Taos Ski Valley
Beginner
Intermediate 
Advanced 
Expert
Intermediate
Advanced
Expert
If you are not necessarily an expert skier, but want to become a better skier, and are willing to invest some time and money in doing so, this is also the place for you - Taos Ski Valley's "Learn to Ski Better" weeks - now called "Snowsports Weeks" since the addition of Snowboarding at Taos, will indeed make you a better skier - in fact, they are one of the most respected ski education programs in the country. The most economical time to participate in this program is January, or at the endof the season, when (as of 2010) this week-long instructional program costs as little as $99 for the full 6-day week,m plus your lift tickets.
On the other hand, if you are an intermediate skier just out to have some fun, this might NOT be the place for you. Don't get me wrong - there are quite a few blue cruiser runs on the back side of the mountain, and intermeidates can have fun here. There is also a very good beginner area with two of its own lifts at the bottom of the front side of the mountain, and a second beginner area has recently been added. But a higher percentage of the runs here than at most ski areas are geared to advanced and expert skiers, and when Taos Ski Valley says a run is a black diamond, they mean it!
Although there is plenty of intermediate terrain, especially on the back side of the mountain, one thing that many intermediates do not like is the fact that, at the end of the day, there are only two ways back down to the main lodge on the front side of the mountain, and both are narrow and often crowded. The more popular route, coming from the runs on the front side of the mountain, also tends to become icy, and used to end with an abrupt S-curve just above the chairlifts and base lodge. This was tricky to negotiate, but fortunately it was eliminated at the beginning of the 2008-09 season, after the ski valley opened to snowboarders in March, 2008. Taos opened to snowboarders near the end, rather than the beginning, of the 2007-08 season in order to see how things would work and to be able to make changes before being open to riders for a full season, and this much-needed improvement to the runout to the front-side chairlift was one of the changes that was made. Because of this much-need improvement, the addition of a new beginner area, and the consistent ability of Taos Ski Valley to open early due to its considerable snowmaking, Taos moves up from fourth to third this season in my Totally Opinionated Rankings of NM ski resorts.
Taos has the most snowmaking capacity of any New Mexico resort, which means (usually) an early opening around Thanksgiving (the picture above was taken on opening day, 2005), and more terrain and better cover in bad snow years. For some reason, however, the manmade snow at Taos does seem a bit icier than other areas, at least to me. In good snow years, Taos gets spectacular dumps of snow, and in general probably gets the most natural snow of any NM ski area, owing to its relatively high elevation and its location in the highest mountains of New Mexico, not far from Wheeler Peak, the highest point in the state. This is not always true, as in the 2009-10 season, Ski Santa Fe had a better base as of late February and at the start of 2010, Ski Apache had more snow than any other NM ski area. Still, Taos had a very good year in 2009-10, and is one of the most reliable areas for having good snow cover.
Upsides: NM's largest ski area, lots of challenging terrain, good natural snow and extensive snowmaking when nature doesn't cooperate, Learn to Ski Week program
Downsides: Lower percentage of intermediate terrain, narrow trails only option to return to base on front side. Also, highest-priced lift ticket in NM (but still not bad compared to major destination areas in other states).
Info Notes:Beginners have their own area, with two chairlifts, at the bottom of the front side of the mountain. Plans have been recently announced for an additional beginner run, with its own 1500-foot chairlift, just to the east of the main lodge.
Speaking of the main lodge, plans have also recently been announced to replace the current main lodge with a new one, part of a base village area that will also include some additional condos. This will eliminate the current tunnel and, it is said, some of the steps now used to access the lifts serving the main part of the mountain.
As one would expect, the decision to allow snowboarding beginning on March 19, 2008 was a controversial one. Taos was one of the last four ski areas in the U.S. that was "skis-only." Within 24 hours of the decision, more than 400 posts had appeared on the ski area's blog, expressing every possible opinion from cheers to jeers.
If you drive here, there is an efficient and frequent shuttle that will take you from your car to the base lodge when you arrive, and back in the afternoon. This system works well and is definitely better than the long uphill walks to the slopes from the parkng lots at several other NM ski areas.
Lodging: There are both hotels and condos located slopside in Taos Ski Valley. Some, such as the St. Bernard Hotel, are ski-in/ski out. Lodging at Taos Ski Valley can be expensive, though, and many people prefer to stay in the town of Taos, both because of more lodging choices and price ranges, and more to do in the evening or for non-skiers. Attractions include the historic Taos Plaza and its surrounding shopping and eateries, the even more historic Taos Pueblo, and a variety of musuems. The town of Taos is about a half-hour drive from the ski area, and is also within 45 minutes of the Red River and Angel Fire ski areas, should you wish to ski more than one place.
What's New - As was hoped, the addition of snowboarding in March, 2008 has brought considerable new business to Taos Ski Valley, and the 2008-09 season was their most financially successful in many years. Improvements have come with the addition of boarding, notably the addition of a much easier way to ski down to the main front-side chair than the old S-curve - just cross under the chair, make a much more gradual left turn, and ski down to the chair or the main lodge. Just a bit beyond this location, new beginner terrain has been added east of the lodge, with its own "Zipper" surface conveyor lift. The Martini Tree Bar in the main lodge has also been remodelled, and quite a bit of new lodging has been added in the base village.
This page last updated February 28, 2010.