• What to know if you go

Steve Haggerty/ColorWorld (ENLARGE)

Angel Fire Ski Resort's Chili Express chairlift is one of two high speed quads at Angel Fire.

Steve Haggerty/ColorWorld (ENLARGE)

Santa Fe Ski Area is skier and boarder-friendly.

Steve Haggerty/ColorWorld (ENLARGE)

Taos Ski Valley is a resort with attitude. Snowboarding is banned, and management says its lifts are fine just the way they are. 'We don't support the kind of expansion that turns ski resorts into a zoo,' spokesman Chris Stagg says.

Taos, N.M. — Patience is more than a virtue at Taos Ski Valley in northeast New Mexico. It's a lifestyle.

With 1,284 acres, the resort is the state's largest, and its powdery glades and breathtaking steeps are legendary. But high-speed chairlifts and a hurry-up pace are not the Taos way.

Newcomers riding Chair Five as it chugs uphill over the famously moguled face of Al's Run soon learn to relax and reset their inner clocks.

"This lift works perfectly fine," Albuquerque resident Weller Brown shouted, introducing himself as the chair rose over the snow. He smeared his nose with sunscreen, then offered us a daub. "I don't see any reason to upgrade it. To crowd more people onto the slopes? To save a couple of minutes? This is my day off. I'm here to relax."

Welcome to the Sangre de Cristo Range, in the southern Rocky Mountains, home of the country's most original ski areas. Taos, Angel Fire, Red River and Santa Fe resorts may belong to the same species as their corporate-owned kin in Colorado and California, but they've evolved quite differently.

Skiing in New Mexico is a home-grown experience, as quirky as Georgia O'Keeffe and as hot as a chile pepper. As for great snow, this season looks to be the best in a decade. Blizzards dumped 3 to 5 feet of powder at the beginning of January, and more is predicted. Looking for an original ski destination? You'll find it here.

Taos Ski Valley

Eighteen miles from Taos, Taos Ski Valley is an American classic with an international reputation, a Swiss-style ski village in an alpine-style valley, with historic hotels and haute cuisine. And this ski resort has an attitude.

Snowboarding is not allowed, and there are no plans to upgrade the area's chairlifts.

Period.

Four quads, a triple and five doubles are plenty, the management says, enough to move customers around the mountain.

"We don't support the kind of expansion that turns ski resorts into a zoo," spokesman Chris Stagg said. "It's ski culture that we're supporting here, even if it means some snowboarders decide to stay away."

In fact, few boarders do, switching instead to skis for the privilege of sampling the ski terrain, from the 9,207-foot base area to the top of the highest lift, at 11,819 feet. And you can hike beyond to the top of 12,481-foot Kachina Peak for a black-diamond (expert) plunge down Main Street's vertical powder, plus thrills and chills off the steep rear ridge.

Plenty of groomed blue runs near the top of the mountain attract intermediate skiers, but trails for first-timers are limited. Still, Taos' ski school, and its high-intensity Ernie Blake Ski Weeks, are unrivaled. Come and you will learn. Tubing is offered on the beginner hill Wednesdays through Saturdays. 1-800-776-1111, www.skitaos.org.

Angel Fire Ski Resort

Twenty-two miles east of Taos, this resort is a recreational skier's dream. Geared toward families, the resort's 67 groomed trails on moderately pitched slopes are varied enough to suit accomplished adults and beginners.

Ditto for grandparents, for whom the rustic surroundings and uncommercial atmosphere go a long way toward evoking skiing at mid-20th century.

Better yet, the resort's 445 skiable acres are self-contained and safe so that older kids can roam by themselves and even younger kids can ski with minimal supervision.

Angel Fire has two high-speed quad lifts and three double chairs for quick access to winding cat tracks, roller-coaster dips, small bowls and wide cruisers. Though many runs are close to each other, thick strips of forest hide one from another, so you feel alone.

Angel Fire courts snowboarders with lessons and dedicated terrain parks with catchy trail names like Fat City, Hells Bells and Fire Escape. Expert downhillers will want to head uphill to Minder Binder, Charisma, Detonator and Baa-da-Bing.

Kids go to the Children's Ski Center, organized for parental convenience. It's all right there: rental skis and boots, kitchen and lunch tables, a play and rest area for the younger kids, and storage cubbies. What the center doesn't have are what instructor Brad Mider calls "distractions" and what parents call "toys": trucks, dollhouses, video games and crayons.

"We're not baby sitters because that's not what parents tell us they want," Mider said. "Our job is to get kids out on skis, so families can ski together. If your child would rather play, we'd recommend you start him or her with a private lesson."

Lodging is in the base-area hotel or adjacent condominiums. 1-800-633-7463 or 1-800-754-4761, www.angelfireresort.com.

Red River Ski Area

This resort, 36 miles from Taos, is all about lifestyle. In the summer, the 290-acre ski area occupies a green hill behind the town of Red River, population 400, ignored by vacationers here to ride horses, fish for trout and hike.

When the snow flies and the same folks show up to ski, the preferred après-ski wear leans more toward cowboy boots than designer fashions.

The town is tucked into a small valley, with the resort's chairlifts — two triples and four doubles — climbing the slopes above it. You can ride up to the 10,353-foot summit on two long lifts that start in town, or park at the Ski Chalet base area and ride up from there.

Most of Red River's front-slope trails are marked in blue and rated for intermediates. The expert runs — Cat Skinner, Chicken Run and a couple of other challengers — drop off the front. The beginners get all the luck, with the bunny slopes on the back of the top, great views and the easiest trail back to the base, Cowpoke Cruise, starting there and looping back to the bottom.

Red River has a Summit Cafe, ski school, rentals and child care.

Half the fun is eating in town, where you're sure to find fiery-hot peppers on the menu. Nibble them without blinking and your welcome rating rises significantly. Swallow and they'll think you're a native. Information: For lodging: 1-800-331-7669, www.skiredriver.com.

Santa Fe Ski Area

This day ski area, 16 miles from Santa Fe, has no lodging at the resort base. That's good news — you'll have to stay in historic Santa Fe, America's oldest city that's a state capital, and eat in one of its exceptional restaurants.

The ski area, with 660 acres and 67 trails, climbs to the top of Tesuque Peak, at 12,075 feet, a windblown summit with immense views of the distant desert floor. Though the snowfall is unpredictable, passing storms are huge, leaving mountains of whisper-dry powder.

Forty percent of Santa Fe's runs are rated for intermediates and 20 percent for beginners; if you keep moving, you can ski most of them in two days. We prefer to slow down and savor the flavor. Don't miss the resort's three-mile cruiser back to the base area. It's high wide and handsome, and groomed all the way.

After the lifts close, explore Santa Fe, founded in 1619. It's at the end of the Santa Fe Trail. The cultural heart of the Southwest, it's a vibrant center for Western and Native American art. Bring your checkbook; it's hard to say no to Pueblo pottery, Zuni and Navajo silver jewelry, Navajo woven rugs or Western oil paintings. The Spanish Colonial and Pueblo architecture set the standard for both styles. Information: www.skisantafe.com; Convention and Visitors Bureau: 1-800-777-2489, www.santafe.org.

IF YOU GO

Getting there

Fly to Albuquerque, N.M. Santa Fe is about an hour northeast by car; Taos is another 1 1/2 hours north of Santa Fe. Expect to pay about $400 round trip from Atlanta to Albuquerque.

Suggested itinerary

Spend two to three overnights in Santa Fe, skiing during the day and exploring the city at night. Then drive north to Taos and stay at Taos Ski Resort or Angel Fire, skiing the other resorts as time permits.

About the weather

New Mexico winters are a study in contrasts. Overcast and gray days are cold; sunny days range from warm to brisk. Wear layers and drink plenty of water, especially at higher elevations.