Want to know where to find the best snow at Ski Apache and have the most fun? Ski with the Chicas Calientes, the hottest girls on the mountain.
Follow "Chica Carla” Grover, “Chica Jane” Hoover, “Chica Christie” Larson, “Chica Kristy” Felker, “Chica Susie” Dessauer and me for the most fun, if you can keep up with us.
But first, who are these hot girls and how did we get that name?
Veteran Ski Apache instructor Carla Grover had for many years noticed critical differences in the ways men and women learned skiing. In the 1980s, major U.S. ski resorts began to offer all-female classes and clinics, so Grover began Ski Apache’s first women’s program appealing to female skiers of all ages and ability groups. It met once a week for six weeks and enjoyed immediate success.
One ability group, working on moguls and high-speed technique, earned the sobriquet Chicas Calientes a few years ago.
“We were on Capitan (a more difficult slope at the base area) carving fast precision turns,” Carla Grover said. “When we stopped at the bottom, a couple of young guys skied up to us. ‘Man, you girls are hot, the hottest girls on the mountain!’ So, from then on we called ourselves Carla’s Chicas Calientes.”
Although Grover retired from ski instructing a few years ago, she and the other Chicas ski together for fun whenever schedules allow. One bright sunny morning, they shared some insider tips.
“Follow the sun,” advises Chica Jane. “Start on either Ambush or Chino where morning sun hits first.”  Her favorite is Chino. “Usually groomed, it’s a great warm up run.” Jane then moves across the mountain, skiing a different slope when the sun’s brightened it up.
“Ski the left side of nearly every trail,” says Chica Kristy as she prepares to enjoy the far-left side of Capitan next to the trees. “Prevailing winds blow snow in that direction, so fresh snow accumulates there.”
“No matter what your ability, start the season with at least one lesson or clinic. It refreshes and brightens your skiing or boarding,” believes Chica Christie, a former ski instructor.
“Stay on top,” suggests Chica Susie, also a former ski instructor. Ski Chair 1, Apache Bowl Chair 6 or Lincoln Chair 2 to maximize ski time. All three access the same slopes as the Gondola.
“As you ride Chair 1, check out conditions on all the blacks and blues that Chair 1 crosses,” suggests Chica Carla.
Big snowfall last night? Take Ambush through the trees but, instead of turning right to intersect with lower Chino, keep going straight to the Trench. This short, very black trail forms the top of Moonshine Gulch and is seldom open. But if it’s open and there’s at least two feet of new snow, you’re in for awesome first turns.
But be very careful and stay inbounds. A wrong turn could land you outside the ski area boundary, and that’s a really big no-no, resulting in a fine and losing your ticket.
Another super place for first turns in freshies is an area that’s so secret it doesn’t have a name. Insiders call it the Stash, and you’ll find it on the lower mountain’s burn area, skiing to the right of the Gondola, accessed by Upper Spruce Trail. Make your own tracks before the groomers do, then skim over white velvet corduroy after.
Chair 8 territory is out of the wind most of the time. If the upper mountain is clouded over or windy, and the base area’s too crowded, escape to the Elk Ridge area complete with its own quad chair. Blue and black trails, some groomed, lie generally below the cloud line and out of the wind.
My favorite tip? Spend an entire morning or afternoon in Apache Bowl. You can ski or ride a different path every run, whether short-swinging under the lift -- and impressing Chair 6 riders above you -- or seeking untracked powder in tree-lined glades or swooping to the boundary edge for spectacular views.  And if you hear a high-pitched whine, look up and wave at the zipliner soaring above you. When you’re ready to leave the Bowl, three choices offer a great return. Upper Deep Freeze relaxes with loopy, lazy turns to the bottom. Game Trail’s quiet glade skiing ends at the top of Chair 8 above Capitan. Or ride Chair 6 one more time, ski under it and traverse back to the Face to access trails on that side of the mountain.
Have more fun with Chicas’ insider tips -- and ski or ride safely!


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