The oldest ski area in Northern New Mexico is readying for its 55th winter. A 100-foot rope tow hauled skiers up the hill for 50 cents a day beginning in 1952. Today, four lifts access a 1,055 vertical drop with the longest run stretching nearly two miles. Annual snowfall averages 190 inches at Sipapu in the Sangre De Christo of Carson National Forest. But the National Weather Service predicts above average temperatures and below average precipitation for much of New Mexico this winter. Continued drought is in the forecast, so Sipapu will rely on its snowmaking system which covers 70 percent of its trails. The resort will fire up the snow guns as cold temperatures descend later this fall and take advantage of their 8,200-foot base elevation.