Santa Fe Ski Basin is a major ski resort located in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, It is the southernmost major ski resort of the Rocky Mountains, and one of the oldest and highest in the nation

In 1936, the first rope tow in New Mexico, powered by a Packard sedan engine, was installed at the future site of the resort, overseen by Robert Nordhaus, father of Nobel Prize-winning economist William Nordhaus, a retired lawyer, and a businessman and skier, who also founded the Albuquerque Ski Club and La Madera Ski Area, now known as Sandia Peak Ski Area. Shortly after its installation, he installed a rope tow at La Madera.

At the start of the Second World War, the United States lacked specialized mountain troops like the German’s infamous “Jaeger” battalions. The value of these specialized units was proven during the Russo-Finnish Winter War, when Finns on skis with extensive knowledge of the terrain and of technique proved immeasurably superior to Russian forces. This culminated in the Finnish victory at the Battle of Suomussalmi in 1939, where two Soviet mechanized divisions (45,000 men) were defeated by 11,000 Finnish soldiers utilizing skis and sleds to maneuver material and men. Recognizing the value of these soldiers, the civilian founder of the National Ski Patrol, Charles Minot Dole, lobbied the War Department to develop specialized mountain training and regiments. This lobbying would lead, eventually, to the creation of the 10th Mountain Division.

At this time American skiing was unfocused and disparate, an activity practiced mostly by ‘upper-crust’ Eastern college students. The war effort recruited these young skiers, along with others, to form the 10th Mountain Division. When formed in early 1943, the division included men trained in a wide variety of outdoor work: lumberjacks, climbers, muleteers and horsemen, hunters, trappers, park rangers and ranchers. Brought together in service to their country and exposed to a wide range of training and education, these varied yet complimentary individualists would later help forge America’s awakening love for outdoor recreation.

Joe Juhan bought the basin in 1950 and brought legendary Ernie Blake to run the basin. Born Ernst Hermann Bloch, his family fled Nazi Germany on the eve of war due to their Jewishness. Changing his name to Ernie Blake, the champion skier (a shoo-in for the 1936 Olympics save for his religion) established himself in the American skiing community. Following the outbreak of war, Blake enlisted as an interrogator due to his valuable language skills. He would later interrogate many high ranking Nazis including Herman Goerring. After the war, Blake began developing ski basins, helping establish Santa Fe before going next to Taos to do the same.

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