They also have a few small amusement park rides that the younger kids enjoyed afterwards. The conveyer belts take you to the top of six different runs, making this an activity the whole family can do for several hours without tiring. From my 3-year-old nephew to my young-at-heart dad (who asks that I not reveal his age), we all screamed as we hit chilling speeds via our tube train. In fact, everyone in our group loved this day.
My son proclaimed his breakfast burrito to be "legendary." I proclaim it was gone is less than 120 seconds.
The kids had their own private room with pull-out beds and a TV and VCR to watch movies. The house we found through Ruidoso Reservations slept up to 12 people and was the hub of conversations, great meals, and après ski activity (read: Baileys and coffee). Three days of skiing, one day of snow tubing, fresh snowfall, hot chocolate, and an epic breakfast (just look at the hash browns in this photo.) were just a few of the highlights from the four-day, kid-friendly vacation. Snow is a rare sight in South Texas, and we basked in the snowflake glory for every possible moment. But as soon as we ventured out of the house, we were all in awe of the white powdery sensation falling from the sky. This year, the kids entertained themselves making snow blobs and chasing the dog around the house. My dad invited me, my brother, and sister and our respective families on the trip, and each couple took turns cooking a big meal while dad kicked back and enjoyed being taken care of. At the edge of town is the 12-mile county road leading up to Ski Apache. Lincoln National Forest is nearby, and the town has a lively main street with plenty of shopping and restaurants and nearby hills for sledding. The drive from El Paso is so scenic that my son listed "the road trip" in his thank-you note to Grandpa as one of his favorite parts of the vacation. Ruidoso is a three-hour drive from Albuquerque, a nine-hour drive from San Antonio, and two and a half hours from El Paso International airport, where we flew direct from Austin on Southwest Airlines. This year, it snowed during our four-day visit (making it our second year in a row of good snow fortune), and Ski Apache opened more lifts and runs throughout our winter escapade. But Ruidoso is a decent driving distance from San Antonio, where my sister lives with her two young kids, and an easy flight for us, so it's the shoe that fits best for now. I would wear a Hush Puppy if I had to it's just not my shoe of choice. No frills, but reliable and gets the job done. If Ruidoso were a shoe, it would be a Hush Puppy. New Mexico is an unlikely state for a ski trip. As the kid whizzed past me in his golden jacket, I remembered the nickname we gave him last year: The Yellow Bullet.
I do it for the love of my nine-year-old son, who proclaimed after our first two runs on Ski Apache in Ruidoso, New Mexico, "If skiing is a winter sport, then my new favorite sport is skiing." Lucky for him, his big blue eyes are my weak spot, so we spent the next three hours going down the same two green runs on the slope, over and over and over. And let's not talk about how I look like the Pillsbury Dough Girl in puffy everything.īut I do it. Okay, "hate" might be strong, but the thought of hurling my body down a mountain at blood-curdling speeds and dodging reckless snowboarders in subarctic temperatures is not my idea of a good time.
Skiing in New Mexico? It's better than you might think, as Austin-based ski-phobe Darlene Fiske discovers on a family trip.