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KML file for this list (for Google Earth)

• Big Hatchet Peak, the state winner, is a relatively unknown peak because it is located in the bootheel of New Mexico, away from major cities or roads. Its absolute elevation is not high; however it is a large peak in terms of local relief, and it is steep in all directions, with significant cliffs near its summit. All of this combines to give a large ORS. The peak is on BLM land and is reported to be fairly easy to climb, considering its remoteness.
• Organ Needle is another peak which does not have a large absolute elevation but has exactly the shape that is rewarded by ORS: steep and pointy. The Organ Mountains are a small but dramatic range which lie near Las Cruces, New Mexico. They offer excellent rock-climbing, albeit with some cactus-infested approaches.
• Shiprock is the kind of feature that ORS is made for. It is a world-famous volcanic plug, rising steeply from the northwestern plateau area of New Mexico (part of the dramatic Colorado Plateau). It is virtually closed to climbing, being a sacred mountain of the Navajo Nation.
• The Sandia Mountains are the pride and joy of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Their steep west faces provide the backdrop for the city. The optimal point in the Sandias is actually just NW of the summit of North Sandia Peak, atop the Shield, New Mexico's largest rock wall, site of some very serious climbs. (The author lives just a few miles from this point.)
• Sierra Blanca Peak is not particularly steep, but it does have a lot of local relief. It is the site of one of the southernmost ski areas in the US. It is also the prominence champion for New Mexico (over 5000 feet).
• The Brazos Cliffs, near the town of Chama, are dramatic cliffs, highly visible from miles away, but would not appear on any height or prominence listing for the state.
• Pueblo Peak is the best peak, in terms of ORS, in New Mexico's part of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Note that the state high point, Wheeler Peak, does not appear on this list. Pueblo Peak beats Wheeler Peak because Pueblo Peak lies on the western edge of the range, rising steeply above Taos Pueblo. Wheeler Peak lies deeper inside the midst of the range.