Sandia Peak Ski Area

Yes. Sandia Peak Ski Area is the ski area in the mountains above Albuquerque, but its season status needs to be checked before a ski trip. The 2025–26 season ran for only about five weeks, opening around January 11 or 12 for beginner terrain only, pausing on February 17, and not reopening.

The Sandia Peak Tramway is a separate operation from the ski area. A tram ride is not the same as a lift ticket, and an operating tram does not establish that ski lifts are running. The useful planning answer is yes, with the ski area’s season status checked first.

Sandia Peak Ski Area is first a current-status decision, not a dependable date on an itinerary. The area sits in the Sandia Mountains on Cibola National Forest land under a Forest Service special-use permit. Its operator places it 35 miles northeast of Albuquerque and lists 300 skiable acres, 35 trails, and 1,700 feet of vertical. The operator’s mountain pages give an 8,678-foot base and a 10,378-foot summit.

The ski area’s history begins with La Madera Ski Area, established in 1936. Mountain Capital Partners calls it New Mexico’s first-ever ski resort. Sipapu separately calls itself the state’s first lift-served ski area beginning in 1952. Those are differently worded operator claims, so this guide attributes them rather than choosing a winner.

Mountain Capital Partners and Sandia Peak Ski Company formed a 50/50 joint venture on October 16, 2023, with Mountain Capital Partners operating the ski area and adding it to the Power Pass system. The current lift roster has four pieces: Chair 2 on the upper mountain, Chair 3 from base to summit, Chair 4 serving beginner terrain, and a magic carpet added in December 2025. Chair 2 was restored in summer 2025, while Chair 4 was rebuilt and returned in 2024–25.

Chair 1, a 1963 lift, was decommissioned in 2017. The Forest Service approved a chondola replacement in an August 5, 2025 decision memo. Approval is the confirmed milestone; a construction start is unconfirmed and should not be described as underway. Snowmaking was upgraded in summer 2025, but warm temperatures still interrupted both recent seasons.

The ski area and Sandia Peak Tramway are separate operations. The tramway climbs the west face from Albuquerque’s eastern edge. The ski area’s FAQ permits tram arrival for visitors who bring their skis or snowboard and boots and can descend from the summit to the base. Beginners and visitors needing base-area rentals or lessons should drive from the east via NM-536. Tram and ski tickets are separate, and an operating tram does not establish that skiing is available.

The Forest Service route uses I-40 to Tijeras or Cedar Crest, then NM-14, the Turquoise Trail, for about 6.5 miles. NM-536, the Sandia Crest Scenic Byway, continues about 6 miles to the ski area. The operator describes the full trip from Albuquerque as roughly 45 minutes. Weather and current road conditions can change that estimate.

A separate, dated access issue applies farther up NM-536. The Sandia Crest “Switchback” hazard-tree project began partial closures beyond roughly mile 11, near the 10K Trailhead parking area, on April 30, 2026 and is scheduled through fall 2027. The ski area, around mile 6, is below that closure point, while access toward the upper crest is affected. Check Cibola National Forest alerts for the current closure pattern rather than assuming all of NM-536 is closed, or that all of it is open.

The return under new management has produced two very different but both limited seasons. In 2024–25, Sandia opened for an early November 9–10, 2024 weekend, reached 100% terrain availability by December 28, paused on February 17, 2025 because of warm temperatures, and added one bonus day on April 6. The operator counted 60 operating days.

For 2025–26, a planned mid-December opening slipped repeatedly. Warm temperatures blocked snowmaking, and then a lift issue added another delay. The ski area finally opened around January 11–12, 2026 with beginner terrain only. It paused operations starting February 17 because of warm weather and never reopened, leaving roughly five weeks between the opening and the final public ski day on February 16. Public updates do not confirm that every lift operated during that period.

Passes for 2026–27 were on sale by the July 21, 2026 source check, but no season dates had been announced. A pass offering is not an operating calendar. Recent patterns have included Wednesday-through-Sunday schedules or daily operations when open, yet neither pattern should be carried forward without a current announcement.

Treat Sandia as a close-in opportunity that needs late confirmation. Check sandia.ski for current operating status, open terrain, lifts, and ticket terms. The season pattern does not support booking around a fixed opening assumption. The practical approach is buying refundable or credit-backed tickets close to the visit, after weather and lift status are clearer.

Sandia participates in the Power Pass system. The 2026–27 Power Pass Core includes unlimited access to Sandia Peak, Sipapu, and Pajarito; access and blackout rules at other mountains differ. Power Pass and Select also include unlimited Sandia access. Pass inclusion still does not guarantee an operating day, so verify the mountain separately.

Finally, keep the tram distinction visible at every planning step. The tram can be open daily as a year-round attraction while the road-served ski area is paused. Directions, tickets, hours, and status for one should never be used as evidence for the other. Current ski information belongs at sandia.ski; current tram information belongs to the tramway.