New Mexico, United States

Capital City: Santa Fe
Closest Airport: Albuquerque International
Population: 1,928,384
Resort Areas Include: Taos - Santa Fe
Snow Season: November/December - March/April
Main Language: English
Currency: United States Dollar

The reason it's possible to ski or snowboard in the US this far south is the height of the mountains. Technically you're still in the Rockies in New Mexico, which explains why the highest peak, Wheeler Peak, tops 4,000 metres (13,161 feet). And at this altitude, there's buckets of snow to go around - over 5 metres (200 inches) or more in fact.

There are ten ski resorts in in New Mexico, including two dedicated cross country resorts - Enchanted Forest and Valles Caldera.

The downhill resorts are nearly all up in the Gods, which guarantees a vertical of at least 500 metres (1,640 feet), or - in the case of Taos Ski Valley, which has its top lift at just over 3,800 metres (12,464 feet) - close to 1,000 metres.

There's a good mix of terrain in the state, with several resorts - Pajarito, Red River and Sandia Peak in particular - offering pretty much an even spread of easy, intermediate and expert terrain. You'll find over 70 runs at Santa Fe, while jibbers often head for Angel Fire, which, aside from its decent on-piste, has two freestyle parks and New Mexico's only half pipe.