Spring Means Abundant Sun and Awesome Events In Taos Ski Valley

Wet and Wild
"A Long Cold Winter" usually has a negative connotation, but in the ski industry, it often means there has been lots of wintry weather and that's a good thing. Taos Ski Valley experience, what seems to be the new-norm in the Southwest, which is big snow storms all winter long. Now is the time to shed the down parka's and expose a bit of skin, skier-style. One of Taos' marque events is the Bud Light Pond Skimming Championship held at the base of Strawberry Hill. It seems competitors look for any reason to shed their clothes (and in some cases, almost all of their clothes!) during this event. This year's event will be held April 4, 2010 at 2:30 PM. Competitors must skim across an 80 foot pond of icy cold water for slush supremacy. Entry is $10 and will be held at the administrative offices.

The Record is 28
Fallen local, Ben Myers, was crazy about his home mountain and was known for "living on the ridge" during powder days. When he succumbed to cancer, his friends decided the best way to honor his life was to raise money for cancer research and ski the ridge. Out of those two thoughts came the Ben Myers Ridge-a-thon. The idea is to hike the Highline Ridge, West Basin Ridge and Kachina Peak as many times as humanly possible in one day. What is amazing is the record is 28 hikes in one day! Consider that at 11,000 feet, you receive less than 50% of the oxygen you get at sea level and that once you have made your hike up to Taos' famed steep terrain, you have to ski down it as fast as you can (if you are going for a record). Don't worry. If you aren't going out to impress everyone and just want to raise money for a good cause, you can go at your own pace. Everyone is welcome to participate, but if you hear heavy breathing and fast foot steps behind you, you may want to step aside. More information can be found at http://www.taoscf.org/about_us/news.php?ID=58

Don't miss our spring deals to see these great events with packages from $71/person/night.

More Snow At Taos Ski Valley, Ready for Extreme Competition

The Storm
Whether it is global warming or El Nino or some other phenomena, Taos Ski Valley has benefited from it. Another 18 inches of snow fell yesterday in Taos and the conditions are epic. Everything is open and the ski area already recorded one of the snowiest February's on record. The big 40 inch storm that hit last week turned the mountain into a virtual powder playground. "Yahoooo's" and "Oh Yeah's" were heard all over the chutes and glades. And of course there were a bunch of snorkel sightings too. Kachina Peak, sitting at 12, 491 feet, was caked with snow and provided the perfect turns every skier remembers for the rest of their lives.

The Event
This storm comes at the perfect time as Taos Ski Valley is hosting the Salomon Extreme Freeride Championship March 11-13. Whenever there is this type of snow before the competition, spectators should keep an eyes out for the really big cliff jumps that the competitors seem to take on without a thought. The first day of the event takes place on the West Basin Ridge, home to 80 foot cliff drops and some of the steepest chutes in the country. Spectators should watch from the top of chair 8 in the viewing gallery. Day two is back at the West Basin Ridge where half of the competitors get cut. The final day of competition brings competitors to famed Kachina Peak where athletes must first make the hour-long trek to the peak before going all out for the glory of being crowned champion. The Salomon Extreme Freeride Championships at Taos has inked a partnership deal with the SCOTT Big Mountain Fieberbrunn / Pillerseetal event, Austria. As part of the relationship, the winners of the Fieberbrunn event will receive complimentary entry and accommodations to the Taos event, March 10 – 13. In addition, the event is a Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) event, allowing athletes to gain entry to the FWT's four showcase events: The Nissan Russian Adventure (Sochi, Russia), Nissan Tram Face (Squaw Valley, USA), Nissan Freeride de Chamonix (Chamonix, France) and Nissan Xtreme (Verbier, Switzerland). Taos also joins an elite group of venues, from Italy and Norway to Austria and Slovakia as a FWQ venue. The Taos event is one of the great spectator events in ski country and we've put some super discounted packages with $14 Off Lift Tickets and 30% Off Lodging to get you hear.

Big Winter Storm System Hits Taos Ski Valley

A large storm system made its way into the Southern Rockies on Saturday, beginning one of the bigger storm systems to New Mexico for the 2009/10 ski season. So, far 18 inches has fallen as of 6 AM mountain standard time with no end in site. To add to that total, forecasters are calling for 16+ inches more before the storm is said and done.
The NOAA site said "...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM MST TUESDAY...

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11
AM MST TUESDAY.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...NEW SNOWFALL THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY WILL
RANGE FROM 4 TO 8 INCHES BELOW 7500 FEET AND 8 TO 16 INCHES
ABOVE 7500 FEET. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER
THE HIGHEST PEAKS AND ALONG NORTH AND EAST FACING SLOPES."

Taos Ski Valley has already experienced an epic ski season with numerous days of pure powder runs for skiers. All the terrain is open, including Taos' famed Kachina Peak, however some delays in certain area openings are expected as avalanche control will be extensive. Southern Rockies Reservations very own powderhound report has kept tabs on the storm. Check back with Tito often!

Hot Springs and Cooking Classes at Taos Ski Valley

Hot Springs
Have you been to the Taos Ski Valley hot springs yet? No? Neither has anyone else. That is because there aren't any hot springs right in Taos Ski Valley, but the resort is located just a short distance from some of the best hot springs in the West in Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs. Every Tuesday during the ski season, there are day trips planned to bring guests for a day of relaxation and soaking.

The excursions are designed so you can still get a morning of skiing and be back in time for an evening meal with the family. Shuttles depart from the Taos Ski Valley Guard Gate at 1 PM and return around 6 PM. On your way to Ojo Caliente, you will take a one hour scenic ride over the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, one of the highest bridges in the country, and through the mesa for a spectacular Southwest tour.

Indulge yourself with the Ojo Experience package which includes transportation, pool pass (mineral springs), robe/locker and a treatment of choice (custom massage, Radiant Sea Salt Glow or Sundari Custom face treatment). The Ojo Experience costs $155. The other option is the Soak Away which includes transportation and pool pass for $67. A robe and locker are not included in this price, but are available for rental for $15.

Cooking Classes
Every Wednesday, throughout the ski season, cooking classes will be offered with nationally acclaimed and award winning Chef, Chris Maher. Chris heads Cooking Studio TAOS - a teaching and food consortium - where people are encouraged to play with their food! Cuisines taught will vary from New Mexican to Italian, Moroccan to East Indian and everything in between. Classes are 100% hands on participation and learning, lasting approximately three hours and ending with a beautiful, seated meal of the recipes you have all created together. Students have fun and walk away having learned recipes, technique and theory. Fees include recipes, food and beverages.

Some of the recent class topics include "Mediterranean Flavors", "Hearty Winter Soups" and "Elegant Food to serve on the Eve of the New Year". The cost of the cooking class is $115 per person.

Big Snow in October for Taos Ski Valley

It seems that the 2009-10 ski season is going to get off to a great start. The latest storm at Taos Ski Valley dumped 14 inches of fresh powder. Even in the Town of Taos, 2,000 feet below, huge quarter sized flakes were spotted. In December and January, that has been known to happen, but not in October. On top of this storm, Taos Ski Valley is reporting 2 Feet of fresh snow in the last five days and even more on famed Kachina Peak.

The first storms started rolling in during the month of September and after a short warm spell in early October, it just turned on again. Could this be the influence of El Nino? The NOAA thinks so. In this article, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officially announced this winter as an El Nino winter. If you aren't familiar with the effects it has on the Southwest, I can personally tell you it means pack your gear and head to Taos! El Nino winters have been known to produce some of the biggest snowstorms the area has seen. I personally remember an El Nino storm where we received 50 inches in a 24 hour period and 75 inches over a four day period.

All I know is it could be one of those years and it is already starting out pretty good. Check back often to get the scoop on what's going on.

Snowboarding Opens Taos to New Events....

Since Taos allowed snowboarding on March 19, 2008, the events staff have been busy filling the calendar with new events and promotion that were always restricted from the slopes of one of the last few resorts that remained snowboard-free. This weekend saw the USASA Skier and Snowboarder Cross hit the slopes just below Kachina Peak on the back side of the mountain. This was the first skier/boarder cross event held at Taos Ski Valley and was not short of thrilling spills and great competition.

The skier/boarder cross course is a hybrid of downhill racing and slopestyle type terrain. Banked turns, table top jumps and rollers lined the course as six athletes compete on each run in a modern day "Chinese Downhill". It may be more like moto-cross on skis or boards!

Taos has always been known as a "no frills" mountain and this type of event definitely goes in a different direction that the traditional roots of Ernie Blake's early beginnings. The question reagarding these types of events is are these events a good thing for Taos or does it shy away from what Taos does best (hardcore skiing and now riding). There will always be doubters and cynic's, but one thing is for certain and that is that this type of event is a lot of fun to watch. (photos by Seth Bullington)

Bret

Oh My Gosh! Ridiculous! Bottomless!

Just spend a minute in any Taos Ski Valley lift line (not that you’re ever likely to spend more time than that!) and that’s just some of the exclamations you’ll hear over and over again. It’s just the most perfect ski conditions you could imagine. The soft dry southwest snow that Taos Ski Valley is known for, in an abundance that’s heading straight for the record books. From fresh tracks to soft cruisers, ski Taos and everyone you see has something to smile about!

There are still some amazing lodging and lift ticket package deals out there. We’d love to help you plan the perfect Taos ski vacation and experience this unique and special place.

I hope to see you smiling on the slopes of Taos soon! If you don’t have plans yet, that’s a New Year’s resolution worth keeping.

Ski Taos!

Kathy

Town of Taos Closed due to Blizzard!?!?!?!

"Town of Taos Closed due to Blizzard..." - That was the headline this morning from the municipal offices in Taos. If you don't know already, Taos Ski Valley has received 37 inches of snow in the last 3 days!! Weather watchers are expecting another 1-2 feet between now and Thursday. That would put the storm total somewhere in the neighborhood of 4-5 feet of fresh powder by the time everything is said and done! Needless to say, the skiing is pretty epic in Taos right now. The best source for finding out the real "poop" when it comes to new snow is Tito, the Powder Hound Investigator.

I've got to let you know about a great new restaurant that opened up in Taos recently. It's called the Love Apple, which is named after the French saying for tomato. It is located on the north side of town next to the Blake's Lotaburger and is hosted in a great old Spanish mission church. The food there was amazing (been there twice now) and it is getting rave reviews from the locals. I had brazed lamb chops on a bed of baby spinach and blue cheese with a polenta cake. All I can say is it was delectable. My wife had a homemade chicken pot-pie, which was delicious. It is a little tough to find, even though it is on the main drag, but worth it.

Blizzard Conditions in Taos - Mother Nature Gets Taos Ready for the 08-09 Season

You would have thought it was mid winter in Taos Ski Valley judging by the pictures in this story, but it isn't. In fact, these pictures were taken this week by Seth Bullington. A foot of snow fell this week and the slopes look like they are filling in nicely. Even Tito, the Powder Hound found his share of powder stashes in the Twining Valley.

More snow is forecast for Monday as another front is set to come through New Mexico ski country and I couldn't be more jazzed.

On a side note, there are a couple exciting things going on at Taos which you may not have heard about. They are clearing an area called "North American" which is to the skiers left of the famed Al's Run. There will be a ton of new extreme terrain options available as soon as the snow gets deep enough. They are also building a new beginner area just to the left of lift one in the main base area. This is a huge improvement for new skiers and is nice gentle terrain just steps from the main lodge. There are also some great 4th night free deals for the winter. Wax up the boards!

The First Big Storm Of The Season Hits Taos

If anyone had any doubt that winter was on its way to New Mexico, those doubts have been covered up by the heavy early season snow that was deposited over the Sangre de Cristo's on Tuesday, October 14. Up to a foot of snow has been reported on the high terrain near Taos Ski Valley. This is good news for powder hounds everywhere with the season only six weeks away.

The snow that fell was very wet and heavy and that is the kind of stuff you need early in the season to create a good stable base. The more water content the snow has, the better it will bond to layers that fall on top of it and that means less avalanches. Less avalanches means the base builds quicker. Keep the storms coming!