More Pow for Your Buck: New Mexico’s Oldest Ski Area Reopens With Tickets From $19

Now there’s yet another great reason to visit the Land of Enchantment. After a hiatus since COVID, New Mexico’s oldest ski area, Sandia Peak, has reopened its doors and welcomed skiers back to its slopes. The local mountain returned to operation this weekend with skiers and snowboarders ready to hit the snow.

All of the resort’s terrain, including 300 skiable acres spread across 35 trails, is once again available now that Mountain Capital Partners (MCP) has officially taken over management and ownership. Tickets for Saturday and Sunday ran as low as $79, the resort said in a press release, and select dates throughout the season are available from just $19.

So if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana’s ski resorts, Sandia Peak offers a very cost-effective option.

“The reopening of Sandia Peak was never an ‘if’ but a ‘when’ for this team,” Scott Leigh, the project manager overseeing Sandia Peak and MCP, said in the release. “We are tremendously proud to give skiers and snowboarders in Albuquerque and throughout the region the freedom to ski.”

Sandia Peak Ski Area: Back in Business

Founded in 1936, Sandia Peak Ski Area is situated in the picturesque Sandia Mountains, just 35 miles northeast of Albuquerque. It’s reachable by the Sandia Peak Tramway, the third-longest single-span aerial tramway in the world.

In 2021, the resort announced that it would not be opening for the season. It cited a lack of snow, employment issues, and old equipment. It subsequently remained closed for the next three seasons. MCP purchased Sandia Peak in October 2023, and it’s breathing fresh life into the nearly century-old ski area.

Now that it’s reopened, Sandia Peak has expanded its operating hours from what was previously available. It’s open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fridays through Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Presidents’ Day (Monday, February 19) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

All essential skier services, including ski school, food, beverage, and rentals, are available at the resort. In the short term, however, the resort will have limited food and beverage options and rental equipment quantities.

Anyone can purchase an MCP Powder Pass, which offers unlimited access to Sandia Peak, as well as MCP’s 11 other ski areas and bike parks in Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, and Oregon. As for the kids, children aged 12 and under ski for free.

Visitors are required to prepurchase all tickets, ski school lessons, and rentals on the Sandia Peak Ski Resort’s website. And unlike its 2021 season, this time, the resort can promise decent snow.

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