TAOS New Mexico....BETA.....?

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Originally Posted by up an down

I spent 6 winters there..78/79 to 83/84.. Snow total wise ,it can definitely be feast or famine ..I experienced both....but its usually in between the extremes... I lived in various places my years there...in town, in Seco and in the ski valley ..pros and cons for all locations.....if you can make it happen to spend a season there I doubt if you will regret it!!!!. I still have close friends living there that own property... Housing is tight.. Nothing is cheap.. unless you compare it to Aspen..I have not been back for a visit since 2014.... So I won't try to give you specific advice..it truly is a unique mix of ski town/arts haven/ alternative lifestyle spot...LOTS of things to do and people to meet that don't have much or anything to do with skiing.. For me that made my winters there much more interesting and enjoyable compared to the winters when I lived in Vail and Kimberly B.C...

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That's something I really appreciate as well. Ski towns got really old for me years ago. I enjoy being in a more diverse and dynamic community. Skiing is cool but it just ain't everything to me any longer. If there's no snow? Great, I'll go enjoy doing other activities and often hang with people that have never even skied. I need that kind of diversity otherwise I get bored quickly.

Taos is sick. It's my favorite mountain right now, I just wish I could spend a month or two skiing there in the winter, hopefully before I pass on I can make that happen.

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Originally Posted by jackstraw

EC'ers would never think it lacks snow. West coastas are just soft [emoji1787]

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A couple of years on the east coast will really reset the stoke meter... It's hard to complain anymore about snow quality/quantity.

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^ after weekly rain to the summits in EC in '16, I said ok. Fuck this. Been skiing west ever since. My only base criteria is snow on the ground in winter not soil.

Went to Taos this fall for our last pre-kid get away. Ate great food, ran cool trails, saw lots of good art, stumbled on live music. Kicking myself for having never skied down there despite 10 years of living on the front range. Cool fucking town and not just a ski brah town.

Is there any reasonably affordable way for a non IKONer to ski a few days around there without paying full rates? Perhaps swapping comps to my hill?

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Originally Posted by raisingarizona13

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I have to admit, the skiing at Taos is arguably pound for pound a lot more challenging than the Vill. A part of that is the lack of a deep snowpack but it's also just steep AF everywhere.

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Yeah, I went right from the Village to TSV. I've probably said this too many times and probably in this thread, but it is two different beasts. TSV was primarily a slalom ski hill vs gs at the village. TSV has so many hidden lines that takes a nose and desire to find. Sharky af which added another element...straightling skilz [emoji16] Both great places, but very different. Although to your other point, the town and vibe of Taos doesn't compare...anymore. Village along with every other great hill town has been blown up by kooks. No airport has saved Taos.

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Originally Posted by jackstraw

Yeah, I went right from the Village to TSV. I've probably said this too many times and probably in this thread, but it is two different beasts. TSV was primarily a slalom ski hill vs gs at the village. TSV has so many hidden lines that takes a nose and desire to find. Sharky af which added another element...straightling skilz [emoji16] Both great places, but very different. Although to your other point, the town and vibe of Taos doesn't compare...anymore. Village along with every other great hill town has been blown up by kooks. No airport has saved Taos.

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Totally, I'm more about the vibe than the skiing now and Taos just has it. I prefer skiing wind buffed HP and steep bump lines than powder if powder means fighting the hordes and battling crowds. That's just not my thing. I hate powder frenzy scenes so much that I often wait it out for the following mid week day that's sunny and warm and the pow has been skied off finally.

The skiing style difference you mention between Taos and the Vill is spot on imho. It's like comparing speed tech to slow rock tech with mountain biking.
Both are great but a little different. I think Taos skiing probably attracts me more now because I don't want to launch massive airs anymore and prefer to be challenged in a different and more low impact (in theory anyways) sort of way but that sort of dynamic bm skiing with giant hucks is for the youthful rippers, not so much me! :D


The Vill tho, I gotta say is probably the best powder skiing mountain in the country. The consistent pitch and lower face terrain is unmatched imho. Everyone out there seems to think of the Vill as an extreme skiing place but I think it shines more so as a powder skiing spot or place to train for other deep, big mountain skiing locations.

Snowbird, Taos and Jackson are definitely my top three mountains for terrain in the Rockies. They are all awesome.

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Originally Posted by doebedoe

Went to Taos this fall for our last pre-kid get away. Ate great food

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Oh, man - I hope you treated yourself to a relleno at the Taos Inn...

Goddam I could really go for one of those right about now.

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Originally Posted by raisingarizona13

I hate powder frenzy scenes so much that I often wait it out for the following mid week day that's sunny and warm and the pow has been skied off finally.

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This has been my M.O. for the last 2 years in the Puget Sound.

The best is in the spring, March and April when the little duffer storms roll in dropping 3-5" each day for a few consecutive days. The Powder Whoreds see the days total and decide it's not deep enough for them.

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Originally Posted by raisingarizona13

Totally, I'm more about the vibe than the skiing now and Taos just has it. I prefer skiing wind buffed HP and steep bump lines than powder if powder means fighting the hordes and battling crowds. That's just not my thing. I hate powder frenzy scenes so much that I often wait it out for the following mid week day that's sunny and warm and the pow has been skied off finally.

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Originally Posted by Buster Highmen

This has been my M.O. for the last 2 years in the Puget Sound.

The best is in the spring, March and April when the little duffer storms roll in dropping 3-5" each day for a few consecutive days. The Powder Whoreds see the days total and decide it's not deep enough for them.

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Exactly, gotta find those windows that don't sound the alarm off for the general public

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Originally Posted by skaredshtles

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Yes please!

Taos is great. Dancey clearly doesn't get it, and that is a really, really, really good thing.

What is the "Vill?" I clearly missed something in my trg studies.

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Originally Posted by raisingarizona13

Yes please!

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Sometimes it pays to ask patrol if Hunziker is open.

:cool:

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Originally Posted by skinipenem

What is the "Vill?" I clearly missed something in my trg studies.

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Jackson

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Originally Posted by raisingarizona13

Exactly, gotta find those windows that don't sound the alarm off for the general public

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100%. random 1-3" forecasts that end up being 6. Le tits.

I’ll pile on with some Taos love. My parents spent the early 70s working in the for the Public Health Service in MN, skiing Taos almost every weekend. My old man first brought me out there as a kid in the mid 90s. Wife and I try to get a trip down there every year. Yea it doesn’t snow as much as some of the other places we like to ski, but when it does it’s soo good. Love the comparison to techy Mtb riding, it’s fun skiing, hard to compare to other places. Food, vibe, art, and the people all make for a unique experience that keeps us coming back every year. Also, the chill parking lot scene makes for one of the best slope side setups in the biz .


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Izzat chute down by the van St. Bernard?

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Originally Posted by skaredshtles

Izzat chute down by the van St. Bernard?

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Mmm, though it looks familiar (that tree in the middle) I’m just guessing. Maybe Elevator (skier’s left of St. B), but I think it might be High Somewhere, a little farther down the West Basin trail.

Looks great.

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Originally Posted by doebedoe

Went to Taos this fall for our last pre-kid get away. Ate great food, ran cool trails, saw lots of good art, stumbled on live music. Kicking myself for having never skied down there despite 10 years of living on the front range. Cool fucking town and not just a ski brah town.

Is there any reasonably affordable way for a non IKONer to ski a few days around there without paying full rates? Perhaps swapping comps to my hill?

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Taos offers pretty good advance rates online. Mountain collective is a good option in lieu of Ikon. Used to be awesome before the Alterra resorts left it.

Their mountain collective policy isn't great you get 50% off the highest day rate possible after the 2 freebies and can end up paying more per day than you would have gotten booking directly a week earlier. So Weds in april 50% off is 50% off MLK Saturday pricing.

I apoligize for my conduct I had had a few beers I'll just agree to disagree a couple inbounds avy deaths once in a while is an acceptable price to pay for better access to the goods. Taos and Alyeska are the 2 best resorts in the USA and Alyeska has their own BS there are marked runs on their trail map that legitimately have not been opened in over 10 years.

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Originally Posted by DoYou WannaDance

...a couple inbounds avy deaths once in a while is an acceptable price to pay for better access to the goods. .

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asshole

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Originally Posted by Buster Highmen

asshole

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Seconded

Hey guys, he was "apologizing." DYWD, why don't you just move to Taos or SW CO and become an avalanche expert? Its not that complicated, and I'm sure you'll live to tell the tale.

If a couple inbounds avy deaths every few years was an acceptable statistic, I bet many of us posting in this thread wouldn't be.

dywd= the new and improved Benny.

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Originally Posted by doebedoe

Went to Taos this fall for our last pre-kid get away. Ate great food, ran cool trails, saw lots of good art, stumbled on live music. Kicking myself for having never skied down there despite 10 years of living on the front range. Cool fucking town and not just a ski brah town.

Is there any reasonably affordable way for a non IKONer to ski a few days around there without paying full rates? Perhaps swapping comps to my hill?

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Buying tickets online two-three days in advance reduces window rate by a lot.

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Originally Posted by byates1

dywd= the new and improved Benny.

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I laughed.

And fixed the problem. But that means I must take someone off ignore and Byates is the winner. Welcome back.:rolleyes2

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Originally Posted by byates1

100%. random 1-3" forecasts that end up being 6. Le tits.

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Or that mid week sleeper pow day that the morning report says 2 inches and it nukes all day and it's bottomless by lunch time. The last one of those for me was probably 8 years ago.

I'll take a blue bird PP day over the powder day shit show every time tho.

The shit shows have become so annoying that my personal view of powder skiing has almost completely lost it's value. Someone says powder day and I get feelings of frustration and stress, rope drops and traffic, wind holds and massive lift lines, crowded runs and dodging squids. Sure, you can say well you gotta go to such and so when........I don't really have the $ for that. Trying to keep up with the skiing Joneses is even more stressful. So yeah, give me the place with 250 inches of snow with killer terrain and beautiful sunshine and stress free skiing. F the powder and never ending winters. I'm good.

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Originally Posted by Lvovsky

Buying tickets online two-three days in advance reduces window rate by a lot.

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i did this last year. i think i bought ahead planning on two days after the storm. west basin opened day before. caught opening on wild west and longhorn , kachina did not open. next time i think i will plan for day after and stay 3 days.

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Originally Posted by Bunion 2020

I laughed.

And fixed the problem. But that means I must take someone off ignore and Byates is the winner. Welcome back.:rolleyes2

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Lean in to the discomfort coward;)

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Originally Posted by byates1

dywd= the new and improved Benny.

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Yeah, was wondering if this was someone reincarnated trolling.

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Originally Posted by DoYou WannaDance

…a couple inbounds avy deaths once in a while is an acceptable price to pay for better access to the goods.

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Originally Posted by Buster Highmen

asshole

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Originally Posted by jackstraw

Seconded

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I think you guys are being a little soft, but I’ll third it. DYWD, did you go fuck yourself yet? Split, kook!

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Originally Posted by Meadow Skipper

I think you guys are being a little soft, but I’ll third it. DYWD, did you go fuck yourself yet? Split, kook!

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He's either trolling or a total retard. Feels a little digideath to me.

I also get grumpy when ski patrol is taking forever to open the goods on Kachina. You know what I don't do? Start arguing that strangers dying is an acceptable price to pay so I can access Kachina faster. Jesus christ dude.....

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Originally Posted by raisingarizona13

He's either trolling or a total retard. Feels a little digideath to me.

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Why not both?

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Originally Posted by Lvovsky

Why not both?

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That's probably more accurate.

fuck it, buying a pass and going going, back back, to taos taos.

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Originally Posted by byates1

fuck it, buying a pass and going going, back back, to taos taos.

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Storm coming this weekend might fill some runs.

word, need to spend xmas w fam, then peace the fuck out of the east.

That was quick. [emoji16]

yeah i thought it'd be a great idea to ski the east for a couple of months. 4 inches of rain yesterday, no snow in sight, damp, dreary, wtf.

taos. el nino year, base elevation 3 thousand feet higher than the highest point in the ne

the call of the zia.

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Originally Posted by skaredshtles

That was quick. [emoji16]

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byates is just like me. You know how I know? Because I knew he'd be back quick. I'd do the same.

Get back east for a couple weeks of rain and its:



Anyway, so I got one of those :::ducks::: Ikon Base passes with my Big Sky pass. Looks like Taos don't take too kindly to us plebes with the Base pass anymore. Can I still get some sort of benefit down there so I can ski Taos with byates since it's not gonna snow here until March?