Get a natural high on New Mexico’s peaks

Set back in the woods, the resort feels warm and unpretentious, with a rustic but well-designed base area, a large lodge and cafeteria, and a ski rental and sports shop. The main lodging is steps away in a comfortable hotel, with rooms of various sizes, including some large enough to sleep the family. Additional lodging is available in a number of privately owned ski chalets, most in the rental pool.

Though Angel Fire offers plenty of space for snow play, it’s nearly impossible to get lost, meaning that children can ski with minimal supervision. Though many runs parallel each other, the forests that separate them lend a sense of seclusion.

Two high-speed quad lifts and three double chairs provide quick access to 67 groomed trails with names like Fat City, Hells Bells, and Fire Escape, and for experts, Mind Binder, Charisma, Detonator, and Baa-Da-Bing. Liberation and Lowrider are the resort’s two top-ranked terrain parks.

The Children’s Ski Center, organized for parental convenience, is a no-nonsense place to learn. Everything is in one building: the rental skis and boots, kitchen and lunch tables, a play and rest area for the younger kids, and storage cubbies. What the center doesn’t provide are distractions such as toys, trucks, video games, doll houses, and crayons.

“Our parents enroll their kids in group lessons because they want them to learn,’’ said instructor Sam Pettit. “We really don’t do baby-sitting.’’

RED RIVER SKI AREA, 36 miles from Taos, is all about lifestyle. The 290-acre ski area climbs a steep green hill behind the town of Red River, population 400, doubled in summer by vacationers there to fish, ride horseback, and hike. When the snow flies and folks show up to ski, the preferred après-ski wear leans more toward cowboy boots than designer fashions.

Explored by trappers in the early 1800s and settled by miners in the 1860s, the town is tucked into a small valley, with the resort’s fixed-grip chairlifts - two triples and four doubles - climbing to the 10,353-foot summit on two long lifts that conveniently load right in town. Or you can park at the Ski Chalet base area and ride up from there.

Most of the front-slope trails are rated for intermediates. The expert runs - Cat Skinner, Chicken Run, and a couple of other challengers - drop off the front. The beginners get all the luck, with the bunny slopes on the back of the top, great views, and the easiest trail back to the base, Cowpoke Cruise. Red River has a Summit Café, ski school, rentals, and child care.

Half the fun is eating in town, where you’re sure to find fiery-hot peppers on the menu. Nibble them without blinking and your welcome rating rises significantly. Chew and swallow and they’ll think you’re a native.

Anne Z. Cooke and Steve Haggerty can be reached at annezcooke@cs.com.