Taos lifts snowboarding ban

I don't know who said it originally, but as always: "Money talks, nobody walks (or just skis in this case)."

I personally don't have an opinion one way or the other, but considering the increasing percentage of "riders" out there I think this type of change is pretty much an economic necessity for certain destinations.
 
They obviously caved due to financial restraints....

Sad.....before you know it our beloved alta will be doing the same...then all we'll hear from the snowboarders is that the traverses are too long and they should install more lifts.... :roll:

M
 
Skidog":5vuajkes said:
They obviously caved due to financial restraints....

Sad.....before you know it our beloved alta will be doing the same...then all we'll hear from the snowboarders is that the traverses are too long and they should install more lifts.... :roll:

M
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Snowboarders ... the enemies. Aargh!
 
Skidog":1khcnj2f said:
Sad.....before you know it our beloved alta will be doing the same...then all we'll hear from the snowboarders is that the traverses are too long and they should install more lifts.... :roll:
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I wouldn't be so sure that it'll happen anytime soon.

Alta and Taos serve dramatically different markets. Nearly all of Taos' business is comprised of destination visitors. As such, they travel to Taos in groups -- families or otherwise -- that are likely to contain a snowboarder. Taos also stands alone in its echelon compared to its neighbors with respect to both snow and terrain quality.

Alta, on the other hand, has a handful of world-class destinations within spitting distance. Locals also represent a significant portion of its clientele, so many are traveling to the mountain alone to meet up with friends and ski for the day. It therefore doesn't matter if one friend goes to snowboard somewhere else.

You also have to account for that portion of Taos' clientele who went to Taos for the very reason that snowboarding was not permitted. Those destination visitors are now likely to end up at Alta, thereby actually improving Alta's bottom line as a result of Taos' decision.

Also, consider the different approaches between Alta and Taos to their respective snowboard bans. Taos and Deer Valley bury the ban in their fine print. Alta and Mad River Glen, on the other hand, proudly proclaim their bans -- how many trinkets can you buy at Alta emblazoned with the slogan "Alta Is For Skiers"? As such, I'd expect the next one to fall, should it happen, to be Deer Valley. With its rabid shareholder opinion and management by committee, in my opinion Mad River's ban will be the last to fall.

SoCal Rider":1khcnj2f said:
Snowboarders ... the enemies. Aargh!
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Allow me to address this as well, but from my personal perspective.

I have nothing against snowboarders. I frequently ski with friends who ride. I have a snowboarder living in my household this winter.

That said, I for one appreciate having a skier's-only mountain. I appreciate long traverses that aren't post-holed. I appreciate woods that haven't been groomed by a heelside slip. I appreciate the bumps that form from skis only. Unskilled skiers certainly commit their share of transgressions, too, but the snowboard ban is, frankly, one of the factors that endears Alta to me.
 
Given that the ban will be lifted starting March 19, I would call it more of a trial
The Blakes indicate that they'll spend the summer addressing any issues that may arise and continuing to prepare Taos' facilities and staff to accommodate snowboarders
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than a done deal. But yes, I would expect the new policy to hold. Conducting the trial when the snowpack is deep will lead to fewer immediate skier protests about scraped off snow, degraded traverses, etc.

I did have a pointed discussion of the snowboard ban with Adriana Blake on the press trip last February, as I thought I owed that to FTO after the previous lengthy thread. Since she said that the decision was purely economic and was constantly reexamined, I can't say I'm all that surprised.

I thought the key issue with Taos was fairness, due to lack of comparable terrain/snow within a 4 hour radius. The other 3 areas have snowboard-permitting competitors literally next door.

Due to Deer Valley's strong family orientation, I've presumed there must be some pressure to change policy there. I think Alta and MRG will hold out a long time.
 
Admin,

I seize on seemingly benign phrases for my lame amusement, in this case the poster's "the snowboarders" reference. No doubt, you raise some good points and I wasn't looking to start a flame-heavy battle. I don't think for a second that disrespectful park rats are going to descend on Taos (not without jibs, for one). Heck, maybe our favorite poster can chime in without hawking a vitamin product. My guess is in time the resistors will wonder what all the fuss was about—aside from a few post holes on traverses from well-meaning dopes like me.
 
SoCal Rider":39t48p1h said:
Admin,

I seize on seemingly benign phrases for my lame amusement, in this case the poster's "the snowboarders" reference. No doubt, you raise some good points and I wasn't looking to start a flame-heavy battle.
Click to expand...

No worries -- I never thought for a second that you were. I just figured that I'd take the opportunity to provide my own thoughts on the subject.
 
I don't think for a second that disrespectful park rats are going to descend on Taos (not without jibs, for one).
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Correct IMHO. The snowboarders who go to Taos will be the ones who can handle the terrain and layout. As at Mt. Baldy, which has half the snowboard proportion of Mt. High and Big Bear. Adriana and I both predict an ultimate snowboard proportion of 10-15% at Taos. This probably what would happen at Alta also.
 
As a person who skis and snowboards, I just don't see what the commotion is all about! I live at a ski area that has a number of high traverses that access powder after the easy stuff is gone and I have NEVER seen postholes. What I do see is riders that can't hold the line drop away, especially if they are on their heelsides. I also happen to enjoy the mixed crowd as the bumps don't form as fast as if it were all skiers. You can have the best of both worlds, you ride when it's soft and ski when it's hard. Like the saying says: skis were invented for transportation and snowboards were invented for fun! Quit knocking it and go try it, for God's sake.
If Alta were to open for snowboarding and not provide a quality park, I don't think you'd see a drastic change after the initial surge. Once they find out about all the traversing and zero features, they would drift back to the friendlier places, IMHO. You would soon realize, however, that riders can typically maintain very high average speeds in deep conditions, and seem to do it effortlessly as well. So the only real danger here is that you too may be tempted to switch.
 
I totally agree with Admin's above statement regarding the situation of the different areas.

My educated guess is that Deer Valley would be the next one and only one I can see ending the ban. It will take a long long time if the ban is ever lifted at MRG.

PS. Enjoy riding a few some snowboarders also.
 
Schubwa, if you've never seen a postholed traverse, set out in Honeycomb Canyon at Solitude sometime after a freeze/thaw cycle. That one more than any other sticks in my craw.

Again, I'm not anti-snowboarding by any means, I just enjoy Alta for what the ban has generated.
 
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