Sipapu, NM 02/08/09

I think I may be the first person to post an FTO TR from Sipapu. Located 30 minutes southeast of Taos, about all I'd heard was that it was a beginner's hill and that its target market was local families and Texan Panhandlers:


Base lodge:


The second point was correct, but we were surprised by how well-pitched it was, and by how many short, but legitimate black and double-black shots there were (unfortunately, none of my pix show that). The trails were all cut to keep the winds from scouring the snow, so they're all narrow and rolling -- very EC-esque:




We skied a couple hours with general manager John Paul Bradley, who showed us around, and pointed out some of the work he and his crew have done to trim and clear the woods of blowdowns, resulting in a lot of really nice tree skiing.

NM has been in high-pressure hell since the Xmas holidays, but there was plenty of cover, and by 10:30, temps had warmed up into the low 40s and everything was skiing really smoothly. By 1:30, the woods had softened up, so I made a few sweet runs on the looker's right. I'd love to hit them on a powder day, and given the modest ski day numbers and the fact that the local hardcores would rather head up to Taos, I'm certain that there'd be untracked for many days after the storm.

The wife and I both agreed that Sipapu skied bigger than its 1,055 vertical feet. You know what it reminded me of? A NM version of Norquay.
In short: a fun day, I'd go back -- and if the skiing and indy old-school vibe aren't enough, you can enjoy the local delicacy, green chile fries, on the wooden deck:


So much for the high-pressure system. It's dumping right now and we're supposed to have a foot of new snow at Taos tomorrow.

Nice TR, James!
Sadly, even tho I spent many years skiing on the western side of the Rio, I never made it up to Sipapu. Thanks for posting the trail map, too. Other NM legacy ski hills such as Red River and Angel Fire also depend very much on the numerous Texan skiers making the all-night drives to the first mountains over the horizon.

Other NM legacy ski hills such as Red River and Angel Fire also depend very much on the numerous Texan skiers making the all-night drives to the first mountains over the horizon.

Click to expand...

Two anecdotes from yesterday, both in the gift shop at the end of the day.

1. Young snowboarder walks up to me, and for no particular reason, blurts out:
"Dude, driving up from Texas SUCKS!!"
Me: "Where did you drive from... Lubbock? Amarillo?"
"No, HOUSTON!!!!"
Me: "You drove up here from Houston??!!?!?"
"Yeah, we didn't want to pay for the plane."
:lol:

2. While buying a Snapple at the register:
Me: "What does Sipapu mean?"
The two girls behind the desk look at each other, puzzled.
Me: "Nobody knows?"
Another female employee walks in and says, "Sipapu means 'paradise' in Indian."
Me: "Ah... which language is that?"
Employee: "Which language? It's Indian."
Me: "Yeah, but which tribe?"
Employee: "No idea."
#-o

Although it was late in the season a couple winters ago I had a great day at Sipapu.

Two things stood out along with some nice lines and friendly people were the Sipaburger at lunch which was fantastic but also the shower curtain for a door when I required a seat on the thrown. Still laugh when I think of that :lol:

Also the bridge over the fast flowing river. No handrails just planks of wood that must be a nightmare in a storm Health and safety in the UK would go mental!