While most of New Mexico suffers from signs of ongoing drought, the high country sports decent snow, thanks to nicely spaced storms since December that have boosted prospects of a longer season for ski resorts.

The season started out slow for ski areas, with most unable to open until early December. But pre-Christmas and February storms, with man-made snow in between, saved the year.

Ski Santa Fe picked up another 10 inches of new snow Tuesday and early Wednesday from an upper-level disturbance that blew across the state. All of Ski Santa Fe's 77 trails are open and set to stay open until April 8.

On the eastern slopes of the Jemez Mountains near Los Alamos, the small Pajarito Mountain ski runs gained a whopping 13 inches from the brief storm.

Six New Mexico ski areas, including Ski Santa Fe, now sport bases topping 50 inches.

"The snow kind of keeps coming every couple of weeks," said Ben Abruzzo, Ski Santa Fe director. "We've had soft snow, good crowds. It is head and shoulders above last year."

Sipapu is reporting a 43- to 51-inch base, with all 41 trails and two new organic terrain parks open. The organic terrain parks that opened Saturday feature only natural snow and logs or other forest features for snowboard challenges.

Even the Sandia Ski Resort above Albuquerque picked up almost a foot of snow. Sipapu Ski Resort has gained almost 20 inches of snow since Feb. 10. Taos came away with a measly 6 inches of snow after the last storm, but gained a total of almost 2 feet since last weekend.

Lesser snow conditions at some popular ski resorts in Colorado and California haven't hurt New Mexico, either.

Despite meteorologists' warnings that the La Niña weather phenomenon could add to dryness this winter, New Mexico mountains haven't fared badly. The first four months of the "water year," from October to January, were near or above the 30-year rolling average.

More snow could be on the way, as February through early March are historically the best months in New Mexico for winter precipitation. Even the 2012 long-range winter forecast by the Farmers Almanac predicts the end of February will be cold and bring more snow for the Southwest.

Still, about two-thirds of the state is experiencing severe to exceptional drought conditions -- a slight improvement over last fall but well behind the state's moisture levels at this time last year, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor map. The map, a collaborative effort among federal agencies, is based on measurements of soil moisture, precipitation and water supply. It is updated every Thursday.

Many ski areas sport special events and deals in February and March. For more information regarding ski conditions and special events at New Mexico's ski resorts, visit the Ski New Mexico website at www.skinewmexico.com.