SKI THE ROCKIES!

The leaves are turning, there’s wood smoke in the air, and the dog days of summer have whimpered and gone. A few hundred’ miles north, there’s a chill in the air and the moan of stormwinds in the mountains. Look, there in that store window… isn’t that a ski parka? It must be time… time for the annual migration north and west, to the ice cream mountains of Colorado and New Mexico, to the winter playgrounds of the Southwest. Dust off the bindings, wax up the boards. It’s ski season again,

LOOK! UP IN THE SKY! IT’S A BIRD! IT’S A PLANE! NO… IT’S THE SUPER-CHAIRS!!!

FASTER THAN A SPEEDING DOUBLE CHAIRLIFT, MORE COMFORTABLE THAN YOUR SOFA, ABLE TO CARRY MORE SKIERS UPHILL FASTER THAN EVER: THE HIGH-SPEED QUAD LIFTS ARE REVOLUTIONIZING SKIING.

Back in the old days of skiing, say a couple or three years ago, you had to be pretty lazy or just plain pooped to take longer skiing down a trail than you took getting back up, especially after any sort of wait in a lift line. Figure an average ride of 15 minutes after an average wait of 5 or 10 minutes, and your round trips probably averaged a little over half an hour. Then say you hit the slopes about 9:30 a.m., carved up a pretty mountain till about 3:30 with an hour off for lunch, and you got in about ten runs. And that was usually enough to send you right to the hot tub afterwards to keep your legs from turning into rubber bands the next morning.

There is some good news, and there is some bad news. Let’s start with the good: it’s the Year of the Superchair in Colorado. Most of the top resorts in the state are adding one or more new high speed chairs or gondolas to one or more of their mountains, and the bottom line is that liftlines are becoming a dying breed. As the uphill capacity of the areas increase, you are going to get in more and more skiing. With lift riding time on the new chairs usually half of what it is on the older chairs, you’re likely to find yourself back at the top of the mountain before you can say “anyone for lunch?” Consider that the new chairs are not only twice as fast, they carry more skiers at a time; thus, if you are used to using that lift line time for serious suntanning, or ski pant watching, you better rethink your strategy.

All this activity in Colorado reflects a renewed optimism on the part of the resort operators, and the ever increasing competition among the Colorado resorts to outdo each other. Expansion and improvement is the watchword of late, and the financial figures for all this are astounding: literally tens of millions of dollars EACH SEASON. The ultimate winner of course is the skier, who must be beginning to feel that a lot of people up there want his business and are willing to provide a terrific experience in order to get it.

Perhaps the leading example of the new Colorado is Breckenridge, the 128-year-old mining town with the postcard-perfect Victorian facades and three huge mountain peaks covering over 1,400 acres. Brecken-ridge’s success lies in its juxtaposition of the authentically old and the undeniably modem; this was one of the West’s original mining camps, and a few old buildings around town look as if the original inhabitants are still there. For the most part, though, Breck-enridge is a beautifully restored example of Victorian style: replicas of antique gas street lamps adorn Main St. and horsedrawn sleighs tinkle by in their light. More often than not (it seems), evening brings great soft snowflakes just to add a little romance to the scene and brighten up the mountains for the next day’s skiing. There are more than 60 restaurants in the town alone, and the shopping possibilities are awesome. Brecken-ridge is and has always been a real town with real people living there, so visitors really do get what the town’s logo promises: genuine Colorado.

Breckenridge’s ski trails cover the southern third of the Ten Mile Range, which has ten peaks in roughly a ten mile span. At a mountain per mile, Breckenridge’s three consecutive mountains and their broad flanks cover a lot of ski terrain: 1,460 acres, to be exact. That’s a lot of skiing, and within that quantity is a great deal of diversity. It’s a simple thing to find exactly the sort of terrain you have skiied in your dreams all summer, regardless of how you like it. The new Peak 10 features dramatic chutes off a broad ridge that spills nearly back into town, and the speed and comfort of one of the aforementioned Superchairs. Breckenridge in fact now features three of the new speedy 4-per-son chairs; one to serve each mountain, of course. With that sort of uphill capacity- nearly 22,000 skiers per hour-Breckenridge skiers have ample opportunity to sample all the wooded glades, sunny cruising runs, high alpine bowls, scarifying mogul fields, or ice cream sundae slopes that comprise this massive mountain playground. If you can’t find it at Breckenridge, you probably can’t find it in Colorado.

Breckenridge is just the best version of the new Colorado ski resort: most of its neighbors are spending equal amounts of time and energy to keep pace with progress, and again, it is the sudden proliferation of the Superchair that will make the most impact. A quick rundown of several of the big areas reveals that the country’s (and some of Europe’s chairlift and gondola manufacturers) are having a good year financially. Even staid old Aspen, the Silver Queen of Colorado, is installing a new gondola right in the heart of the Little Nell base area that will climb clear to the top of Ajax and eliminate the former three-lift shuffle that used to provide locals a predictable social routine on Sunday mornings.

Over at Steamboat, that wild and woolly Western town so dear to the hearts of Texas skiers, the old four-passenger gondola is being replaced by a shiny new eight seater that whisk skiers to the top of Storm Peak in style and comfort. They’re calling it the Silver Bullet, but they will not be serving Coors Light on board. Back down in southwest Colorado at Telluride, the big news is not only a new airport and vastly improved air access, but the Sunshine Express, a-you guessed it-high speed quad.

Back closer to Breckenridge, the Ski the Summit neighbors of Copper Mountain and Keystone are doing their part to keep Colorado moving uphill in a smart fashion. Last year Copper Mountain unveiled Spalding Bowl, a dramatic powder haven on the south side of the mountain. They’ll follow that act this year with their entry into the Superchair sweepstakes, a high speed quad departing from the original center-village base area. In keeping with the rage of naming the new chairs, Copper’s will be known as the American Flyer. Just down the way at Keystone, a new six-passenger gondola will completely replace the original four-person model, and add new comfort to Keystone’s unique night-skiing operation, the largest of its kind in the world. At Winter Park, last season’s two new high speed quads will be joined by still another this season, as the venerable resort area embarks on a massive expansion program over the next several years.

For sheer scope, however, Colorado generally looks to Vail. In one fell swoop. Vail last season installed four high speed quad chairlifts, including the much-heralded Vista Bahn, the only covered quad of the bunch. Add still another quad at Beaver Creek and Vail is the easy winner in the Superchair sweepstakes. Just for statistical interest, Vail can move 28,800 skiers uphill every hour while Beaver Creek moves 17,015. That would be a lot of skiers, and the point of course is that since there aren’t that many, the casual art of hanging cool in lift lines is becoming lost. No more leaning on the poles, chatting up the opposite sex: “hey, nice Rossis.” From now on, the name of the game is ski your heart out, and there’s no better place to do it than Vail, USA.

In case you haven’t visited lately, Vail now comprises 1,880 acres of ski trails, 6,900 acres of total ski area, a four-mile-long ski run, four quads and a gondola, 279 acres of snowmaking coverage, 11 places to lunch on the mountain, and a plan to spend forty million dollars on expansion and improvements in the next five years. What’s to get better? Vail is already legendary, and it’s only about a quarter of a century old. The little Bavarian-styled resort that was born in a sheep meadow at the foot of Vail Pass is now generally acceded the title of champion of the world; it is certainly the biggest total ski resort complex. Even with its magnitude, though. Vail should be recognized for its success at providing the essential ski vacation experience. Disregard the fact that Bavarian architecture has no historical roots in Colorado, and that for a while this summer the town council briefly considered building a plastic boulder at the entrance to town rather than a real rock; Vail is authentic Vail, and it isn’t done any better anywhere in the industry. Vail is romance, Vail is glamour, Vail is fabulous restaurants, Vail is fabulous homes and lodges, Vail is former Presidents and present movie stars, Vail is a gurgling creek under a covered bridge that frames a whitewashed clock tower that frames one of the best-many concede the best-ski mountains in the world. When you start with all that, it’s impossible to not finish with the classic ski experience-and that, ultimately, is what Vail is all about. It’s the quintessential ski vacation brochure come to life, and you’re the one in the picture.

Texas skiers have a secret, and that secret is called New Mexico. The combination of low latitude, dry desert air, and towering peaks located right smack in the way of the southern storm tracks has created some of the most enjoyable ski resorts in the country, and it seems only Texans and a few Californians know about them. They would like to keep it that way, but chances of that are slim as these resorts continue to improve and expand.

A classic example of all the above is Ski Apache, the former Sierra Blanca ski resort near Ruidoso which is owned and operated by the Mescalero Apache Tribe. Ski Apache is not only the southernmost ski area in the country (read warm, sunny skiing), it boasts the largest lift capacity in the state, including New Mexico’s only four-passenger gondola. With 1,800 feet of vertical and a 9,700 foot base elevation, Ski Apache is definitely the big leagues. The scenery is major league too; Sierra Blanca peak is a dramatic outcropping of the Rockies that looms 12,000 feet over the floor of the high desert. The view goes on forever.

Like its Colorado neighbors, Ski Apache is in the midst of major expansion plans. The 1985-86 season unveiled a pair of new advanced trails, some new glade and tree skiing, and a high speed triple chair.

Moving north from the tropical climes of Ruidoso, the next stopping point for skiers is at Santa Fe, where several good hotels and the increasingly popular attractions of the city itself provide a very civilized ski vacation. Santa Fe Ski Basin, for instance, is a twisty, turny 25 minute drive up into the adjacent mountains, but the drive rewards skiers with a great all-around mountain and that wonderfully sunny New Mexico skiing weather. This area features good tree skiing, some steep and narrow stuff, and plenty of wide cruising terrain-a bit of something for just about everyone. The new base lodge is impressive too, but apres-ski Santa Fe style is in Santa Fe, the acknowledged cultural and artistic capital of the Southwest. (When folks start moving down from Aspen, you know you’ve got something pretty special.)

Just 16 miles back down the mountain, the 211-room High Mesa Best Western makes things attractive for skiers with package rates and an indoor pool and exercise room. Closer to the mountain on Santa Fe Plaza, La Fonda provides a shuttle bus to the ski area, special skier mid-week rates, and a pair of jacuzzis.

Continuing north, the ski areas start to get thick as a March snowstorm. The concentration of good skiing in the Southern Rockies-Northern New Mexico region is remarkable: areas like Angel Fire and Red River serve up plenty of vertical feet, plenty of steep and deep, and plenty of lift capacity to get you there. In fact, if New Mexico ski areas haven’t gone in for the Superchairs, it’s because they don’t need them. Most days there is no such animal as a lift line anywhere in the state, and when there is it’s just long enough for you to catch your breath. With vertical drops in the 1,600 to 2,600 foot range, these jewels of the south offer the same kind of leg-burning challenge as their neighbors up north of the border, and usually not enough people to cause a crowd. Consider Taos Ski Valley, for instance; legendary, and mostly of the hang-on-by-your-fingernail variety, and the total ski experience rivals anything in the country. The ski school is considered one of the best anywhere, and the resort village is cozy and charming. If that’s not enough, Taos the town is the perfect blend of southwest Indian flavor and apres-ski fun.

Just as part of the fun of skiing Colorado is Colorado itself, New Mexico’s appeal transcends the lifts, trails and lodges of the ski areas. The experience encompasses many facets, not the least of which is the Indian-inspired reverence for the land. One of the best ski experiences in the northern part of the state is not at a ski area at all, but at the newly-winterized Chama Land and Cattle Company, a fishing and hunting lodge that has recently combined with nearby Ar-riba Ski Ranch to offer a combination ski touring-snowmobiling center. Chama has long been known for its thriving elk herds and magnificent scenery; both feature prominently in the attraction of this rustic-but-elegant hilltop retreat. It’s a completely different sort of winter getaway, and one that captures the special beauty and uniqueness that is New Mexico.