Taos, NM 3-29&30-08

[EMSC]

Wet slides on south facing slopes were a very distict possibility when I was there. Specifically the backside of the main ridge where you get to the backside lifts. They had built a small trench/berm on the catwalk trail and the snow looked quite rotten on that aspect (though tough to see that at the resolution in my lift 7a pic).

Also in the 7a chair pic, you can clearly see that the load height is more than enough to not hit a rear snowboard binding. I did not see any lifts that loaded significantly lower than normal.

 

[ChrisC]

My first time in Taos.

General impression of the area is: Unique place. Lots of potential for experts like myself, but not a ski area for everyone IMO. The blue & green that they do have generally involves a whole lot of zig-zagging, criss-crossing, and catwalks to get around.

I agree with this sentiment. Very different/unique and not for eveyone. But I loved the old school lodges -Europe like- and old-school vibe. Not in a decaying sort of way, but in a traditional manner.

Taos is a very unique place to check out afterward. Though we ate at Ranchos Taos a couple miles further down the road and a whole lot less touristy. I found it interesting that Ranchos Taos is actually older. We did eventually wander around Taos square where nearly every shop had closed by 6pm! Definitely not Breck or Vail or PC, etc...! My wife & I also were surprised by the enormous piles and piles of junk/crap in many of the yards (as well as the huge abundance of single wide’s all over the place, especially right next to mansions)

For as often as Sante Fe/Taos get written up in fancy travel magazines - the reality is more how you described. Rough around the edges. NM is not a wealthy place.

On the flip side, if I wanted to truly be a ski bum and try to own a home - be economically sufficient, Taos would be on my short list. There are opportunities to live cheaply. (I used to think this about Fernie, Whitefish, Sandpoint - no longer).