Welcome to the forum! When in Feb is your trip?This will be my first trip to Taos in February with my DH. I am looking forward to it and taking lessons as my DH is more advanced in skiing them I am.
Welcome to the forum! When in Feb is your trip?This will be my first trip to Taos in February with my DH. I am looking forward to it and taking lessons as my DH is more advanced in skiing them I am.
Thank you. Our trip is planned for February 3rd to the 10th.Welcome to the forum! When in Feb is your trip?
Definitely consider taking an Adult Ski Week. Taos is famous for them, and many of us take them every yr. They're actually a great bargain, compared to the price of even semi-private lessons, and it's a great way to quickly get to know the terrain that you'll be comfortable with. Since the lessons are either in the morning or afternoon, you'll still have plenty of time each day to ski with your DH, and will probably feel more comfortable skiing with him, too. WARNING: May be habit-forming!This will be my first trip to Taos in February with my DH. I am looking forward to it and taking lessons as my DH is more advanced in skiing them I am.
I'll be there then, and doing a Ski Week.Thank you. Our trip is planned for February 3rd to the 10th.
As will I.I'll be there then, and doing a Ski Week.
We are there Jan 7th…As will I.
@marzNC thanks for these tips. I’m not going with the Ski Divas this year, but will be doing my second Taos Ski Week with my local Ski Club and want to make make the most of it!For any Ski Week, it's good to keep in mind that it's helpful when a student is willing to provide basic info about goals, learning style, and past history with lessons. A few turns on a groomer cannot tell the full story of someone's skiing experience and thinking about what they are hoping to achieve by taking lessons. Someone who has been skiing for decades but has never had a lesson can seem similar to someone who learned with plenty of lessons as an adult but has limited experience on challenging terrain. Speaking up with a question or two during the first lesson, or speaking privately to the instructor after the first lesson is important.
The ski-off supervisor generally asked what type of terrain is of interest. The answer could be "blue," "blue-black," or "black." If the person has any experience skiing at TSV, mentioning a favorite run or an aspirational run can be useful. A favorite run at another destination resort may be helpful. Saying "I ski all black trails" without a regional context is less helpful. A groomed black trail in the midwest or northeast is not the same as an ungroomed black at a big mountain with 1500+ ft of vertical.
Experience, or not, with bumps and trees, is worth mentioning. Same for interest. There are advanced beginner and intermediate groups that focus on fundamentals on groomers that don't do any bump terrain. An advanced/expert skier who doesn't want to hike the Ridge should say so early on.
THIS ^^^^A few turns on a groomer cannot tell the full story of someone's skiing experience and thinking about what they are hoping to achieve by taking lessons. Someone who has been skiing for decades but has never had a lesson can seem similar to someone who learned with plenty of lessons as an adult but has limited experience on challenging terrain.
Sounds familiar, doesn't it?THIS ^^^^
And I was the one who had experience skiing varied terrain with no lessons in probably 30 years......Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
When I took ski week in 2017 I was the person who learned as an adult, took a lot of lessons and had a good technique, but had very little experience skiing challenging terrain, especially Taos level challenging. Because I had good technique from lessons after ski off, I got put into the group that was going to hike the Ridge and ski double blacks, I was not ready for that back then. When I heard what the instructor said about the terrain they wanted to ski, I said that I don't ski steep bumps and would be scared of those. Then they put me into the intermediate group that was too slow, I had to ask to change a group for a more advanced group. Finally, I was put into the group that was skiing easier advanced terrain and that was perfect level, more along the lines of advanced intermediate.
A lot has changed since then and now my terrain preferences are more along the lines of the advanced group that would hike and ski the Ridge, but I was not ready for that in 2017 despite likely having the technique for it.
Yes, they talked to me about what terrain the group will ski. That was in 2017 though, not sure if they changed it, seems like an important conversation to have for the group and instructor though.Has everyone who's done a ski-off had the instructor at the top of the ski off ask you questions?
For the one ski-off I've done, the guy at the top said "Go" and that's all the communication he chose to have with me. Another instructor standing in the middle of the trail half way down pointed his pole after skiers did two turns to indicate to them which group to join.
I should add that after 2017 I took a ski week every year, but I was either in a private ski week (form your own group and request specific instructor) or managed to ask for a specific instructor if they could accommodate in the general ski week which they did a few times.Yes, they talked to me about what terrain the group will ski. That was in 2017 though, not sure if they changed it, seems like an important conversation to have for the group and instructor though.
The last time I did the ski-off, the supervisor was talking into a radio after every skier started. Was the case on Sunday and on Monday. My ski buddy, Jason, didn't met it to Taos until Sunday afternoon because he couldn't fly out of the midwest as planned due to a snowstorm there. He did the ski-off on Monday and joined the group I was in. I had already mentioned the idea to my instructor. The turns Jason made during the ski-off and what he said to the supervisor confirmed that it would be a good fit. Jason and I had done semi-private lessons before at other destination resorts, as well as one less at Taos a few years before when our schedule didn't allow for a Ski Week.If the coordinator at the top asks questions, I'm thinking he/she would need a radio to let the instructor pointing the ski pole know what the answers were. When I did the ski off, this guy had no radio, so I guess there was no point in asking me questions.
Your skiing has certainly improved since 2017! An advantage of going to the same resort annually is being able to tell what terrain seemed aspirational that has become fun as a result of lessons, practice, and added experience.A lot has changed since then and now my terrain preferences are more along the lines of the advanced group that would hike and ski the Ridge,