Ski Santa Fe ending season week early due to warm weather
A ski season that began with a great deal of excitement and optimism will come to a premature end this weekend as Ski Santa Fe officials announced Monday they are pushing up the closing date by a week and will shut down Sunday.
The early closing was attributed to warm temperatures and rapidly diminishing snow, according to a news release. Temperatures in the Santa Fe area are expected to be in the high 60s or low 70s for much of the week, according to the National Weather Service.
Eric Thompson, Ski Santa Fe marketing director, acknowledged the end to this year's season is a bit of a disappointment, given the way things started in November. A heavy snowstorm earlier that month prompted officials to open the ski area on Nov. 23, the first early opening since 2001.
'I think we had a great season,' he said, adding it is unfortunate to end a week early.
But that didn't spoil things for visitors who ventured up the mountain this season, Thompson said, despite a winter where snow was a relative rarity across most of Northern New Mexico.
'All in all, we're happy with how the season went, despite the lack of great snow conditions,' Thompson said.
The season was buoyed by the ski area's new quad chairlift, the Santa Fe Express, which ferried skiers and snowboarders up the mountain in four minutes, as opposed to the 10-minute ride on its predecessor, the Super Chief.
Thompson said the opening of the Santa Fe Express was a game changer fof skiers.
'Even on our busiest days, we saw very few lift lines,' he said. 'It was much quicker.'
The resort was still reporting a 38-inch base Monday morning with 89% of terrain open.
'The coverage is really, really good on the beginning and intermediate terrain,' Thompson said. 'It's getting a little thin on the advanced terrain. But I think people will enjoy coming out this weekend and getting in a few last runs.'
Ski Santa Fe will mark the end of the season with a beach party Sunday at Totemoff's Bar & Grill, an event that will feature music by Half Broke Horses.
Anyone who has purchased lift tickets or signed up for lessons from March 31 through April 6, when the ski area originally planned to close, can pursue a refund at skisantafe.com. Those who experience an issue processing their refund or have questions can call 505-982-4429 or email info@skisantafe.com.
The Santa Fe Express will be open for fall foliage viewing in September. Thompson said Ski Santa Fe was unable to offer those rides last fall because of construction of the new lift.
The ski area's big project this offseason will be the construction of the new Easy Street Quad lift for beginner skiers. Thompson said work on that lift would begin as soon as this season ends and will likely take all summer.
'It will be a pretty large undertaking,' he said.
Those who already are thinking about the 2025-26 season at Ski Santa Fe will be able to purchase a season pass beginning Sept. 1, according to the release. Those who purchased a pass for the 2024-25 season are asked to retain their passes, which can be reloaded for the new season.
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