Spring Season Extended

By Carson Bennett, 3-12-08

	Caption: Snowed-In Shuttle at Durango Mountain Resort

It’s true, this year’s ski season started slowly for those of us in the Southwest. But then December came, the snow started to fly, and in many places it still hasn’t stopped. Ski areas in New Mexico and Colorado have seen record years, epic base depths, and more skiers and boarders than expected. In fact, most of the resorts in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico are extending their seasons into April.

Monarch Mountain, smack on top of the Continental Divide, 120 miles west of Colorado Springs, will extend their season to April 13. Their current base-depth is 92 inches. For those of you on the front range who’re tired of fighting traffic in the I-70 corridor, this is a great place to spend your spring skiing days.

Purgatory (Durango Mountain Resort) has extended their season to April 6. If you’re in the area, be sure to visit on Saturday, April 5, and have one last pint at the famous Purgy’s before they shut it down forever. Unfortunately, this long-time apre-ski bar doesn’t fit into the Durango Mountain Resort base area renovation plans.

Wolf Creek, always the place to go for powder, has not only extended their season to April 13, they’ll also be open on the weekends of April 19-20, and April 26-27 with a special extended season lift ticket price of $27.00! I have no doubt the skiing will still be incredible during their extended season. As of today, they have a 156 inch base with 5 fresh inches from the most recent storm. (By the way, “in honor” of Daylight Savings Time, Wolf Creek is running their lifts for an extra hour, from 8:30am to 5:00pm, until March 23. How sweet is that?)

Taos and Santa Fe have not officially extended their seasons, but they might as well. It snowed a foot in Taos over the last three days, and their base is holding steady at 112 inches. Santa Fe reports a tentative closing date of April 6, with a current base of 115 inches. When was the last time you remember ten FEET of snow on Santa Fe’s little local mountain?

The season is not over yet, my friends. Yes, the little birdies are chirping, the daffodils are blooming, the rosemary in front of my house is full of purple flowers, and I even saw a honeybee yesterday – but the snow is still falling in the high country, and we all still have at least another month to hit the slopes. Let’s get out there.