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If real Colorado skiing sounds better than turkey, tums, and the couch for Thanksgiving, you will want the snow to be worth the trip and you may as well forget about the headaching, herd-mentality of a big-resort-holiday-weekend. Wolf Creek Ski Area is the exception to the consumerist trend. Their tried and true, yet ill-vaunted motto is, "The Most Snow in Colorado."
While most resorts pump thousands into so called snow making, just to be able to open in time for the turkeys with big wallets, Wolf Creek accumulates the real stuff in a geological catcher's mitt from high atop the continental divide. This year Wolf Creek plans to open November second with natural snow accumulation rivaling or exceeding that of any resort in the state. Last year, weeks before thanksgiving, 57" inches fell on top of the mountain just before opening day.

Southfork and Pagosa Springs are the two townships adjacent to Wolf Creek Pass. Pagosa Springs is the more exiting of the two. With fervor, it boasts it's very own Hot Springs Resort, and has an array of restaurants to chose from. The vacation rentals in Pagosa start at $125 a night for two bedrooms. Both sunetha.com and pagosaaccomodations.com have a large variety of houses and cabins to choose from. Though Pagosa's cost of living is low for a ski town, you will find Southfork to be a little less expensive, a little closer to the ski hill and, a little quieter. Uteblufflodge.com and foothillslodgeandcabins.com have two-bedroom rentals starting at $98 per night. Foothills offers a $43 lift ticket with stay (5 dollars less than last year's ticket window price).
Going with a vacation home over a hotel seems like a no-brainer. Hotels in either town would add $80- 100 per night for a family of four. Hotels also lack a kitchen, a woodstove, and a potential for deer in the front yard. Both towns have grocery stores for Thanksgiving necessities. Driving distances to the ski hill will range from 30 minutes to an hour on a clear day. Limited equipment rentals are available at the mountain, so it might be best to gear up downtown in advance. Please remember to shop before the holiday if you plan on making use of the kitchen, then you can ski amidst the day's diminished crowds to work up an appetite.
Getting up the pass to the ski hill is best in a four wheel, or front wheel drive vehicle, but the roads are usually clear. The closest commercial flights land at Albuquerque and Durango airports where car rentals are available. Albuquerque is a four hours drive to Pagosa Springs. Oustide of Albuquerque, traffic is not a factor. Durango airport is an hour and a half to Pagosa at a sightseers pace. Add an additional hour to reach Southfork from either airport.
While skiers of all abilities will find the terrain to their liking, it is the feel of the area that really distinguishes it from most. Wolf Creek is a last vestige of a ski hill made for skiing rather than economic opportunity. It has survived as such because locals are continually fighting to keep development to a minimumin in the respective headwaters of the mighty Rio Grande. You can find out more about the preservation effort at friendsofwolfcreek.org.
Remember, while you are enjoying the abundant powder, relaxed atmosphere and pristine wilderness, give thanks. In your temporary home there might be a couch waiting for you after all. For everything you need to know about Wolf Creek Ski Area visit: wolfcreekski.com.

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