New Mexico's First High-Speed Six-Person Ski Lift Nears Completion

At Angel Fire ski resort, work on New Mexico’s first high-speed six-pack chairlift is almost complete.

Aptly called the Angel Express, the lift recently underwent load testing, a process that simulates the weight of skiers and snowboarders. 

To do that, Angel Fire’s lift maintenance crew, along with engineers from Summit Install and Leitner Poma, used a technique you may have seen at other ski resorts: they filled trash cans with water and strapped them to the lift’s chairs.

“We brought the lift to full capacity using water-filled buckets, putting the main electric motors, backup diesel engines, and braking systems through their checks,” the resort explained in a social media post. “Everything performed as expected!”

In total, the test required 138 bins. Replying to a comment wondering about the water usage, Angel Fire said it relied on a snowmaking water source and that the team drained the buckets as they came into the top terminal.

“The water went right back into the watershed,” the resort wrote.

Now, Angel Fire said it’s just wrapping up the final paperwork and approval process. After that, it’s go-time once the snow starts flying again.

The Angel Express spans 887 vertical feet and departs from the base area, adding another access point to Angel Fire’s frontside beginner and intermediate terrain. It travels roughly half the distance of the Chile Express, which transports skiers to the top of the resort.

The addition follows other changes at Angel Fire in recent years. 

Earlier in the off-season, the resort took down Lift 2, an old double that had been in operation since 1966, to make way for the Angel Express. Before that, in 2025, Angel Fire debuted Rake’s Rider, a quad that serves a collection of advanced terrain on Angel Fire’s backside.

“Together,” Angel Fire wrote in a past post about Rake’s Rider and the Angel Express, “they mark a new era for Angel Fire Resort, one that honors our past while building a stronger, smoother, and more exciting mountain experience for the future.”

Beyond skiing, Angel Fire opened a new racquet center earlier this month. 

One of ten alpine and cross-country resorts in New Mexico, Angel Fire spans 560 skiable acres with 95 trails. 

Related: Meet Lizzy Schofield, Arapahoe Basin’s First-Ever Female Ski Patrol Director