City: Angel Fire, NM

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (800) 633-7463

Address: 22 miles east of Taos

Description: Established in 1966, Angel Fire is a year-round resort offering skiing, golf, fishing, mountain biking, tennis, boating, and a range of special events in the summer. New Mexico residents and visitors delight in the broad runs and relaxed atmosphere of this popular ski resort. Legend (perhaps invented by a shrewd PR person) has it that the name comes from the way the mountain looks in a certain light—as if the angels had set them ablaze.The resort is the only ski area in the state, and one of just a select few in the country, to offer a money-back guarantee to skiers for both lift tickets and lessons. If you don’t like the condition of the runs on any given day, report back to the ticket office within an hour of buying your ticket, and you’ll get a free ticket to return another time. If you’re disappointed in your ski lesson, the area promises to give you another, free of charge, no questions asked.Angel Fire also attracts visitors with major investments in improvements over the years, and the effort shows. The resort has 74 runs and expanded snowmaking to cover 52 percent of the mountain. There are seven lifts, including two high-speed detachable quad chairlifts, the fastest in all of New Mexico. The resort has a summit terrain park for skiers and snowboarders as well as the state’s only half-pipe. The Summit Haus restaurant on top of the mountain has burgers, sandwiches, ice cream, and beverages, and there are two restaurants in the upgraded Lodge: Caliente Grill, which features Mexican and Southwestern food, and the Lazy Lizard cantina, which serves a limited bar menu. The Lodge is open year-round. Snowbikes, an Austrian invention, are available. Instead of wheels, these pedal machines run on skis. The instructors will reassure you that the sport is easy to master with just a few hours of practice. All bike rentals include a lesson on how to ride safely without looking foolish or taking too many spills. Accomplished snow bikers can tackle the moguls or plunge into powder.Beginners, be they skiers, tubers, snowboarders, or snowbikers, especially love Angel Fire because they have their own easy slope and their own chairlift. For those just finding their snow legs or adjusting to the altitude, the poetically named Dreamcatcher lift offers a slow-moving ride that reduces anxiety and makes learning easier. Beginners can get a feeling for the snow and the equipment at their own pace, without pressure from more advanced skiers.Angel Fire Resort Day Camp Program offers structured, supervised, creative activities for nonskiing kids and accepts infants as young as six weeks of age and children as old as age 11. The Children’s Ski and Snowboard Center offers classes for ages three through 12. The area groups youngsters by age and ability. Older children can join the Mountain Adventures Program or, if they want to snowboard, the Angel Fire Riders.Angel Fire is a fine place for adults to learn to ski, too. The ski school has between 70 and 85 instructors. You can take a group lesson with people of your same ability level or request a private class. Angel Fire also offers equipment and instruction to accommodate skiers with physical and mental challenges, and the staff includes instructors who can teach in languages other than English.For skiers and snowboarders of all ages, Angel Fire’s biggest claim to fame is New Mexico’s first and only high-speed detachable quad lifts, the four-person Chile Express and the Southwest Flyer. The Express, installed for the 1996-1997 season, whisks you up the mountain in nine minutes. The Flyer, installed during the summer of 1999, unloads at the highest point on the mountain, offering access to all the area’s runs. Less time on the lift, of course, means more time on the snow.Angel Fire Mountain offers a nice mix of skiing challenges. You can cruise more than 10 miles of skiable terrain, including smooth broad slopes, bumps, and steeps. Of the area’s 74 named runs, 26 percent are suitable for beginners, 50 percent for intermediate skiers, and 24 percent for more advanced skiers or boarders. The resort has three double chairs and two surface lifts in addition to the high-speed quads. Angel Fire has a vertical drop of 2,077 feet, with a base elevation of 8,600 feet. Annual snowfall is 210 inches on average.When the lifts close, you can still have fun on the slope-side tubing run. Between 5 and 7 p.m. you can rent a tube and slip and slide beneath the lights to your heart’s content. (You have to be age six or older to join the fun.) The tubing hill is open from mid-December through mid-March.The resort also offers snowmobiling, ice fishing, sleigh rides, helicopter rides, hot-air balloon rides, and more. At the base of the ski mountain, facilities include the ticket sales office, a rental and repair shop, the ski school and ski patrol offices, retail shops, and the Angel Fire Resort Hotel. You can ride the town shuttle to other businesses and lodgings.