Improvements For Power Pass' Southern Tier Resorts Debut
The southwestern tier of the Rockies and its cordillera have gotten as much snowfall as any so far, meaning a quintet of resorts under the Power Pass network can open for the 2025-2026 season.
Perched above Albuquerque (900,000 pop.), "city hill" Sandia Peak (200 a., 1,700 vert.) comes fully back to life this season after a decade of inconsistent operation.
Purveyors of the Power Pass, Mountain Capital Partners purchased New Mexico's oldest ski area in 2023 and has overhauled the lift system so that all four chairlifts are set to go for the first time in recent memory -- if the snow gods cooperate.
The innards of learning-area Chair 4 got rebuilt, a new surface lift went in near the base, and upper-mountain Chair 2 -- long dormant -- is slated to operate this season. Base-to-summit Chair 3 also got the once-over this summer and should be running.
Elsewhere, Las Vegas' winter diversion Lee Canyon (195 a., 860 vert.) has benefited from MCP. Expert-area Ponderosa chair became a four-seater in 2023 -- the first upgrade in decades. This summer, crews installed a moveable surface lift on the terrain park slope, and a magic carpet in the beginner area.
Management also has improved trails in the West Bowl area, expanded parking lots and upgraded snowmaking.
In southern Utah, Brian Head (665 a., 1,707 vert.) plans to debut a novel idea: A new gladed terrain for novices. The mid-mountain Adventure Zone is aimed at gently introducing skiers and riders to navigating the trees.
More snowmaking has gone in all over the two-mountain trail map, and the main overnight lodge has undergone a facelift. MCP has big plans for the future: more than 1,600 new skiable acres, 26 new lifts and thousands of acres for housing.
Near Flagstaff, Arizona Snowbowl (777 a., 2,800 vert.) has settled down after a lift-building frenzy over the past couple of seasons. This year, snowmaking got the most attention, all over the hill. Up top, crews removed down and dead trees to make glade-running smoother and safer. The base lodge remodel continued, and new rental fleet is in place.
And finally, loyalists to southwest Colorado's Purgatory (1,635 a., 2,072 vert.) will have to wait another year before the new Gelande chair debuts. Permitting issues stalled construction of the lift that is expected to reduce base crowding by loading out of the remote parking lot and dropping off skiers and riders at the front-side summit.
Instead, crews worked to put first-ever snowmaking in on the far back-side around Lift 8, aka Legends, that serves some of Purgatory's steepest terrain. Importantly, snow guns will be trained upon the lower pitch which quickly becomes boilerplate without new snow.
For these and all of Power Pass' nine resorts, dynamic pricing for day tickets runs all season. If bought far enough in advance and for less-popular days, tickets can go as low as $29. And, as always, kids 12 and under ski free without blackouts.
