Catch a lift out of town, and hit the slopes

Albuquerque is not renowned for its slopes, but every winter skiers and snowboarders dust off their equipment and head to the mountains.

It is a city with people devoted to the sport, said Kat McKenzie, marketing director at Wolf Creek Ski Area in Colorado.

"The Albuquerque kids amaze me because they are so hard-core," McKenzie said. "We just get an incredible amount of snow compared to other parts of the state," she said. "The most snow in Colorado is our logo."

Snowstorms early in the season gave many ski areas in Colorado and New Mexico the opportunity to open all of their lifts and trails, said Candy Dejoia from Ski Santa Fe.

Dejoia said the ski area opened 80 percent of their mountain the first day of the season. Now it's 100 percent open.

"We have had one of the best openings we have had in quite a few years," she said. "It has just been great. We are waiting for that one snowstorm that will cover those obstacles out there."

The college kids

Participants of winter sports wait through spring, summer and fall to hit the slopes.

Jesse Smith, a snowboarder, said experienced skiers and snowboarders wake up early to beat the crowds and hit the fresh powder.

For anyone in love with the sport, sleep is worth sacrificing, he said.

"You get to see the sunrise and the sunset for most of the year if you are working that time of year," he said. "It all depends on whether you like being outside in the snow."

Many New Mexican skiers and snowboarders head out of state looking for the perfect slopes, but New Mexico's ski areas have a lot to offer, Smith said.

"I love Santa Fe ski area," he said. "I've been boarding there for 15 years, so I haven't gotten sick of it at all. As far as other ski areas I've seen, I think that Santa Fe is pretty cool."

Smith said he has snowboarded the slopes throughout New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming, but it hasn't been cheap.

Equipment, lift tickets and gas can make winter sports an expensive endeavor.

But Smith said he makes snowboarding his financial priority during winter.

"If you have the money, it is fun," he said. "But you have to put some work toward it in terms of getting the money if you are not wealthy."

Wolf Creek offers students cheaper lift tickets, McKenzie said.

Discount and college passes are common among most ski areas that cater to families, singles and college students, she said.

"We schedule college days throughout the season where every college student with a valid ID receives a $27 ticket," she said.

The next college day at Wolf Creek is Sunday.

For the new kids on the slope

Most ski areas offer training courses for beginners, said Adriana Blake, marketing director from Taos Ski Valley.

"All of the ski basins in New Mexico do a beginners' package, so people who don't have any experience can come up and check it out," she said.

Josh Lee, a snowboard instructor at the Ski Santa Fe, said beginners shouldn't be afraid of the extreme sport.

Lee said that learning to snowboard was difficult, so he can empathize with his students.

"I was falling all over the place my first day," he said, "so it is nice to see people learn something and do really well and get a lot from the lesson."

The key to improving is perseverance, Smith said.

He said he sees new snowboarders get discouraged after a difficult day on the slopes.

"There is always that awkward stage in sports when you're not too good, but it gets better," he said. "I'd say keep falling. You'll stop falling at some point."

Lee said he worries about the risks his students might take after they complete their lesson.

"I always talk about it in the lesson about getting lost," he said. "If you stay in bounds, it is OK. But it is when you go out of bounds that the consequences get a lot more real."

Staying safe

Skiers and snowboarders must be careful on the mountain, said Scott Kay, patrol director for Wolf Creek ski patrol.

"Dress in layers, and always get a trail map," he said. "They should try not to get into terrain that is over their ability, and pay attention to what signage there is."

Skiing out of bounds can be dangerous. It helps to ski with a partner, he said.

"If you aren't familiar with the mountain, it could put us on a wild goose chase and delay our response in getting to you," he said.

Kay said ski patrollers do everything from breaking up fights in the parking lot to using explosives to protect skiers from avalanches.

"It could be someone that is lost that we need to try and track down or someone who is injured," he said. "We get people that lose their equipment, and we help them find it. It is a really customer-service oriented job."

Ski patrollers maintain safety on the mountain but urge people to remember that skiing is dangerous, he said.

Injuries are preventable and can be avoided by following the rules, Kay said.

"It is kind of like an amusement park," he said. "But there are

inherent risks involved in skiing and snowboarding, so we are here in case somebody has a bad day."

Kay said ski patrollers often deal with skiers and snowboarders who have been injured while trying tricks.

He said most of these injuries happen to college students.

"Those are the ones we see that have the most serious injuries, and it usually started out with, 'Hey guys, watch this,'" he said.

What's new in the snow biz

Snowboarders who have felt snubbed by Taos Ski Valley's no-snowboarding policy will have a change of heart on March 19 when the mountain opens up to them, said Adriana Blake, marketing director at the ski area.

Blake said Taos has been a ski-only mountain since it opened.

"We feel like we are turning a lot of families away, because families have at least one snowboarder in them," she said.

The decision was also based on college students, she said.

"When students come up as a group, inevitably, they have one member of the group that snowboards," she said.

Student Adam Lucero, a snowboarder, said he heard about Taos Ski Valley from friends who ski.

"It is one of the best mountains in the Southwest," he said.

Lucero said he is happy the mountain will be open to snowboarders.

"At least they are opening," he said. "All I can do is hope for a storm on the 18th."

Wolf Creek

(San Juan, Colo.)

Base: 101-140 inches

100 percent open

Last snowfall: Tuesday

$48/day

Ski Santa Fe

Base: 58-60 inches

100 percent open

Last snowfall: Jan. 10

$54/day

$44/day if you're 13-20

Angel Fire Resort

(Eagle Nest)

Base: 31-32 inches

95 percent open

Last snowfall: Saturday

$59/day

Purgatory

(Durango, Colo.)

Base: 61-65 inches

100 percent open

Last snowfall: Jan. 10

$60/day

Taos Ski Valley

Base: 60-67 inches

100 percent open

Last snowfall: Jan. 17

$63/day

Source: SkiReport.com