Three Chairlifts To Be Installed This Summer in Northern New Mexico
Northern New Mexico's three major resorts have hired crews to install new chairlifts at each mountain, aimed to move folks around the hill and give novices faster access to their favorite trails.
At Taos Ski Valley (1,294 a., 3,131 vert.), lots of plans are moving along to streamline ways to get around the multi-cirque mountain. The headliner is a base-to-base gondola that has Forest Service approval but won't go up this summer. Also waiting the wings are high-speed upgrades for upper mountain Lift 2 and Lift 8.
For now, skiers and riders who visit the northern New Mexico resort this summer will see a new version of backside Lift 7 going up. The oldest chairlift on the hill (1984), Lift 7 serves both TSV's terrain park and access to the seriously steep trees of Walkyries between Sir Arnold Lunn.
The new triple chair is expected to speed up the action in the mid-section of the backside that is an intersection for front and back movement.
Over the divide at Angel Fire (560 a., 2,077 vert.), the backside of the mountain will add a fixed-grip quad that will run from the terminal of Southwest Express up to the bottom of Liberation Park chair, formerly Lift 2.
The new four-seater will follow the old line of Lift 6, a double that opened in 1966 and ran until it was removed in 1998. Access will improve The Steeps -- Angel Fire's only cluster of black runs -- as well as hooking the expansive terrain park.
Summer visitors may also see dirtwork underway at the main base, viewer's right. The beginners' Lift 2 is set to be replaced for 2026-2027 by a high-speed six-pack that will run much farther up the gentle side of the hill.
Down at Ski Santa Fe, gliding down Easy Street just got easier: A fixed-grip quad will go in this summer to replace the 25-year-old double. The "new" lift is actually a portion of the old Santa Fe Super Chief that was replaced by a high-speed in 2024. A higher-capacity Easy Street lift is expected to thin out crowds that have to begin their day at the oft-congested main base area.
And finally, down by Albuquerque, resurrected Sandia Peak (300 a., 1,700 vert.) is expected to run this next season as-is, but hopes to get the OK for a base-to-summit high-speed chairlift-gondola for the 2026-2027 season.
