In January Ski New Mexico and Allsup's make it easy to drive to New Mexico with FUEL FOR THE MOUNTAINS. Just register online for a winter vacation in New Mexico during January and receive a voucher good for $50 of gas at any Allsup's convenience stores. See the story below for details.

In This Issue of the Winter Insider

Holiday Happenings

Fuel for the Mountains

Insider Gear: New Skis - Fatter is Better

Southwest - The Way to Fly to New Mexico

Manage Your Winter Insider Mailing

HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS

Season's greetings, winter sports fans. The Insider hopes this edition finds you with your presents wrapped, your pantry stocked, and your bags packed for a New Mexico holiday vacation. Here, the lights are lit, the bizcochitos are baked, and the farolitos are ready to lend their distinctive warm glow to our chilly nights. It's true that Mom Nature has been a bit stingy in delivering snow to our mountains, but we're skiing and boarding anyway and looking forward to a festive holiday on the mountains.

Our winter resorts have continued to open terrain. Taos, Angel Fire, and Red River mountains are now open to the top. Those areas, plus Ski Santa Fe, Ski Apache, and Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort are open full time. Not all runs are open, but there's a bright side to this. Great deals! You can ski and snowboard all you want, enjoy the special flavor of New Mexico during the holidays, and save bunches of bucks.

At Angel Fire Resort, for example, you can still buy a Sunday Season Pass and ski or board every week for only $99. There will be a torchlight parade and fireworks at Angel Fire on December 24. Red River has its torchlight parade the evening of December 24 and a luminaria tour on the 25th. At Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort, lift tickets are only $34 and there will be a party in the main lodge on December 24. Also, check out the "Stay Free January 16 and Ski Free January 17" deal on the Sipapu website.

The Insider loves this deal. Show up at Ski Apache on December 23 in full costume as your favorite holiday character and your lift ticket that day is free. We do mean full costume, from hat to boots - no getting away with a set of cheesy antlers. Lift tickets at Apache are discounted right now, $34 for adults. Santa Fe is also currently offering $34 lift tickets. These prices can change any day. You can still get a Millennium Pass at Santa Fe, which gives you unlimited free days in January and substantial discounts the rest of the season, for just $169. At Taos Ski Valley, it pays to buy a Taos Card even if you only go there a few times a year. You get $10 off each lift ticket and every seventh day is free. Taos will have a holiday torchlight parade and luminaria tour December 24.

Enchanted Forest Cross Country Area isn't even open yet, but has extended its pre-season price for season passes until December 31. This is a great deal because the pass is also good at three nordic areas in Arizona and California. Cost is $135 now, $175 after the end of the year.

Remember folks, things do book up in New Mexico around the holidays, so call ahead. There are plenty of last minute reservations available. We'll be lighting the luminarias and grooming the slopes for you.

FUEL FOR THE MOUNTAINS

We know y'all are fainting at the sight of your winter heating bills. And gas, while not as costly as it was, still isn't cheap. So, to help get you to your dream vacation in New Mexico's spectacular mountains, Ski New Mexico has a special offer. Just purchase a multi-day lift ticket and lodging package on our New Mexico Vacations website during the month of January, 2006, and you'll get a voucher for $50 dollars worth of gas at any Allsup's. For many of you, this means the trip is on us. Can't beat it, especially with our already low prices.

INSIDER GEAR: NEW SKIS - FATTER IS BETTER

If you haven't bought new skis in say the last four years, this is the year to get out there and demo. You'll be amazed. Many of thought when we zeroed in on that perfect pair of shaped skis, we'd gone to ski nirvana and would never want another pair. But ski technology has taken another quantum leap forward and the resulting boards are easier to use and more versatile than ever.

There are two reasons for the big gains. The first is that skis have generally gotten wider. But they still have the same sidecuts - the curve from the tip through the waist to the toe - that revolutionized skis and rejuvenated the sport a few years ago. The industry calls this category of ski the mid-fat. "The big advantage is that these wider skis float better in powder," says the Insider's ski guru, Harvey Chalker, owner of Alpine Sports in Santa Fe. "But the sidecut makes them easy to turn on hardpack." It's the dream of the all-terrain ski finally come true.

Mid-fats tend to be very stable at speed, so they're great for cruisers. They're also short and turny for fun in the bumps. "Length varies according to the skier and the manufacturer," says Chalker. "But in general, the beginner ski will come up to the client's chin, the intermediate to the bridge of the nose, and the expert to the top of the head."

The other big change is the integrated binding. With most skis nowadays, you pay one price for the ski and binding. The binding, instead of being bolted onto the ski, attaches to a rail, track or sliding plate, leaving the ski free to flex underneath. This means no more dead spot in the center of your ski and the grabbing power to arc a turn that will make you hear angels sing.

The mid-fat and the integrated binding have been developing for several years now, so the kinks are pretty well shaken out. "It's my feeling that in another few years all skis will have integrated bindings," says Chalker. The bottom line is easier skiing - more runs, fewer aches and pains. If you have a bum knee or a bad back or just haven't skied in years, new skis are your ticket back.

As usual, mid-fats come in a bewildering array of choices. You can get them more floaty or more turny, depending on where and how you like to ski. They come stiffer for experts and a tad softer for intermediates. A new and much hyped sub-category is the "one ski quiver," an advanced all-terrain ski. Don't try to figure this all out yourself. See an expert like Harvey Chalker and demo, demo, demo.

You won't have to learn an entire new style of skiing like you did when you switched to shaped skis. Just remember to keep your feet apart because that's how the skis work best. And pay attention on the flats. Because your skis want to turn, any little wobble in your stance when they are running flat can set one of them on edge and set you on your behind.

So, what's the hot ski this year, the one everybody wants? "K2," says Chalker. "It's the one both men and women are asking for. A few years ago I wasn't even carrying them because they weren't selling. But the company made some manufacturing changes, last year the skis were very strong and this year, as far as I'm concerned, they're number one in the Rocky Mountain area." The Insider hopes you've been a good little skier and find those K2's in your stocking.

NEW MEXICO SKIERS PERFER SOUTHWEST ARILINES
Southwest Airlines is #1 in New Mexico with great customer service, low fares and almost 60 flights a day into Albuquerque. Skiers and winter vacationers will find Southwest Airlines Vacations ideal with a wide range of vacation packages to some of New Mexico's most popular ski destinations like Taos Ski Valley, Ski Santa Fe and Angel Fire Resort.

Southwest Airlines Vacations ski packages to New Mexico include roundtrip air, hotel accommodation and taxes, skierized rental car, Rapid Rewards credit and 24-hour traveler assistance.

For Southwest Airlines reservations please visit southwest.com or call 1-800-I-FLY-SWA. For Southwest Airlines Vacations packages please visit swavacations.com or call 1-800-423-5683.

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