📷 Ski Apache
North America
Closed for the season
Season ended April 5, 2026
Conditions data updated Fri, Aug 28, 09:04 AM UTC · informational only
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Closed for the season — closed April 5
Weather data is still collected for informational purposes.
Last Snowfall
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Past 24 Hours
0cm
Past 48 Hours
0cm
Past 10 Days
0cm
14-Day Forecast
0cm
Snow Depth
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Ski Apache is a ski resort in North America, United States, currently closed for the season (Season ended April 5, 2026). Conditions last updated 2026-08-28 09:04 UTC.
Ski Apache is located in the Sierra Blanca mountains near Ruidoso, New Mexico, and features over 750 skiable acres with a summit elevation of 11,500 feet. The resort is known for its diverse terrain, including wide beginner slopes, challenging runs, and New Mexico’s only gondola lift. Visitors enjoy a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere, modern facilities, and panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. Signature experiences include scenic gondola rides, terrain parks, and a variety of winter activities suitable for all ages and abilities.
Click to expand • 5 total photos
Resort-reported stats for Ski Apache
Lifts
11
Skiable area
750 ac
Longest run
4 km / 2.5 mi
Beginner
11
20% of terrain
Intermediate
33
60% of terrain
Advanced
11
20% of terrain
Run counts estimated from resort-reported totals and terrain mix.
Season dates
Future dates are operator estimates and may change.
Ski passes
No ski pass found
Access tiers change by season — confirm benefits on the pass operator's site.
Wendell’s Lounge – Known for its cozy atmosphere and sweeping mountain views, Wendell’s Lounge at the Inn of the Mountain Gods is a popular après-ski destination near Ski Apache, offering craft cocktails, live entertainment, and a relaxing setting to unwind after a day on the slopes.
Updated Aug 28, 2026 at 9:04 AM
Historical data from Open-Meteo archive • Forecast from ECMWF IFS model
Rockies & Southwest region
Reported Fri, Aug 28, 09:04 AM UTC
The headline depth uses the most trusted available source. We show every reading so you can judge for yourself.
Base
2896m
Temp
11.3°C
Wind
4.1km/h
Snow Depth
--
14-Day Forecast
0cm
Mid-Mountain
3216m
Temp
--°C
Wind
5km/h
Snow Depth
--
14-Day Forecast
0cm
Summit
3536m
Temp
7.2°C
Wind
4.1km/h
Snow Depth
--
14-Day Forecast
0cm
El Niño Outlook · Winter 2026-27
Ski Apache is under review in SnowSure's El Niño dataset — we will not publish a rank against a discontinuous historical series.
This station is under review and carries no rank: its 30-year ERA5 baseline falls below the 80cm floor our methodology commits to, so percentage swings computed on it are unstable by construction. We expect it to benefit from El Niño; our method cannot size that reliably.
Black line = verified SnowSure™ blend (not a simple average). Weights update weekly from measured snowfall at SNOTEL stations and resort reports.
The black line is not a simple average. For Ski Apache (rockies), we combine seven global weather models using weights learned from daily forecast verification — comparing each model's prediction to measured snowfall (SNOTEL, resort reports, ERA5).
Building verification history for this resort.
How we verify forecasts →AM / PM / Night breakdown with wind and freezing level
NWP models refresh up to 4× daily · Last synced Aug 28, 9:04 AM
Today 18 / 63.6mm | Sat, Aug 29 20 / 64.5mm | Sun, Aug 30 20 / 70.3mm | Mon, Aug 31 20 / 71.2mm | Tue, Sep 1 20 / 60.3mm | Wed, Sep 2 20 / 9 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night |
| Snow (cm) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Precip (mm) | 0.2 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 0 | 1.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Temp (°C) | 12 | 16 | 10 | 13 | 19 | 9 | 13 | 20 | 11 | 14 | 20 | 11 | 13 | 19 | 10 | 14 | 20 | 12 |
| Wind (km/h) | 5 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
| Gusts (km/h) | 19 | 31 | 19 | 27 | 24 | 18 | 20 | 25 | 15 | 16 | 32 | 23 | 17 | 33 | 26 | 21 | 24 | 23 |
Summit elevation (3536m)
Today
28
🌧️
17.8°
6.1°
13 km/h
Sat
29
🌧️
19.5°
5.8°
9 km/h
Sun
30
🌧️
20.1°
7.2°
8 km/h
Mon
31
🌧️
20°
6.9°
6 km/h
Tue
1
🌧️
20°
6.4°
6 km/h
Wed
2
☁️
20.1°
8.7°
10 km/h
Thu
3
🌧️
20.4°
8.2°
8 km/h
Fri
4
🌧️
18.9°
8.5°
9 km/h
Sat
5
⛅
19.3°
7.1°
8 km/h
Sun
6
🌧️
20°
8°
9 km/h
Summit elevation (3536m) • ECMWF model
Avalanche
Avalanche.org (US avalanche centers)
This resort lies outside every forecast zone published by its national warning service, so no bulletin covers it.
Read the official bulletin ↗SnowSure relays the official avalanche bulletin and does not issue avalanche forecasts. Read the full bulletin at the issuer’s link and make your own terrain decisions. Not a substitute for avalanche education, equipment, or local knowledge.
Updated Fri, Aug 28, 09:04 AM UTC
0cm
Season Total
This Season to Date
—
vs 5-Year Avg
Off-season · 93cm full-season avg
—
vs 30-Year Avg
Off-season · 52cm full-season avg
93cm
5-Yr Avg by Now
The last completed season totaled ~63.2 cm. That's 32% below the 5-year average (93 cm). Versus the 30-year baseline: 22% above the 30-year average (52 cm).
Average annual snowfall is 58cm with an average of 31 snowfall days per season. The table below shows monthly averages across 30 seasons of archive data (modeled snowpack at mid-elevation).
| Month | Avg Snowfall | Snowfall Days | Avg Base Depth | Max Base Depth | Biggest Snowfall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | 5.9cm | 3 days | 0cm | 4cm | 3.2cm |
| December | 11.4cm | 6 days | 2cm | 7cm | 4.8cm |
| January | 13.7cm | 6 days | 2cm | 8cm | 5.5cm |
| February | 11.6cm | 6 days | 2cm | 7cm | 5cm |
| March | 9cm | 5 days | 1cm | 4cm | 3.8cm |
| April | 3.7cm | 2 days | 0cm | 3cm | 3cm |
| May | 0.8cm | 1 days | 0cm | 2cm | 1.5cm |
Source: SnowSure archive · Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis at mid-elevation. Depth is modeled, not resort-reported.
Next season(2026-27)
Opens Nov 28, 2026
Multi-season averages will appear once SnowSure has tracked more than one full season.
In 10 past El Niño winters at Ski Apache, ERA5 season snowfall median was 62 cm (24 in), about 24% above this resort’s long-term median. This is a historical analog from reanalysis — not a prediction of this winter’s storm track.
Prevailing ONI
El Niño
MJJ 2026 · ANOM +1.39°C
Analog season median
62 cm
10 El Niño winters · 24% above median
All-season median
50 cm
Across 30 ERA5 seasons (2026-27)
| Phase | Seasons | Median | p25–p75 | Recent analogs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Niñocurrent | 10 | 62 cm | 41 cm – 95 cm | 2023, 2019, 2018, 2015, 2014, 2009 |
| La Niña | 12 | 43 cm | 26 cm – 71 cm | 2022, 2021, 2020, 2017, 2011, 2010 |
| ENSO-neutral | 8 | 45 cm | 26 cm – 78 cm | 2025, 2024, 2016, 2013, 2012, 2003 |
Season snowfall from Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis (~9 km). ENSO phase from NOAA CPC Oceanic Niño Index. Relative phase differences are more trustworthy than absolute cm totals. Source: NOAA CPC Oceanic Niño Index + Open-Meteo ERA5 via SnowSure season archive.
February
Peak Season
January
Peak Season
March
Good
December
Good
Note: Based on typical ski season patterns for this region.
