Angel Fire is one of New Mexico's hidden gems.  As one who has skied extensively in Colorado, I have found that Angel Fire, albeit  smaller than many Colorado ski areas, does not disappoint in terms of the quality of skiing.  Beginners, Intermediate, and Intermediate-Advanced skiers have no shortage of excellent exciting terrain from immaculately groomed natural rolling trails, to challenging steeps, to deep powdered mogul runs, to 23 acres of beautiful glade (tree trail) skiing.  Beginners delight in the Bunny Slope serviced by a slow moving and easy to board two person chairlift, always manned with helpful lift operators.  Intermediate and Advanced skiers will be impressed by the varied terrain of dozens of green, blue and black slopes serviced by a high speed Poma quad lift that takes you 3.5 miles in less than 15 minutes.  Perhaps the only shortfall for Angel Fire is the shortage of Extreme Downhill Skiing Terrain (though this could be coming in a planned expansion of the ski area).

For Snowboarders there is the awesome Liberation Park, complete with ramps, jumps, a school bus (yep, thats right) and New Mexico's ONLY half pipe.  Liberation park is serviced by its own lift, and Angel Fire is the undisputed capital of Snowboarding in New Mexico and one of the top snowboard destinations in the country.  The latest edition to Angel Fire is the Polar Express, a massive tubing center.  Finally, you can find several areas near the slopes for sledding when the snow is good.

In addition to over 200 inches of natural snow each year, Angel Fire uses some of the most advanced snow making equipment in the industry covering 85% of beginner and intermediate terrain to ensure that there are always plenty of acres to ski for any number of  guests.  Angel Fire is notorious for short lift lines (even in peak season), as well has a terrific youth and adult ski school.  And you will find no shortage of friendly staff to assist you during your visit.

                                         Check out the great video of skiing and Snowboarding at the bottom of this page!


But perhaps the best part of skiing Angel Fire is the much lower cost, compared to skiing the Colorado, California, or Utah ski resorts.  Between accommodations, rentals, lift tickets, and food, an Angel Fire ski vacation will be about half the investment of many other resorts.  It is simply one of the best ski vacation values in the country!  As an example,  we compared the cost of four days of skiing for 2 adults and 2 children ages 9 and 6, including equipment rentals, lift tickets, one day of ski school for each adult, and two days of ski school for each child at both Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado and Angel Fire.  This package would cost a staggering $2042 and Breckenridge, versus only $1290 at Angel Fire*.  Further, when you consider the lower cost of accommodations and food at Angel Fire and the savings continue to add up!

It is also the closest ski area to most of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma and is an easy 1-2 day drive from those areas.  Also, regular flights are available to Albuquerque from most cities and transportation from there to Angel Fire and back is readliy available, and inexpensive.

Finally, if you are considering an extenended ski vacation and want to hit other resorts in the area, Angle Fire is the PERFECT choice.  It is only 29 miles from Red River Ski Area, about 40 miles from Taos and Sipapu, and Ski Santa Fe is only 90 miles.  These are all easy day trips, and add to the variety of skiing options during your vacation.
*sourced pricing from Breckenridge.com and AngelFireResort.com for Peak Season 2008.