Summer Uphill Program Providing chairlift service to sightseers, hikers and mountain bikers, Sandia Peak Ski Area brightens the faces of many Albuquerque residents and visitors with its summer uphill program. While there is a core group of serious athletes who actually enjoy ascending the bike trails at Sandia Peak, there are even more average riders who appreciate being able to pay for a lift to the top so they can take a relatively easy cruise to the bottom. The bicycle trails at Sandia Peak weave in and out of the pine and aspen forests. All are all hand cut, well maintained and clearly signed. Only the uphill run of King of the Mountain trail gets the black diamond rating, while the two main downhill trails, Golden Eagle and the descending run of King of the Mountain are rated green and blue, respectively.
All rental bikes have suspension forks and are equipped with an air pump and water bottle.
Helmets are required for all riders at the area and are provided with rental bikes. Forgotten necessities, sunscreen, tube patches and the like, are for sale at the gift shop. And there's no need to pack a picnic lunch unless you'd like to find a place to eat somewhere on the mountain. Food services are available, top and bottom. Other ski areas in New Mexico and across the nation are opening their slopes to summer use, and some are running a chairlift to take mountain bikers, hikers and lookers to places they might not otherwise see.