake… What a view and with access to trails and lake activities including fishing and paddle boarding, just out the back door… Angel Fire is a year round resort with a golf course, horseback riding, ATV and other recreational activities…
Saturday, February 1, 2020:
It was Winter Carnival weekend at Angel Fire and one of their longest running events was being staged for the last time on this day… The 40th Annual World Champion SHOVEL Races… We met up in Greg’s office and booted up and with April, headed up the mountain and skied down to the finish of the Shovel Race course… Greg, was attempting to coordinate the carnival rides, vendor game area and made it to the Shovel Race course as the qualifiers were showing up at the start.
There were several categories of racers and it was taking a while to organize the different classes of starters and Greg finally instructed the course officials to just let them run as they arrived at the start and the individual speeds would be recorded… Yes, this is not necessarily a timed event, but a SPEED Event with a radar gun, aimed and pointed at each shovel racers sliding down the course… Speeds reaching 55-65+mph…
Dan and I took a couple of runs off the top of the mountain as we lost blue skies and with clouds overhead, it started to warm up… We stopped for a lunch break at El Jefe – Margarita’s Y Mas restaurant and went for the carne asada taco… Full of southwestern flavor and hit the spot!
Greg & April were supporting the Winter Carnival, both working their tails off attempting to keep up with the demand of the attending families in making snow cones and popping popcorn… The carnival merry-go-round ride was a big hit, as well as all the other fun ring tossing, balloon popping, throwing games and more…
Later that evening we were treated to an Angel Fire Sunset and Korean Stir Fry that was the perfect ending to a great day on the slopes as well as an exciting and fun day witnessing the Shovel Races and the Winter Carnival…
Sunday, February 2, 2020: Super Bowl Sunday
Last year, when Greg & April were in Durango, we stayed and skied with them and hung out for their Super Bowl party… this year, we would do the same, but not before heading up to Angel Fire that morning for some turns…
We left our skis and boots in Greg’s office and lift tickets were waiting for us on his desk… He had gone up earlier to oversee the Winter Carnival activities. We headed up the mountain for some Ground Hog Day turns and continued to experience wide open, well-groomed runs with not too many folks skiing this morning…
We skied till about noon and then stopped at the local market to pick up some party supplies to contribute to their Super Bowl party… Back at Casa de Ralph, both April & Greg were prepping for the party and they had friends coming over to join us.
Last year, Greg instituted a fun side bet game, to keep everyone interested in the Bowl game, by having everyone participate by dropping a quarter in the can for each team’s possession, moving the can from person to person when the ball was exchanged and winning the pot if a touchdown was scored… He warned us in advance to bring quarters and that this was going to happen as a tradition…
Friends and fellow workers arrived and each bringing something to the table… A full load of chips, dips, finger foods, wings and baked ham & cheese sliders adorned the kitchen counter and dining room table as the game began…
Of course, we were rooting for the 49ers and others were rooting for the Chiefs, but everyone was into the quarters game as the game progressed… The Super Bowl also features some incredible commercials, so I attempted to watch what was going on during the breaks, but fun and lively conversation filled the Casa de Ralph as this was more of a social gathering than watching the game…
Then, there was the half time show… OMG! Both Shakira and especially J-LO killed it! And, yes reason for controversy as usual, going back to the days of Justin Timberlake and wardrobe malfunction with Janette Jackson… Always something to talk about when full production acts with dancers and set changes happen…
Hula-Gan was trying to take this all in… and, he always has the same look on his face like nothing surprises him… LOL! You know as well as everyone that the 49ers fell short of winning after having a great season and I was saddened with the outcome, but gotta hand it to Kansas City for coming back and congratulations on playing a great Super Bowl!
Hula-Gan was depressed with the outcome of the game and Roscoe Ralph, the FAT CAT tried to console with him to bring his spirits back up…
The end of a great day full of not only skiing but partying with friends and enjoying fun conversations while watching an incredible sporting event…
This will be our final evening in the Land of Enchantment and what a world wind the past week has become… Driving to Santa Fe, New Mexico… Lodging at the Inn & Spa at Loretto… Skiing/Riding at Ski Santa Fe… Visiting Taos and Lodging at El Monte Segrado with two days of skiing at Taos Ski Valley… And staying with friends and skiing at both Angel Fire and Red River… New Mexico skiing did not disappoint… And, I recommend heading in that direction if you’re seeking fun skiing with a no hurry pace… Sure, the resorts in New Mexico are not the super mega resorts that you find in Lake Tahoe or in Colorado, but that’s just the point. They are more relaxed and uncrowded and you will ski as much vertical in a day as you want and at the same time be genuinely welcomed with Southwestern hospitality… Yes, New Mexico with it’s beautiful landscapes, adobe style architecture, history, art, welcoming southwestern culture and indigenous Native American spirituality is the Land of Enchantment, and I would go back in a heartbeat… and looking forward to it…
Tomorrow morning we will be heading north to Colorado to ski Beaver Creek, then on to Steamboat and coming back through Utah with stops at Deer Valley and Park City Mountain Resort, but that’s another story…