The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has spoken, and the outlook for winter 2015-16 has powder written all over it. Many forecasters believe this winter could bring the strongest El Niño in 50 years.
To get you psyched, we picked some out the best places to ride in the southwest, so get those boards waxed and grab your snorkel. This winter is going to be good.
Purgatory Resort
This mountain north of Durango is ranked among the best of the southwest for experience and setting. Ample sunshine and big storms keep locals happy, and visitors are amazed at the variety of terrain. A new mile-long high speed quad on the infamous backside of the mountain will zip skiers up to new gladed runs.
Base Elevation: 8,793 feet
Summit Elevation: 10,822 feet
Vertical Drop: 2,029 feet
Skiable acres: 1,360 Acres
Lifts: 10 Lifts capable of moving 15,050 skiers per hour
Average snowfall: 260 inches
Terrain: 20% Beginner; 45% Intermediate; 35% Advanced/Expert
Parks: Five terrain parks- and numerous features throughout the mountain
Wolf Creek
Known for the most snow in the state, this family owned ski area outside Pagosa Springs is legendary for one thing: powder. Wolf Creek sits smack dab in the middle of a swath of the Rockies that gets all the snow. With a base elevation at 10,300 feet, it’s also easy to find powder long after the storms clear.
Base Elevation: 10,300 feet
Summit Elevation: 11,904 feet
Vertical Drop: 1,604 feet
Skiable acres: 1,600
Lifts: Five, Capacity: 11,000/hr
Average snowfall: 430 inches
Terrain: 20% Beginner; 35% Intermediate; 25% Advanced; 20% Expert
Telluride Ski Resort
There’s a reason Telluride is voted the No. 1 ski resort in the country. With 2,000-plus skiable acres and 41 percent expert terrain, you can hike to some of the best inbound skiing in the world and eat a chef prepared cuisine for lunch at this giant posh Colorado resort. Two gondolas and seven high speed quads are just half of its 18 chairlifts.
Base Elevation: 8,725 feet
Maximum: 13,150 feet
Vertical Drop: 4,425 feet
Lift-Served Vertical Drop: 3,845 feet
Skiable acres: 2,000-plus
Lifts: 18,
Capacity: 22,386+ skiers per hour
Average snowfall: 309 inches
Terrain: 23% Beginner; 36% Intermediate; 41% Advanced/Expert
Parks: Three terrain parks
Silverton Mountain
North America’s only expert-only lift served extreme skiing, just to get on the chair you need avalanche gear, available to rent with a day pass. With an average of less than 80 skiers on the mountain, a team of patrollers on the ground and in the air manages avalanche mitigation. Peak season is guided skiing only.
Base elevation: 10,400 feet
Summit of elevation: 13,487 feet
Summit of chair: 12,300 feet
Lift Served Vertical Drop: 1,900 feet
Hike-To & Helicopter Accessible Vertical Drop: 3,087 feet
Skiable acres: 1,819. Plus 22,000-plus acres of heli and hike-to terrain
Average snowfall: 400 inches
Lifts: One
Terrain: 100% Expert
Arizona Snowbowl
This mountain just outside Flagstaff, Arizona, is the western slope of Mount Humphreys, the tallest point in the state. With a good vertical drop, this mountain can dish out some amazing skiing, and the Upper Bowl has surprising and challenging terrain.
Base elevation: 9200 feet
Peak elevation: 11,500 feet
Vertical drop: 2,300 feet
Skiable acres: 777
Lifts: Seven
Terrain: 37% beginner 42% intermediate 21% advanced
Parks: Three terrain parks
Taos Ski Valley
An iconic and unique skiing experience, this mountain blends world-class terrain and southwestern culture. A new game changing Kachina Peak lift accesses previous hike-to terrain at 12,480 feet with a five minute chair ride. Always hammered by storms, at Taos you can log some serious vertical while knee deep in pow.
Base elevation: 9,200 feet
Summit elevation: 12,481 feet
Vertical drop: 3,281 feet
Skiable acres: 1,294 acres
Average snowfall: 305 inches
Lifts: 15
Lift capacity: 15,000 skiers per hour
Terrain: 24% beginner; 25% intermediate; 51% expert
Parks: Two terrain parks
Angle Fire
Stunning Rocky Mountains views abound at this southwestern gem. With 560 acres of rolling terrain, fantastic glade skiing and a nice vertical drop, Angle Fire provides worthy skiing close to Albuquerque, and some of New Mexico’s best skiing and snowboarding and nice gladed terrain.
Base Elevation: 8,600 feet
Summit Elevation: 10,677 feet
Vertical Drop: 2,077 feet
Average snowfall: 210 inches
Lifts: Five
Terrain: 18% Beginner; 46% Intermediate; 36% Advanced
Parks: Two terrain parks
Ski Santa Fe
Part of what makes Ski Santa Fe so fantastic is how good it skis just 16 miles from all the culture, shopping, dining and nightlife you could want in New Mexico’s capital city. With a base area at 10,300 and rising, it gets enough of Mother Nature’s winter loving, plus there is snowmaking on over half the mountain.
Base elevation: 10,350 feet
Summit elevation: 12,075 feet
Vertical drop: 1,725 feet
Skiable acres: 660 feet
Average snowfall: 225 inches
Terrain: 20% beginner; 40% intermediate; 40% expert
Parks: One terrain park
bmathis@bcimedia.com