Makes For Some Great Memories!
Written: Nov 04 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: great for any skill level, lots to do, beautiful
Cons: only the drive up to the slopes
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| sheann26's Full Review: Ski Apache |
I have many great memories of Ski Apache. It was not the first ski resort I went to, but the one that I have gone back to the most. My first trip to Ski Apache was about 15 years ago. I was basically still a beginner skier. I had gone to Red River, New Mexico in the two years previous to that. I took my lessons, but was just not comfortable enough to consider myself an intermediate skier. I had enjoyed Red River, however it is not all that great for a beginner. They do have trails that are designed for beginners, but most of the mountain is geared towards the more advanced skier.
So, upon arriving at Ski Apache and finding all of these beginner slopes, I was in heaven. I had really enjoyed skiing, but was still too timid to take on the blue (intermediate trails) much less the blacks (expert). I had really gotten tired of going down the same trails over and over again in Red River. I did not find this same problem in Ruidoso. They offered several trails for those just beginning or not comfortable enough to try anything harder. I was able to spend most of the day trying out a different trail each time. I was then able to move on to the more advanced trails by the end of they day. It just took some time and practice to get comfortable.
It is never a good idea to try out the advanced trails without a lesson or practice. I have seen many accidents happen this way. People get scared and do not know what to do. It is very easy to get out of control and get nervous.
Ski Apache does offer great lessons. I have not taken them there, however we have had several beginners to go with us in the past. They have been very pleased with what they have learned and were able to venture on to the expert trails after a day or so. I am not sure exactly what they charge for the lessons, but they are very reasonable and usually include your lift ticket. Whatever the cost it is definitely worth it! I have not known anybody to take lessons and regret it. You may think that it looks easy and that you can do it with no problems, but believe me it is definitely harder than it looks.
There are even several different types of lessons you can take. They offer everything from beginner on up to advanced. I have never taken an advanced lesson, so I don’t know exactly what it consists of. You can either take lessons as a group, semi-private or individually. I took them as a group in Red River, but there were 10 of us and they were all family. This worked out great.
We have gone back over the years with people who have never had a lesson. Some of them have taken group and others have taken private. Of course, private lessons are a lot more expensive than group. I believe that they charge by the hour. If you there are a couple of you who want to take a lesson than you can do the semi-private, again they are more expensive than group, but cheaper than individual.
I have thought about taking some more lessons sometime, but doing a private lesson. I feel that I could learn some more advanced techniques. I would like to be able to learn exactly what I wanted to with out worrying about slowing the whole group down. I did learn all the basics in our group lesson, but that was over 15 years ago. I feel like some more lessons would really benefit me. I am a fairly good skier, but there are some trails that I am just not comfortable going down.
There is a fairly new thing that has become just as popular as skiing and that is snowboarding. Not all resorts allow snowboarding, however Ski Apache does and even offers lessons. I would highly recommend taking lessons, because boarding is quite different from skiing. There are new things to learn and you have to be able to maneuver the board just right.
There are several people in our group that have decided that they like snowboarding better than skiing. They have even bought their own boards. You can rent them, but they like having their own, so they can get them to fix exactly right. I myself have never tried snowboarding, but it looks like a lot of fun. It also offers more flexibility than skiing, because there are all kinds of tricks that you can do on a board, but not on skis. You can do more freestyle tricks.
Ski Apache is also quite reasonable for a ski resort. You can purchase a lift ticket for around $45.00, but they also offer a 3-day ticket for around $100.00. This is a much better deal, but some people don’t care to ski for 3 full days, because skiing can get quite tiring. I usually would buy a 3-day ticket, but only end up skiing for three half-days. The lifts are open from around 9:00 to 4:00 and you can buy a half-day ticket. This will get you on the lifts from around 1:00 to closing. This is a good deal for those that don’t get there early. I have never bought one, so I am not sure about the cost. They also offer a discounted price for children. I am not sure exactly what they charge, but it somewhere around half the price of an adult ticket.
As far as renting skis goes, you can either rent them there at the mountain or they have many places in town. I am not sure if there is a cost difference, because we have always just rented ours in town. We found a place our first year and have always continued going back, because they have all of our records on file. They usually give us a good deal also. We rent skis, boots, and poles for around $10.00, but you can get them for around $15 a day if you are not able to get a discount. They also have shaped skis, which have been out a couple of years and are a lot better. They do charge a couple of dollars more a day for these. I definitely think that they are worth it, because they offer a lot more flexibility than regular skis.
There is one small downfall to Ski Apache and that is the drive up the mountain. It can get quite scary, because you have to drive up the mountain to get to the slopes. There are no rails and several big drop-offs. In fact, one of the guys that went with us almost went off. His brakes went out and he was able to stop at the last minute by applying his emergency brake. This was a very close call. Other ski areas that I have been to are not designed like this. The towns have been built around the mountain, but Ski Apache is around 20 minutes from town. It is a beautiful drive, but as long as you don’t look down!
One year when we went it snowed quite a bit up at the mountain and many people could not get down. Luckily, everyone in our group had left early, but others were not so lucky. There are not any hotels up there, so they were just stuck. Once the road starts icing up it is almost impossible to get down. Like I said there are many drop-offs, so it can get quite dangerous.
We always stay at Lookout Estates in Ruidoso. This is a great place to stay and is about a 20-minute drive from the slopes. We get a 5-bedroom condo for around $275 a night. It sleeps 15 people very comfortably, however we have even had more.
The condo is set up really neat. There are four different entrances, which make it good for those who want to go out. If you enter from the main door you will be on the level with 3 of the bedrooms. You can then go upstairs or downstairs. If you go up then you will enter the living room and kitchen/dining room. There is a large balcony that overlooks the town.
If you go downstairs from the main level then you will enter the game room. This is huge and is complete with a bar and pool table. There are two entrances from the outside into it. There is also another level down from here. There are two bedrooms and each one has a king size bed. There is also one bathroom down there and another entrance. So, as you can see it is very convenient for those who are going to be coming in late.
In our group we always have several adults and many teenagers/young adults. This room is great, because it is down and away from the other areas of the condo. Everybody can be as loud as they want without waking anybody up. Like I said there is a bar and pool table. The bar is set up with a sink and refrigerator. So, you can set up any food or drinks down there without having to even go upstairs. There is also a television, a couch and a table/game table. The room is so big that some can be watching TV, while others are playing a game of pool. The whole setup is great, because everybody can pretty much do what he or she wants without having to worry about waking everybody up.
I have not said much about the town of Ruidoso. It is a wonderful town and has grown quite a bit since we first started going. There are many restaurants and shops. For those that don’t ski there is still plenty to do. They have a great casino (which I have done a review of) called Casino Apache. It is at the Inn of the Mountain Gods, which is a short drive from town. I have always done quite well there. Even if you don’t gamble I would recommend driving out there, because it is beautiful. There is a nice lake and great golf course.
There is also a horse track, which is in Ruidoso Downs(right inside of Riudoso). I myself have never been to it but, have known others who have and really enjoyed it.
As far as lodging goes; you can stay at the Inn of the Mountain Gods or there are many other great places to stay. The Inn charges around $90 a night, which is quite reasonable, but would not work out for a group, because they are motel rooms. We stayed at Vantage Point the first two years that we went. It was fairly decent, but nothing fancy. It is quite a bit cheaper than Lookout Estates, but it shows! You can find anything from motel rooms, cabins, bed and breakfast, condos to private houses to rent out. Most of the places that I have checked into have been pretty reasonable. Two years ago we almost did not get our usual room at Lookout, so I got on the phone to check around. However, at the last minute I was able to get it.
There are also many restaurants in the town. One of our favorites is the Cattle Barron. This is a great steakhouse with a great salad bar. You can also find chicken and seafood. It always fills up, so get there quite early. Another favorite of ours is the Loghouse for breakfast. They have great omelets, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, and anything else you might want. You can find just about any kind of food that you want in town. There are several great barbecue, Italian, Mexican and Chinese restaurants as well.
As far as night life goes, there are a few neat places to go. There is a pub called Farley's, which we always hit at least one night. They have a neat thing going on St. Patrick's Day..complete with green beer. It is a very laid-back atmosphere and is great for big groups. The Quarters is another place that we have gone. This is one place that you would definitely need a group to have fun. They offer karaoke a couple of nights a week. There are also several places with live music.
I usually enjoy just hanging out at the condo and having our own little party. We always have enough of us to have a great time!
You can find information on any of these places at www.Ruidoso.net. They have all of the places of lodging available on this site. You can also find out about the restaurants, ski conditions, weather, ski rentals and some pricing information. It is a great website to help you plan out your trip, especially if it is your first time there.
I would highly recommend this resort to anybody. Whether you are a first timer or an expert. You will surely find many trails to keep you entertained all day. Also, for those who don’t ski there is so much to do. You will keep yourself busy shopping, gambling or just eating! Whatever you do; you will have a great time!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sheann26
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Location: San Antonio, TX
Reviews written: 255
Trusted by: 70 members
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