Summer Outdoor Report Updated: Thursday, May 22, 2008 06:16 PM
Next Update: As conditions require...
Hey everyone, just thought I would drop you a note to let you know just cuz it's summer, doesn't mean you cant spend some time at your favorite snow sports area. There is plenty to do at areas all over NM and Colorado. Check out the details below of what's happening at your favorite winter resort! In addition, here are a few links you may find helpful to enjoy the great outdoors this summer:
New Mexico State Parks (has lake levels and more) New Mexico Game and Fish Department New Mexico Game and Fish Department Fishing Report Sandia Peak: Fire danger is Very High. Smoking and fire restrictions are in effect for the Sandia Mountains and Sandia Peak Tram. As of May 8, the report on the La Luz Trail was that conditions vary from clear to muddy to snowpacked and icy in places. Use caution during Spring weather. Conditions can change very fast. The hike usually takes between 6 and 8 hours one-way in good weather. The rockslide area of the trail is snowpacked and icy and is very dangerous. Use appropriate clothing and footwear and don't hike alone. The trail between the Crest and the top of the Tram still has 2-4 foot snowdrifts in shady areas. At the ski area, you can enjoy the scenic summer chairlift up the peak and for mountain bikers the ultimate downhill. They offer complete mountain bike rentals and the perfect outdoor setting for family reunions, club gatherings and company picnics. The 30 miles of mountain trails offer scenic adventures for the novice or the pro mountain biker. Sandia Peak Ski Area Summer Chairlift and Mtn Bike Trails will open for the summer on May 24. In June, you can bike or ride Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. In July and August the mountain is open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. September 1, Summer Season Closing Day. Sandia Peak has a full service bike shop offering a fleet of 40 rental bikes and our Double Eagle II Café for a quick snack or grilled specialties.
Santa Fe: The chair lift is not running for the summer, but usually runs in the Fall for Aspen viewing. Please check with the Santa Fe National Forest for trail availability due to the high fire danger.
Taos Ski Valley: Chairlift #1 runs starting June 26. Once you arrive at the top off load and hike around. Ride the lift or hike down to the base area. $10 for adults and $6 for juniors. Group rates available. If you have a Taos season pass from last season or for the upcoming season there's no charge. (You must present pass). Hours 10am - 4:30pm, Thursdays through Mondays until September 1st, then Saturdays and Sundays from September 6th - 28th, 2008. Taos has a whole host of things to keep you busy in the cool pines of Taos Ski Valley -- throughout the summer and fall, there is the ability to hike, horseback ride, llama trek, trout fish and ride the chair lift. A complete list of special events is available by going here: http://www.skitaos.org/events/index.
Angel Fire: Following on the heels of a great winter ski and snowboard season, Angel Fire Resort is expanding its 2008 summer activities schedule and adding new partners and ‘high adventure’ outdoor recreation options to the mix. Angel Fire Resort’s summer started May 10th when the 18-hole golf course opened. The rest of the mountain opened on May 21 with the Chile Express chairlift available for scenic rides and mountain biking as well as the the Summit Haus restaurant. The base area kids’ activities are also now open with things like the Climbing Wall and Eurobungy, exciting new vendor activities and much more. Weekend summer operations continue through the Labor Day holiday in September. To kick of the summer season, it's the 2008 Chile Challenge Mountain Bike Festival (May 23-26), which has grown to become the second largest mountain biking competition in the United States. As added incentive for staying and playing in the area, Angel Fire Resort will promote the Summer High Adventure Passport to hotel and condo guests as well as through the Angel Fire Visitors Center and Chamber of Commerce. This comprehensive deal-book features great offers for the full gamut of activities, from horseback tours to fly-fishing, river rafting, wine tours, hot air balloon rides and more. The Summer High Adventure Passport represents a savings of over $500 to vacation visitors in Angel Fire. Highlighting what’s new to the mountain this season, Angel Fire Resort is pleased to welcome Extreme Adventure Tours from Phoenix, AZ and The Chile Pepper Bike Shop from Moab, UT to the ski area for season-long summer operations along with The Stables from Montana and Green Mountain Anglers from Colorado and New Mexico.
About Extreme Adventures Angel Fire Tours: the premiere recreational adventure company in Arizona brings their line-up of exciting, outdoor recreational vehicles to Angel Fire. This includes the best new model dirt bikes, ATV’s and multi-passenger vehicles such as Tomcars and the Polaris RZR’s—allowing guests to experience responsible guided tours of the rugged and rocky trails of New Mexico’s Southern Rockies. Whether interested visitors are beginners needing a few tips for a fun ride, or highly advanced riders looking to test their skills, Extreme Adventures Angel Fire promises travelers to Angel Fire the adventure of a lifetime this summer. The agreement for use of Angel Fire Resort’s scenic mountain trails for adventure tours will be managed wisely for minimal environmental impact by professionals who view these outdoor resources as our greatest treasure.
About The Chile Pepper Bike Shop: Angel Fire has developed a reputation for some of the most varied and challenging mountain bike terrain in the country—as recognized by the world’s top riders during the UCI World Cup held here in summer 2005. Now Angel Fire will grow its base-area mountain bike facilities with the welcome addition of the Moab, UT-based mountain bike retailer, The Chile Pepper Bike Shop, here in time for The Chile Challenge Mountain Bike Festival in May. The Chile Pepper Bike Shop is a renowned bike-culture hub, based year-round in the middle of the best desert biking area in our country. Now they bring their knowledge, high-end rental equipment, specialty retail and repair services, and enthusiasm for great downhill and cross-country mountain biking to Angel Fire with a summer shop located at the base of the Angel Fire Resort ski mountain, steps away from the chairlifts. Clinics and guided rides are slated to begin once the retail and repair shop is established.
About The Stables at Angel Fire Resort: Trail rides are back at Angel Fire Resort. After a very long hiatus, Angel Fire Resort will once again open their stables to trail rides. This spring The Stables will open with daily trail rides and riding lessons with plans to expand to breakfast rides, overnight back-country trips, hay rides, sleigh rides and a kids day camp down the road. The family operated business will be run by veteran cowboy, Gary Plachy, his wife Penny and daughter Amanda, from Montana. A licensed guide in Montana since 1986, Plachy’s vast equestrian experience includes over twenty years as a trail boss, wrangler and back-country pack trip guide. His wife of twenty-nine years and business partner, Penny Plachy, will be chief organizer and office personnel and their daughter, Amanda Plachy, will contribute as a wrangler. To start, The Stables will consist of a string of six horses and will offer four two-hour rides per day. The operation will expand to twelve horses as the need arises.
About Green Mountain Anglers: Green Mountain Anglers will partner with Angel Fire Resort to offer visitors, members and guests alike the ultimate fly fishing experience. Whether they’re looking for guided trips throughout the great streams of the Enchanted Circle or hands-on clinics to improve their fly fishing skills, Green Mountain Anglers will offer a variety of classes and tour packages. Fly Fishing, Fly Fishing Still Waters, Casting Improvement, Fly Fishing Streams, Tying Flies for Stillwater and Tying Flies for Streams are among a few of the clinics available.
Camp Angel Fire: In order to provide recreation opportunities tailored specifically to kids of all ages, Angel Fire Resort is pleased to partner with Camp Angel Fire, a day/week kid’s camp for children ages 7 to 14. Camp Angel Fire will operate daily, from 9am to 3pm, starting in June, and be based at the ski area. Daily activities will include art projects, hiking, wildlife education, fun games, and healthy outdoor play. Camp Angel Fire does offer day camp opportunities and discounts for week-long participation. Reservations are strongly encouraged through the Resort’s Activities Center. Camp Angel Fire is owned and operated by Jeri Lyn Salazar, an Angel Fire resident and popular, long-time Children’s School instructor and teacher. Angel Fire Resort hosts a wide range of summer special events for visitors this summer. Chief among them is Additional special events include The TJ Trout Golf Tournament, The WeBeRacing Motorcycle Hare Scramble and the 4th Annual Movies Under the Stars. A complete list of summer events is available at www.angelfireresort.com.
Pajarito: The Cafe is now open for lunch, Monday Friday, from 11 - 2, as well as lift operation days. You can call ahead with your order from 11-11:30 if you would like. Summer lift operation dates: June 21-22, July 12, July 19-20, August 2, August 16-17, August 30, Sept. 13-14. Season passes will go on sale June 1, including an option to buy summer lift-served biking for just $80. Or a one day ticket is $20. The mountain biking program at Pajarito continues to expand with several additional X-C and freeride trails and new sections of North Shore-style features. In addition, they will be holding the Pajarito Punishment as part of the NMORS on Saturday August 9th. XC riding will start as soon as the snow melts and we clear the trails. The DH and Freeride season begins with Summerfest on Saturday June 7, with several full weekends to follow. This year the trail development program includes a new intermediate XC trail and a skills park.
Red River: Summer Chairlift rides start on the May 24. Rates: Adults $12, Juniors $8, and Seniors $10. Summer chairlift rides are going on daily from 9:00 AM 3:30 PM through Labor Day on the Red Chair just off Main Street. Mountain bikers and hikers will find a world of forest trails and roads to explore with plenty of varying terrain and beautiful views. Summer 4-Wheeling, fishing, horseback riding, ATV'ing, night sky tours, and rafting are all available through local outfitters. Some special events scheduled for the summer include: May 23-26 the 26th annual Memorial Day Motorcycle Rally; June 6-8 the Red River Classic Car Show; June 14-15 the Fine Art and Wine Festival; July 4 the fourth of July parade and celebration; August 14-16 the "Hot Chili Days, Cool Mountain Nights" chili cookoff and music festival. More information on summer events is available from redriver.org.
Sipapu: The snow has melted and the disc golf course course is now open. The course is hailed as "one of the top five most scenic courses in the county." The course is FREE to play; for information on upcoming tournaments, call 800-587-2240. Other FREE on-site activities include trout fishing, mountain biking, off-roading, hiking and wildlife watching. A few of summer events include: May 31-June 1: New Mexico Trials Association Annual Competition; July 5-6: 34th Annual Sipapu Craft Show; Sept. 4-7: BMW Bavarian Motorcycle Rally. Sipapu also hosts ongoing disc golf tournaments and paint and watercolor classes. For additional information about any of these events, contact Sipapu at 800-587-2240. There are a wide variety of accommodations, including cabins, hotel rooms, dorm-style sleeping, campsites and RV hookups, and - for the month of May - rates start at just $19 for an RV site or $29 in our historic lodge (based on availability). For more information or to reserve your lodging, call 800-587-2240. Limited lodging still available for Memorial Day weekend! The River Side Cafe reopens on May 23 and will remain open through the end of the month. The cafe will be open 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. daily.
Ski Apache: Closed for the season.
Enchanted Forest XC: Closed for the season.
Valles Caldera National Preserve: Closed for the season.
Durango Mountain Resort (Purgatory): Summer season events begin June 13. The annual Music in the Mountains series runs July 11 through August 3. Events in the summer season include the running of the Twilight Lift, the Alpine Slide, the bungee tramp or the climbing wall, try your skills at miniature golf, or bike the more than 50 miles of world class mountain bike trails. And there is an Adventure Xstream race on June 14th. A detailed listing of more summer events is available from the website.
Wolf Creek: Closed for the summer season.
Silverton Mountain: Closed for the summer season.
Telluride Resort: Telluride Ski & Golf has announced a delayed opening for the resort golf course until Memorial Day, Monday, May 26. Due to record snowfall this past winter season and a cold, windy spring, the course has not recovered as quickly as in past years. Telluride Ski Resort received a record 350 inches of snow during the 2007-08 winter season. While this provided for one of the best ski seasons in memory, and has been excellent for the regional drought situation, it has created challenges for opening a golf course in May. The 18-hole, par-70 Telluride course is located 9,500 feet above sea level and provides challenging holes, breathtaking panoramas and 15 percent more ball flight distance than at sea level. When the course is ready for play, golf operations will open in full swing. The Pro Shop, driving range, Club House and Halfway House will be ready with all services. The public can call ahead for tee times for play after 10:30 a.m. by calling the Pro Shop at 970-728-2606. The Pro Shop is stocked with the latest in fashionable, performance golf apparel, outerwear, and accessories. An assortment of golf equipment is available at competitive prices with custom club fitting by appointment. Private instruction and clinics are available daily from PGA professionals including Dan Smith, a lifetime member of the PGA; Director of Golf, Tim Fuhrer and Chris Neylan, Head Golf Professional. Telluride Golf Course opens with value season golf rates. For tee times, greens fees, instruction, twilight specials or other information on the Telluride Golf Club, call 970-728-2606.
More Info: What's New:There is plenty new at your favorite snow sports area for the 2007-2008 season.
Click here to check all that's new and improved.
Ski New Mexico
Colorado Ski CountrySki UtahNew Mexico National Weather Service Colorado National Weather Service Colorado Mtn Weather & Avalanche ReportDetailed Ski Area Forecast From SnowForecastWarren Miller Films & InfoNational Forest Service (has fall color info and more) 
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