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Journal North: Home | Sports | Opinion | Obits | Entertainment
Friday, March 19, 2010
Skiers Enjoy One Last Hurrah
By Vince Kong
Journal Staff Writer
While the images associated with spring break typically includes coeds in swimsuits, this hasn't been the case in New Mexico.
With an abundance of snowfall this past month, including a recent storm front that dropped upward of a foot of snow in some areas, some area ski resorts have become a final destination for students during their holiday.
"The numbers are fantastic," said David Dekema, marketing director at Angel Fire Resort. "A high day for us is generally 5,000 — only a couple days during the season approach that."
On Monday, Dekema said, that mark was surpassed with an estimated 5,150 guests. But the more surprising figures came just one day later.
"When we hit the high-water mark (5,000 skiers/snowboarders) it's rare that we see that two days in a row — maybe it's once during Christmas and once during spring break," he said.
But, on Tuesday, the resort recorded a record-high 5,250 visitors — and Angel Fire isn't alone.
Over at Ski Santa Fe, while the exact figures have yet to be released, officials said this past week has met — and perhaps even exceeded — expectations.
"I haven't done the numbers, but from the looks of it, they're good spring-break numbers," Ski Santa Fe spokesperson Candy DeJoia said. "And it helps that we got 15 inches of new snow — everybody got excited about that."
DeJoia said Tuesday and Wednesday were the busiest days at the resort, averaging about 3,400 visitors per day.
And more snow may be on the way. The National Weather Service put out a winter storm warning Thursday afternoon, saying "a potent late-winter storm is approaching New Mexico." But, while moisture is expected over the Santa Fe area, the greatest snowfall is expected on the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristos today and into Saturday.
When DeJoia was asked if Ski Santa Fe would remain open later than the first week of April, she responded with a resounding maybe.
"Our tentative date is still April 4," she said. "... We have some great snow but it comes down to customers coming — and customers typically stop coming in April."
Dekema agreed.
"We close March 28th," he said. "We've been looking at extending that date because of our snow conditions — of just opening on weekends — but it appears unlikely.
"... Research in our market tells us that people at that time are shopping for mountain bikes and flip-flops come April. So our feeling is that this week was our grand finale."
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