Vadito, NM – After picking up nearly a foot of snow and just over two weeks before Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort opens skiing and snowboarding in New Mexico, resort officials announced that visitors can expect to see – and ride – a new lift on opening day.

Snow began falling at Sipapu on Wednesday, and guests woke up to over 11 inches of new snow on Halloween morning. Resort officials say that this is the most snow the resort has seen from a single October storm in over a decade.

In spite of the snow, construction will continue on Sipapu’s newest lift, a magic carpet. The 450-foot long conveyor lift rises 100 vertical feet while gliding flush along the surface of the snow. It offers novice skiers and snowboarders an easier way to hone their skills before they progress to more advanced terrain. Mountain crews are currently installing the new lift and anticipate debuting it on opening day, set for Nov. 16.

Installed along the existing Lift 2 line, the new magic carpet will service two beginner trails and one lower intermediate trail; terrain that is used extensively by Sipapu’s ski school classes and beginner skiers and snowboarders.

Sipapu’s new lift replaces Lift #2, a Poma platter lift. Installed in 1961, Lift #2 was New Mexico’s oldest running ski lift. Mountain Manager John Paul Bradley explained, “The Poma lift has been the first lift to open and the last to close in New Mexico for more than a decade.”

Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort is resolute about attaining that distinction. In fact, when Sipapu begins turning the lifts on Nov. 16, it will mark the earliest opening date in the history of the resort, and resort officials expect to once again claim the title of first ski area to open in New Mexico for the 12^th straight season.

Sipapu’s early opening date is the result of a commitment to snowmaking. This season, Sipapu added two new snow guns to its fleet, and snowmakers began running the snowmaking system on Oct. 16, the earliest start in Sipapu’s snowmaking history. Sipapu also added two new snowcats this summer, which will give Sipapu’s mountain crew more grooming options and more grooming hours.

“We plan to groom our main park every single night, and groom the other parks more frequently than we’ve done in the past,” said Bradley.

In addition to Sipapu’s physical mountain upgrades, Sipapu is expanding its popular 4^th Graders Ski Free program to include 5^th graders. Any 4^th or 5^th grader simply needs to present their current report card to verify their grade, and they ski free any day of the season.