I was stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso TX and Ski Apache is just a couple hour drive away. But completely worth it. I went with a friend and we had a blast. The drive up the mountain is not for the faint of heart. Once you start the drive up the road turns into a typical mountain driving on the edge of a cliff road. Kind of a thrill in itself. Once we made it to the top we made our way into the parking lot. Which is huge so I suggest driving as close to the lodge as you can and just have someone jump out to buy the lift tickets and unload gear. Then park. We parked and walked to get our tickets, then back to the car to change into out gear. The weather was very mild toward the end of February. I had on zero thermals, only some ski bibs and the liner to my jacket. I was very comfortable even though the temp was in the high 30s with full sun. The lift lines were not very long, two min wait max the whole day we were there. Make sure to get a good look at the runs before you start jumping on random lifts or you may find yourself above your skill level rather quickly. There is a refreshment/burger stand half way down the mountain on the right side. Bring cash, and expect to pay $10+ for a simple burger and drink meal. Worth it considering it's location. Overall we had a great time, the staff was friendly, and the facilities were nice and well kept. We would definitely go back.

This was our family's first trip to Ski Apache (Ruidoso, NM). My wife and I have no skiing experience while boys had some minimal experience.
We previously had been to Keystone and Breckenridge and compared to those Ski Apache is definitely less expensive, felt less complicated and less crowded. Other two places are definitely great skiing places with great snow and scenery.

Pros:
- For someone living in Texas this is an easy ride.
- Not crowded
- Ski rentals are pretty inexpensive.

Cons:
- During Spring break not many options other than group lessons barring a few private lessons that filled up quickly.
- Group lessons are not worth it. Instructor barely made any attempt to keep the group together he could be hardly heard and followed around. One of our firends had private lesson and he liked it.

Pointers:
- Don’t sweat on finding a special lodging or cabin as most of the time you are on slopes and need a place that this comfortable and cozy to rest with someone making the bed and tidying the room in the morning.
- Call ahead and book private lessons if that is what you want.
- There is a nice place for tubing at the foot of the mountains (next to Shell gas station) on the way to Ski Apache, really fun place for everyone in the family.
- Farley’s restaurant is our favorite but there are several other good restaurants in mid-town area of Ruidoso.
- May not have enough powder snow so do check before you go.

We will definitely like to go again.

Average and dated. Blue collar place. Lots of West Texans visit here. Okay if you just want to ski with no frills and dont mind the crowds. But we won't be skiing here again.