02/21/2018
Not fully open, but still completely fun!
When you pick your vacation spot in September you have no idea what the snow is going to be like. This season hasn't been stellar for the southern Rockies. But Taos did a great job with what they had and we did get lucky to wake up to 3" of fresh snow the first day we were on the slopes. The views were great and there were no lift lines. My two complaints would be that we were there in February (mid-season) and they didn't have the terrain park open. The had a small one with three features, but not their main park. My son wasn't too happy. The other one is the slow lifts. I am surprised at least lift #1 hasn't been converted to a high speed. We still had a blast. I would love to go when we could go down the hike & high peak terrain. If Taos had a couple high speed lifts I would give this place a 6 Star Review! We're spoiled because our local Pittsburgh resort has two high speed lifts and our hill is 1/4 the size.
02/18/2012
Low key but expert mountain
Reminded me of alpine meadows or winter park. Great terrain. Very welcoming and down-to-earth. Older advanced skiers abound. Not so many boarders. Lifts could be faster and need to extend to the summit. Swiss alpine vibe. Surprising and enchanting. The drive is breathtaking.
key2971 (1)
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Expert reviews are written by our seasoned mountain vacation specialists based on their first-hand experiences.
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Reviews
Bryan Donnelly
Mountain Vacation Specialist
1-800-908-5000X 3347
Definitely a place to check off your list
Taos is one of those places where you step back into an era where skiing was simple. Arriving in Taos after a seven-hour drive from Basalt, Colorado, we felt like we were in the middle of nowhere -which is part of the charm. Basically, it is a mountain that juts out of the desert in Northern New Mexico. There is a town of significance in the flats called Taos, and then the ski resort is located another 30 minutes up a winding road. At the base area, Taos looks like a sleepy old Vermont ski area with a tiny hill and a few hotels that line the access road. However, the whole mountain cannot be seen from the bottom. To get a better look and check out the real stuff, get on the old four-person chairlift at the bottom of the ski resort. As you get to the top of the second lift you ride, on your right you can see some crazy cliffs, chutes and some the steepest terrain this side of Wyoming. Then on your right off the lift is a path saying double black this way. After seeing that, we went left because we're big chickens....that is for sure. We ended up hiking the second time through and man does that place open up. You can see all the way to the top of Kachina Peak after the first seven-minute grueler of a hike to the opening in the trees. Then there's a ridge line that goes on forever and you can drop in at any point along the way. We found open, untracked lines all day long. I stayed at the Edelweiss Lodge and Spa and I thought it to be the best place we could ask for. Ski to the back door and a nice, comfy condo with a fireplace and a bar/restaurant downstairs was waiting for us. Ski shop next door. Everything we needed right at our fingertips. There are some other hotels around, like the Snakedance and the Kandahar, that seem almost as good for probably less money. Since I can't reveal all the best spots on the mountain in a public place like this, give me a call and I'll tell you about all the ins and outs and powder stashes. All in all, Taos is worth the trip and more and I hope to get back there again soon myself.Average
