Sandia Peak Ski Area
Sandia Peak Ski Area | ||
---|---|---|
Terrain parks 1 (Scrapyard) | | |
Snowfall | 125 inches (10.4 ft; 3.2 m) | |
Snowmaking | 22 acres (8.9 ha) | |
Website | sandiapeak.com |
Sandia Peak Ski Area, originally La Madera Ski Area,
Etymology
Sandia Peak was originally known as La Madera Ski Area, named after the nearby La Madera canyon.[2] "La madera" is Spanish for "the wood", referring to the timber resources in the area.
"Sandia Peak" is not an actual topographical peak, but rather a spur of the highpoint of the Sandia Mountains, Sandia Crest. The name "Sandia" comes from the Spanish word for watermelon: "sandía". One theory suggests that this name came from the appearance of the mountains from the Rio Grande Valley below: an inverted watermelon slice-shaped range with a ridge of green forest at the top (the "rind"). The exposed granite of the range, the Sandia granite, appears pink with the setting sun.[3]
History
La Madera
The Albuquerque Ski Club, founded by Robert Nordhaus, a retired lawyer and father
The resort closed to the public at the outbreak of World War II and remained so until the war concluded.
After the war, the upper rope tow was removed and a state-of-the-art
In 1951, ownership of La Madera was transferred to the
Sandia Crest Rd, which replaced the old dirt road between
Sandia Peak
In 1962 and 63, the first chairlift, aptly named Chairlift #1, was installed, and the name of the resort was changed to Sandia Peak Ski Area. Nordhaus was inspired to build an aerial tramway from Albuquerque to the ski slope after seeing other trams during a trip to Europe.[7] Bell Engineering of Lucerne, Switzerland, was contracted to design and construct the tramway. Construction lasted two years, and was aided by over 5,000 helicopter trips. Testing took an additional 60 days. Sandia Peak Tramway entered service on May 7, 1966. It is, as of 2022, the longest aerial tramway in the Americas, and remained the longest in the world until being surpassed in 2010.[8]
Future
In 2017, the
Also included in the plan is a new mountain bike path, climbing wall, ropes course, disc golf course, tubing park, additional terrain park, and upgrades to parking, snowmaking infrastructure, and base facilities, including a concert and lecture area.[10]
Chairlift #1, one of the oldest operating chairlifts in New Mexico, will be replaced with a detachable quad chairlift to increase capacity. Chairlift #1 is a fixed-length double lift and has the lowest capacity of the resort's three summit-serving chairlifts, but is used as the primary lift due to its length and ability to operate in high winds. Chairlift #2 will be converted to foot traffic only to serve the Four Seaseons Activity Area. Chairlift #3, which provides redundant base-to-summit service, will be retained for redundancy, or eventually decommissioned. Beginner Chairlift #4 will also be retained. The Mitey Mite handle tow (#5) will be replaced with a conveyor. A new chair or surface lift, Chairlift #6, will be built to serve the beginner area and tubing park.[10]
Description
Sandia Peak is located in the main unit of the
The base lodge, Double Eagle II Day Lodge, contains a restaurant, gift shop, day rentals, a
Scrapyard Terrain Park, located near the lodge, offers ramps, rails, and other obstacles for skiers and snowboarders.
The resort includes 4 fixed-distance chairlifts, a
Located at the summit is the upper terminal building of the tramway, as well as the upper termini of Chairlifts #1, #2, and #3. The visitor center of the Cibola National Forest is also located in the terminal, as well as a ski patrol station. Adjacent to the terminal, at an elevation of over 10,300 feet (3,100 m), or "ten-three", is a fine-dining restaurant, TEN 3 (stylized as 10|3), formally known as High Finance Restaurant, tagged as the "highest fine-dining experience in the nation".[11] A mountain coaster will also be located here.[9]
The resort is patroled by the Sandia Peak Ski Patrol (SPSP), a unit of the National Ski Patrol.[5] Lodging for the resort is provided at Sandia Park to the east and in Albuquerque to the west. No camping is allowed in the forest.
Activities
Winter
Sandia Peak hosts skiers of all skills and ages. Ice skating, cross country, endurance skiing, and uphill and downhill skiing and snowboarding is accommodated at the resort. No tubes or sleds are allowed at the resort; a tubing and sledding "snow play area" is provided by the Forest Service across the highway from the resort at Capulin Spring. The Snow Sports School provides ski and snowboard lessons and the Cubby Corner school provides lessons to young children on a private slope. There is a shop for renting winter sports equipment at the ski lodge; those arriving via the tramway to the summit necessarily must bring their own equipment to ski. The resort routinely hosts races and competitions.
The resort grooms and maintains the snow surface, and can provide for manufacturing new snow if necessary.
Summer
There are numerous notable trails at the resort including the Grand Enchantment Trail, 10k Trail, Golden Eagle Trail, King of the Mountain, and the upper end of the popular La Luz Trail. The area hosts hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, bird-watching, fine-dining, and scenic viewing in the summer months.
Chairlift #1 provides scenic rides throughout the off season, and lunches are hosted at both the base and top-of-tram restaurant. Tram rides are offered Thursday through Sunday year-around, including holidays, weather permitting. The summit serves as a jump point for hang gliding.
Additional planned summer activities include a climbing wall, ropes course, mountain bike trail, and the Four Seasons Activity Area.[10]
Four Seasons Activity Area
An all seasons recreation area, dubbed the "Four Seasons Activity Area", will provide additional recreation at the resort year-around. The area will be located at the southwest part of the property, near the summit. Included will be two ziplines, one of which will closely follow Chairlift #2. The lift itself will be converted to foot traffic only, exclusively serving the activity area. A service yurt will provide additional food service.[10]
A 4,200 foot (1,300 m) mountain coaster is also planned for the activity area. The plans were drafted by the resort and approved by the Forest Service in 2017. Notice of Initiation was given on November 7, 2019. Public input for the project was accepted until March 31, 2021. Construction was expected to begin after the 2021-22 season, with opening in summer/fall 2022, but was placed on temporary hold early that year. The coaster will run year-around, as long as the tramway is open.[9]
The coaster, if built, will take riders in carts down a 2,825 foot (861 m) meandering track at speeds of up to 25–30 miles per hour (40–48 km/h). Speed will be limited by an eddy current brake. Riders will then ascend 1,375 feet (419 m) of uphill track. The total drop is 378 feet (115 m), with an average downhill grade of 13.4%.[12]
Sandia Peak Ski Area statistics
Elevation
- Base: 8,678 feet (2,650 m)
- Summit: 10,378 feet (3,160 m)
- Vertical Rise: 1,700 feet (520 m)
Developed Terrain
- Mountains: 1 (Sandia Peak)
- Skiable Area: 200 acres (0.81 km2)
- Trails: 53 total (23% beginner, 49% intermediate, 29% advanced)
- Terrain Parks: 1 (Scrapyard Park)
- Average Snowfall: 125 inches (320 cm) annually
Lifts
As of 2021, Sandia Peak has a total of 6 lifts.
4 double
- Chairlift #1
- Chairlift #2
- Chairlift #3
- Beginner Chairlift #4
1
- "Mitey Mite" handle tow(Cubby Corner students only)
List of ski runs
The named ski runs at the resort include:
- Aspen
- Aspen Bowl
- Aspen Narrows
- Burn
- Cibola
- Cibola Cutt-Off
- Cibola Ridge
- Cubby Corner (Cubby Corner students only)
- Diablo
- Dipsey
- Do Drop In
- Double Eagle II
- Exhibition
- Foster Murphy
- Fred's Run
- Greg's Run
- Hups
- Inhibition
- La Madera
- Little Suicide
- Lower Slalom
- Prohibition
- Race Arena
- Rob's Run
- Sandia
- Short Swing
- Silver Arrow
- Slalom
- Suicide
- To Chair 2
See also
References
- ^ "Sandia Peak Ski Area - Resort and ski area overview". On the Snow. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c Gibson, Daniel (January 7, 2009). "Skiing through history at the state museum". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ "Popular belief holds that the striped appearance of the rocks or the pinkish reflections of the surfaces at sunset led to the name "watermelon mountains" in Spanish." Pearce, T. M. (1965) "Sandia" New Mexico place names; a geographical dictionary University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM, p. 142, OCLC 420847
- ^ Davenport, Coral (2014-05-10). "Brothers Battle Climate Change on Two Fronts". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c d e "History of SPSP". Sandia Peak Ski Patrol. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ "Sandia Peak Ski Area - Mountains info & stats". Escape 2 Ski. 16 December 2013. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ http://sandiapeak.com/index.php?page=history-technology
- ^ "History and Construction". Sandia Peak Tramway. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Sandia Peak Ski Area Mountain Coaster". United States Forest Service. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Sandia Peak Ski Area 2016 Master Plan" (PDF). US Forest Service. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ "High Finance". Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog. 8 July 2009. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ "Proposed Mountain Coaster". Sandia Peak. Retrieved March 4, 2021.