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History of Sipapu
Excerpts courtesy of Arnold Vigil, New Mexico Magazine
Listen closely to the whispers of the breeze as you ski down the trails
of Sipapu. Feel the calmness of a crisp, cold night as you gaze into the
star-studded heavens, or watch the snowflakes gently float to the earth.
There are clues in all these things about how this serene resort was named.
The word "Sipapu" in the Tewa language means "Land of Paradise"
or "Spirit Place".
After spending a few minutes talking to the area's founder you know
the setting isn't an accident and great effort is made to preserve it.
Sipapu Ski Area is the oldest ski area in Northern New Mexico. It began
in 1952 when Lloyd and Olive Bolander sought to establish a higher quality
skiing area than was available about two miles down the road at the now
defunct Agua Piedra Ski Club. That year they installed a 100 foot long
portable rope tow. The next year, 1953, thirty pairs of used rental skis
with bear trap bindings were purchased and the rental shop was started.
Skiers were charged 50 cents a day to ski.
In 1954 Ernie Blake, Taos Ski Valley owner, imported three ski kulis.
Sipapu was fortunate to get one of these jib back T-bars. The other two
were for Taos Ski Valley and an area back East. The ski kuli was 1,000
feet long and offered a vertical lift of 250 feet. At that time the total
ski area consisted of the bottom half of what is now the practice slope
and the bottom half of Don Diego and Salt Lick.
"Skiing was new and not alot of people were doing it," Lloyd
Bolander related. "A lot of the ones who participated at the time
received financial assistance from a recreational fund. We charged 75 cents
for lifts, lessons and rentals. Some of the kids couldn't afford that
then."
"If you're going to be in any business in a community, you have
to reach out to the community," founder Lloyd Bolander says. "It
doesn't matter what kind of business you've got."
So since the opening of the ski area in 1952, the Bolander family has been
serving northern New Mexico school children with an
affordable ski school program.
In 1956, the portable rope tow was replaced with another rope tow, extending
its length to 500 feet with a vertical of 100 feet. From 1956 to 1960,
Lloyd and Olive built the original lodge, three rental cabins, a warming
shelter at the bottom of the ski area, and added a few more skis to their
rental shop. The original lodge included a store, personal living quarters,
cafe and four rooms to rent. The lodge had wood heat and cold running water.
The next lift, a pomalift, replaced the ski kuli in 1960 and doubled
the size of the ski area. The pomalift had a length of 1,660 feet and a
vertical of 437. This lift extended to what is now the midway station.
Four years later in 1964 another pomalift, which replaced the rope tow,
was installed and is still in use on the practice slope today.
The next 11 years were spent clearing and widening existing trails,
making new trails, constructing the current base lodge, and building additional
lodging facilities. The rental shop was also expanded and by 1975 had 600
pair of skis, boots and poles. The rental shop was located in the base
lodge along with a full service restaurant, a snack bar, gift shop, grocery
store, gas station, sporting goods, and group accommodations for 60.
Bruce Bolander joined his parents in 1975 and the ski area once again
doubled in size with the installation of another pomalift. This lift is
2,800 feet long and has a vertical of 800 feet. The next few years were
spent clearing the network of trails which exist today.
In 1983, the capacity of the ski area was increased with addition of
a triple chair lift. The new chair lift added 65 more vertical feet to
the area for a total of 865. Since 1983, the rental shop increased to 740
complete sets of rental equipment. There is now lodging accommodations at
the ski area for 175 people with an additional 300 available at the other
facilities in the canyon.
Since that time the number of trails has increased to nineteen. They
are served by three lifts: a 2900 foot triple chair, a 2800 foot Poma,
and a 500 foot Poma. The trails offer a diversity of skiing, from beginner
(20%), to intermediate (50%), to expert (30%).
Sipapu is still owned by the Bolander family, and is being managed by
the founders' son, Bruce. Bruce carries on the tradition and ideals of
his parents - affordable skiing, comfortable accommodations, great service
and a down to earth atmosphere that can't be beat. You don't come to Sipapu
to compare ski outfits or collect autographs, but there's always a roaring
fire in the fireplace and a smile on the face of some friendly staff member
ready to help.
You will enter a timeless realm of storybook wonder when you visit the
magical, spirit filled mountain at Sipapu. | 
As the Taos trough continued to subside, the deltas gradually extended
their deposits to the east and southeast. The streams feeding these deltas
shifted laterally from time to time causing a repetition of similar rock
sequences in the same locality. Rocks similar to these at Sipapu and deposited
under the same conditions and at the same time are well exposed along Highway
3 between Talpa and Holman Hill, as well as in the vicinity of Jicarita
Peak. Major uplift of these rocks began 65 million years ago during the
period of time in geology known as the Iaramide orogeny.