Another major blast of winter swept in this week, bringing significant snowfall across most of New Mexico and eastern Arizona, though surprisingly less to southern Colorado.

Sunrise Peak, the ski resort owned by the White Mountain Apache tribe near Show Low, Ariz., was a big beneficiary of the recent storm. Parts of the White Mountains were hit with up to 3 feet of freshies. The resort, which reports a 23 to 29-inch base, will open today to the top of Sunrise Mountain-one of its three primary summits.

Ski Santa Fe only picked up 3 inches from the most recent storm and reports a base of 24 inches. Some 45 percent of the lower mountain is open, with adult all-day lift tickets going for $48, and half-day for $38.

Taos Ski Valley saw 29 inches fall over a five-day period, and now has a nice 38-inch base. It is open Thursdays-Sundays until Dec. 15, and is accessing more terrain with each snowfall. Open runs now include 12 expert runs and one double-black. For a look a some of TSV's hairball terrain, and a local skier who can rip it, check out the head-cam video shot by Ted Wolff on Bamboo Spine, which runs off of the famed West Basin Ridge. See it on TSV's website. Tubing begins this weekend at Taos, from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday on Beginner's Hill; $8 cash per person, includes tube rental. And, Attack of La Niña, the new MSP movie, screens at the Martini Tree on Saturday to benefit the Taos Freeride Team. DJ lil' Will kicks of the party at 5 p.m.; $5 suggested donation.

Wolf Creek was the biggest recipient of regional ski areas for snow, cheering on the dumpage of 44 inches of super light powder. It now has a cushy base of 66 inches, with a year-to-date total of 163 inches! All runs are open, including the Knife Ridge and Waterfall areas. The U.S. Freestyle Ski Team spent some time training at Wolf Creek in October, and an excellent 2-minute high definition video of their skiing bumps and laying out flips and other aerial maneuvers is found on the Wolf Creek website. It includes some brief interviews with the likes of 2010 Olympic gold medal champ Hannah Kearney and Olympian Joe Discoe talking about the combination of bluebird skies and fresh powder.

Angel Fire reports 16 inches new, a 30-inch base and a year-to-date total of 52 inches. It opens Dec. 15. Angel Fire has created a new expert trail called C-4, a 10-15 minute hike from the top of the Southwest Flyer chairlift. It has also bolstered its freestyle parks with several new features, adding more than a dozen high-quality freestyle rails and box features, including the most popular flat rails, rainbows, double-kinks and C-rails. They've also invested more than a million dollars in improvements to The Lodge, its base accommodation, with renovations to the lobby, common areas and guest rooms — including flat-screen TVs, better lighting and new bedding.

Monarch Mountain, near Salida on the frosty Arkansas River, opened yesterday for daily operations on a 22-inch base. It has 20 runs accessible off the Pioneer, Tumbelina and new Caterpillar lifts.

Silverton Mountain says only 10 inches fell in the last round, but has an average depth of 36 to 48 inches, with over five feet in spots. It will be open Dec. 10-11 and Dec. 15-18. This nonresort will present an Avalanche Level 2 class Dec. 8-11 (for $379) and a Level 1 Avalanche class Dec. 16-18 (for $299). It also is offering helicopter-boosted runs this winter. For $159 (plus the price of a lift ticket), guests can hitch a ride to the powder of a lifetime. Visit www.silvertonmountain.com/page/experience/heli.

Sandia Peak gained a foot and has a base of 16 inches. It will open Saturday with 70 percent of the runs open.

Pajarito welcomed 15 inches to the bare ground and is beginning preparations to open. However, it needs more snowfall.

Ski Apache reports 11 inches new and is open for daily business. Some 10 percent of its runs at the base are available for sledding.

Red River says 15 inches piled up, yet its base remains at 20 inches. It is open this Friday-Sunday and begins daily service on Dec. 16.

Sipapu picked up only an inch and has a 21-inch base. It is open this weekend as well.

Crested Butte received 6 inches and now has a 22-inch base. Guests can enjoy moonlight snowshoe tours on the mountain beginning just after dusk on Saturday. Rock on Ice, a professional ice carving competition with chain saws and sculptures on display, will take place Dec.16-18 around the base area.

Telluride only added five inches, bringing its base to 31 inches. Only a handful of runs are open. Take a snowshoe tour. All tours include lift ticket, guide, snack and equipment.

Durango Mountain Resort added 7 inches, and has a 34-inch base. Some 21 percent of its terrain is open, including one expert run, No Mercy.

Daniel Gibson can be reached at dbgibson@newmexico.com.