Red River is a compact ski area of 209 acres (85 hectares) in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, with 64 runs on a 1,600-foot vertical (488 m). The base sits at 8,750 feet and the summit at 10,350 feet (3,155 m). The grading is unusually steep for the size: 38% advanced, 31% intermediate and 31% beginner, with no expert-graded terrain. Seven lifts, from triple chairs to T-bars, cover the area, and snowfall averages around 215 inches a year. The lifts start from the edge of the old mining town itself, so there is no separate resort village to drive to.

The Face is the run everyone notices, a steep black diamond that stares down at the town from the base of the Platinum Chair. Hollywood, one of the mountain's terrain parks, runs beneath the same lift, so freestyle riders get a lot of laps in front of an audience. The Gold Chair also leaves from the town centre. With close to four in ten runs graded advanced, Red River suits confident intermediates and strong families who want a walkable ski town over a purpose-built village, but anyone chasing true expert terrain should look elsewhere.

Red River operates from late November through to mid-April, with the 2025/26 season running 27 November to 13 April. The resort averages approximately 215 inches of annual snowfall, among the higher totals in the New Mexico Sangre de Cristo range, driven by the mountain's position in the Carson National Forest at an elevation where cold arctic air masses frequently collide with moisture systems from the south and west.

The north-facing aspects across much of the ski area preserve snow quality between storm cycles and slow the rate of melt on the lower runs during the warmer daylight hours that the high-altitude, high-sunshine New Mexico climate produces. The current 2025/26 season has recorded a base depth of around 20 inches as of early March with a season total approaching 48 inches.

January is historically the most reliable month for cold temperatures and consistent snowfall, though the resort's snowmaking infrastructure supports coverage from opening day through the spring shoulder period regardless of natural accumulation. Red River holds a Saturday night torchlight parade and fireworks during the peak winter season — a tradition that draws visitors specifically for the spectacle and gives the mountain a community atmosphere that larger, more commercially focused resorts in the region rarely match.

Spring skiing through March and into April takes advantage of long daylight hours, stable weather and firm morning snow on the upper mountain, with afternoon temperatures warming the lower runs to soft, forgiving conditions suited to families and beginner progression.