Angel Fire - Discover Taos

In the mountains east of Taos lies Angel Fire, appropriately named by the nomadic Moache Utes.

Photo by Michael Johnstone, The Sangre de Cristo Chronicle Hot air balloons rise over Angel Fire during the village’s Summerfest and Balloon Rally on Saturday (June 27).

When the Utes looked up from their valley home at the flickering sun radiating from the tip of Agua Fría Peak, they labeled the place the “fire of the gods.”

Today, visitors can ski and board down alpine slopes designed for every level of athlete. Angel Fire Resort boasts 80 trails and 30 acres of glades across more than 2,000 vertical feet.

Submitted photo The action will be fast and furious as 1,200 of the nation’s top amateur snowboarders descend upon Angel Fire for the 2004 USASA National Snowboarding Championships.

In addition, Angel Fire is an excellent choice for tubing. Dubbed the Polar Coaster, this groomed tubing hill sends riders down 1,000 feet of sliding bliss.

Hungry skiers can chow down at Zeb’s, Mikuna Grill, Summit Haus and more. There’s a slew of hotel and rental housing options, so you can stay — and slay — as long as you like.

Gabe Toth Angel Fire Resort wound down its Fiesta del Sol weekend Ñ which featured two days of hula and limbo contests, a volleyball competition and a keg toss Ñ with a rail jam on Sunday (March16). Nick Bodrug, pictured, finished third in the snowboarding group, behind David Schoepfle in second place and Evan Bodrug in first. In the skiing class, Isaiah Trujillo took first, Nadia Gonzales came in second and James Reese took third.

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