Skiing in Santa Fe

To save time during the busy holiday season you may want to rent skis or snowboards in town the night before hitting the slopes so you don't waste any time waiting during the morning rush.

Alpine Sports rents downhill and cross-country skis and snowboards. 121 Sandoval St., South Side, Santa Fe, 87501. 505/983-5155. www.alpinesports-santafe.com.

Cottam's Ski Rentals rents the works, including snowboards, sleds, and snowshoes. 3451 Hyde Park Rd., 7 mi northeast of Downtown, toward Ski Santa Fe, Santa Fe, 87501. 505/982-0495 or 800/322-8267.

Santa Fe Mountain Sports is a family-owned specialty mountain shop that rents boots, skis, and snowboards for the whole family in the winter, as well as bicycles in the summertime. The super-helpful staff is great to work with. 1221 Flagman Way, Suite B1, South Side, Santa Fe, 87505. 505/988-3337. www.santafemountainsports.com.

Ski Santa Fe, open roughly from late November through early April, is a fine, midsize operation that receives an average of 225 inches of snow a year and plenty of sunshine. It's one of America's highest ski areas—the 12,000-foot summit has a variety of terrain and seems bigger than its 1,700 feet of vertical rise and 660 acres. There are some great powder stashes, tough bump runs, and many wide, gentle cruising runs. The 44 trails are ranked 20% beginner, 40% intermediate, and 40% advanced; there are seven lifts. Snowboarders are welcome, and there's the Norquist Trail for cross-country skiers. Chipmunk Corner provides day care and supervised kids' skiing. The ski school is excellent. Rentals, a good restaurant, a ski shop, and Totemoff Bar and Grill round out the amenities. End of NM 475, 18 mi northeast of Downtown, Santa Fe, 87501. 505/982-4429 general info; 505/983-9155 conditions. www.skisantafe.com.