Best snow in the country is in New Mexico

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - New Mexico is the place to be, if you want to ski.

Ski reports show the state has the best snow in the country, which is attracting tourists and their dollars, helping boost the local economy.

"It's just white everywhere. It's amazing," said Grace Han.

Han and her family flew in from Dallas, Texas for the day. It was her first time ever skiing Sandia Peak. She said they tried skiing Wolf Creek in Colorado, but the snow just didn't compare.

"Here is just like a perfect powder day. I'm actually really surprised at how much snow there is here," said Han.

People from all over the country are noticing too.

Sandia Peak employees said they've had calls from people from Maine and Montana, to Washington and Oregon.

The visitors are pumping money into the ski area.

During the holidays, there was a line out of the ski store just to get a picture taken for a frequent skier pass. The ski area made $10,000 from those passes in just one day.

"In years passed, they've done 40,000 skier passes in a year and we've already sold 32,000 this year," said Operations Manager for Sandia Peak, Brian Coon. At $50 for a day pass, those ticket prices add up.

Local stores and restaurants are cashing in too.

After a long day in the cold, many skiers have been warming up to a bowl of green chili stew from Pete's Restaurant, sitting at the base of Sandia Peak.

"It usually gets pretty busy probably around 5 (o'clock) when everyone is getting down and getting tired," said Sonja Barreras, a server at Pete's.

About 4,000 skiers came through Sandia Peak the weekend of Martin Luther King Day.

To compare, Wolf Creek had 4,500 on Saturday and Sunday.

Still, Coons from Sandia Peak says they have excellent numbers when just a decade ago, the ski area never opened due to a lack of snow.