Ski Santa Fe or Santa Fe Ski Basin is a medium-sized

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...

located in the

Sangre de Cristo Mountains The Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Spanish language, Spanish for "Blood of Christ") are the southernmost mountain range, subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States. The mountai ...

Santa Fe County Santa Fe County (; meaning "County of the Holy faith" in Spanish) is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, its population was 154,823, making it New Mexico's third-most populous county, after Bernalillo Count ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, 16 miles east of the state capital of Santa Fe. It includes 8 lifts and 88 runs at elevations of over . It is the southernmost major ski resort of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

, and one of the oldest and highest in the nation.

History

In 1936, the first

rope tow A surface lift is a type of cable transport for mountain sports in which skiers, snowboarders, or mountain bikers remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher ...

, powered by a

Packard Packard (formerly the Packard Motor Car Company) was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana, in 1958. One ...

sedan engine, was installed in the Sangre de Cristos at the future site of the resort, overseen by Robert Nordhaus (father of Nobel Prize-winning economist

William Nordhaus William Dawbney Nordhaus (born May 31, 1941) is an American economist. He was a Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University, best known for his work in economic modeling and climate change, and a co-recipient of the 2018 Nobel Memorial ...

), a retired lawyer, and a businessman and skier, who also founded the Albuquerque Ski Club and La Madera Ski Area, now known as

Sandia Peak Ski Area Sandia Peak Ski Area, originally La Madera Ski Area, is a ski resort located in the Sandia Mountains in northeast Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States, immediately northeast of the city of Albuquerque. It is part of a Special Use Permit Z ...

. Shortly after its installation, he installed a rope tow at La Madera. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the

10th Mountain Division The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division (military), division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in ...

trained in the area and helped construct ski runs throughout the southern

Rockies The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

. In 1949, the Sierras de Santa Fe group founded the Santa Fe Ski Basin, and raised the money to construct its first

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers. They are the primary on-hill tran ...

. In 1950, the basin was purchased by one Joe Juhan and managed by championship skier Ernie Blake, who would go on to found

Taos Ski Valley Taos Ski Valley is a village and alpine ski resort in the southwestern United States, located in Taos County, New Mexico. The population was 69 at the 2010 census. Until March 19, 2008, it was one of four ski resorts in America to prohibit ...

, the largest ski resort in the state.

Description

Ski Santa Fe is situated in the

alpine forest Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...

s near the

tree line The tree line is the edge of a habitat at which trees are capable of growing and beyond which they are not. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually low ...

of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of northern New Mexico, at an elevation of , making it one of the highest major ski resorts in the United States. It is located 16 miles east of the city of Santa Fe. Access is provided from downtown Santa Fe to the base lodge via

New Mexico State Road 475 State Road 475 (NM 475) is a state highway in the US state of New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky M ...

. A large

ski lodge A ski lodge or day lodge is a building located in a ski resort, ski area that provides amenities such as food, beverages, seating area, restrooms, and locker rooms for skiers and snowboarders. Larger resorts have a day lodge at each base area and ...

, La Casa, is located at the ski base and features three restaurants: La Casa Cafe, Totemoff's Bar & Grill, and Terrace Grill. It also includes gift shops, a rental center, a sports equipment shop, a

ski patrol Ski patrols are organizations that provide medical, rescue, and hazard prevention services to the injured in ski area boundaries, or sometimes beyond into backcountry settings. Many have technical-medical certifications, such as Outdoor Emerge ...

station, lockers, and two ski instruction schools: Chipmunk Corner, for beginner skiers ages 5–10 or snowboarders 8-10; and the Snow Sports School, for ages 10+. Skiers 10–11 years old may opt for either school. Chipmunk Corner Ski School features a surface carpet and a private slope, Chippy Hill. The school operates out of a building near the base lodge, with classrooms, a cafeteria, and a sports equipment center. Children's complex features age appropriate equipment and toys, including highchairs and cribs, an indoor play room, and an outdoor snow play area. The resort covers two mountains, Lake Peak and Tesuque Peak. The

ski run A ''piste'' () is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. This European term is French

s run down to the base in a fan shape and include glades for advanced skiers. The resort includes 88 named runs and eight lifts, including two magic carpet lifts. Midway down the slope is another restaurant at Totemoff's Bar & Grill. The resort grooms and maintains the snow surface, and, if necessary, can produce new snow. Lodging for the resort is located in the city of Santa Fe.

Ski Santa Fe statistics

Elevation

*Base: *Summit: *Vertical Rise:

Developed Terrain

*Mountains: 2 (Tesuque Peak, Lake Peak) *Skiable Area: *Trails: 88 total (20% beginner, 40% intermediate, 40% advanced) *

Terrain Park A terrain park or snow park is an outdoor recreation area containing terrain that allows skiers, snowboarders and snowbikers to perform tricks. Terrain parks have their roots in skateparks and many of the features are common to both. From th ...

s: 3 *Average Snowfall: annually

Lifts

As of 2024, Santa Fe Ski has a total of 8 lifts. 2 double

chairlifts An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers. They are the primary on-hill tr ...

2 triple chairlifts 1 quad 2

surface lifts A surface lift is a type of cable transport for mountain sports in which skiers, snowboarders, or mountain bikers remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-ca ...

* 2 magic carpet

References

{{reflist Skiing in New Mexico Ski areas and resorts in New Mexico Santa Fe County, New Mexico Sangre de Cristo Mountains