Taos 2018-19, conditions and more

[marzNC]

Taos already has more snow than it probably did all season...... should be a different experience than last year. Even though skiing mostly on groomers (all that was open) last year was good for me to get back to basics/fundamentals as it had been decades since i had proper instruction!

Yep, conditions are looking more like my first trip to Taos two years ago when Kachina was fully open by mid-January. There was 100+ inches when my friends and I were there in early Feb 2017. Had a couple clear days when we went up the Kachina lift and there weren't really big bumps because it had been snowing so often, just nice soft medium size bumps that were good fun.

Next time you could keep a gap in your ski season and hop a plane to ABQ making a decision closer to the date.

 

[marzNC]

Gonna be a day to check the TSV webcam . . . it's starting to snow as of 8:30am. Could be as much as 12 inches in the next 24 hours.

 

[marzNC]

The Taos snowmaking team is one of six teams that made the cut in the SAM contest called I AM A SNOWMAKER for 2019. Can vote daily at until Jan. 14, 2019. https://www.saminfo.com/i-am-a-snowmaker

 

[Gidget415]

NM is getting lots of snow. Another storm is rolling in today but at lower elevations, we will see just rain. Hoping for some more powder up high!

 

[Kimmyt]

I'm so excited, we're going to be there the week after President's day and splurging for a day of daycare for our kids so hubs and I can hopefully ski some steeps!!!!

 

[marzNC]

Didn't notice the Women's Weekend before. It's been renamed the "Femme de Freeride." For those who don't know TSV, there are several key people who help create TSV in the early years who are French and they are still very much involved. Not just for women ready for big mountain skiing/boarding, also includes clinics for beginners and intermediates. Even has a ski tuning/waxing clinic. Going to be very nice conditions for the first half of January.

Women mark your calendars for Femme de Freeride (formerly known as Women's Weekend), January 12th - 13th, 2019! Join us for a weekend full of on-mountain and off-mountain fun for females of all ages and abilities!

Schedule of Events:

Saturday:
8.00am—10.00am: Swag Bag Pick Up / Registration / Breakfast (Martini Tree, Taos Ski Valley)
8.15am—9.00am: Yoga (Martini Tree, Taos Ski Valley)
9:30am: Group photo (Base of Lift #1)
9.30am—11.30am: Big Mountain Skiing / Riding Clinic with Taos Winter Sports Team head coach, Andrea Krejci (Base of Lift #1)
9.30am—11.30am: Carving Ski & Ride Clinics (Base of Lift #1)
9.30am—11.30am: Beginner / Intermediate Ski / Ride Clinics (Base of Lift #1)
1.00pm—3.00pm: Ski & Ride Bumps Clinics (Base of Lift #1)
1.00pm—3.00pm: Women's Free Ski & Ride Meet Up (Base of Lift #1)
3.00pm—4.00pm: Apres-Ski Yoga (Martini Tree, Taos Ski Valley)
4.00pm—6.00pm: Ski Tuning / Waxing Clinic (Martini Tree, Taos Ski Valley)

Sunday:
8.30am—9.15am: Yoga (Martini Tree, Taos Ski Valley)
9.30am—11.30am: Big Mountain Skiing / Riding Clinic with Taos Winter Sports Team head coach, Andrea Krejci (Base of Lift #1)
9.30am—11.30am: Ski & Ride Bumps Clinics (Base of Lift #1)
1.00pm—3.00pm: Afternoon Clinic TBD (Base of Lift #1)
1.00pm—3.00pm: Women's Free Ski & Ride Meet Up (Base of Lift #1)
3.00pm—4.00pm: Apres-Ski Yoga (Martini Tree, Taos Ski Valley)

*Clinics and events are subject to change

Pre-registration is $65 for the weekend and is open online until January 11th at 11.59pm MST. Day of registration is $75. Discounted lift tickets are available to participants.

 

[nopoleskier]

$65 for a weekend of fun and lessons! That's a great deal!

 

[Susan L]

Hi everyone - new member here! I have been skiing Taos for a few years and I agree with how good their Ski week is (and what a deal!) I know there is a women’s weekend coming up but have no idea there is a special ski week! Will have to check that out!

 

[marzNC]

Hi everyone - new member here! I have been skiing Taos for a few years and I agree with how good their Ski week is (and what a deal!) I know there is a women’s weekend coming up but have no idea there is a special ski week! Will have to check that out!

Welcome! Have you noticed that there will be Divas skiing Taos over MLK week? Also in early Feb.

What’s your favorite area at TSV?

 

[badger]

Didn't notice the Women's Weekend before. It's been renamed the "Femme de Freeride." For those who don't know TSV, there are several key people who help create TSV in the early years who are French and they are still very much involved. Not just for women ready for big mountain skiing/boarding, also includes clinics for beginners and intermediates. Even has a ski tuning/waxing clinic. Going to be very nice conditions for the first half of January.

Women mark your calendars for Femme de Freeride (formerly known as Women's Weekend), January 12th - 13th, 2019! Join us for a weekend full of on-mountain and off-mountain fun for females of all ages and abilities!

Schedule of Events:

Saturday:
8.00am—10.00am: Swag Bag Pick Up / Registration / Breakfast (Martini Tree, Taos Ski Valley)
8.15am—9.00am: Yoga (Martini Tree, Taos Ski Valley)
9:30am: Group photo (Base of Lift #1)
9.30am—11.30am: Big Mountain Skiing / Riding Clinic with Taos Winter Sports Team head coach, Andrea Krejci (Base of Lift #1)
9.30am—11.30am: Carving Ski & Ride Clinics (Base of Lift #1)
9.30am—11.30am: Beginner / Intermediate Ski / Ride Clinics (Base of Lift #1)
1.00pm—3.00pm: Ski & Ride Bumps Clinics (Base of Lift #1)
1.00pm—3.00pm: Women's Free Ski & Ride Meet Up (Base of Lift #1)
3.00pm—4.00pm: Apres-Ski Yoga (Martini Tree, Taos Ski Valley)
4.00pm—6.00pm: Ski Tuning / Waxing Clinic (Martini Tree, Taos Ski Valley)

Sunday:
8.30am—9.15am: Yoga (Martini Tree, Taos Ski Valley)
9.30am—11.30am: Big Mountain Skiing / Riding Clinic with Taos Winter Sports Team head coach, Andrea Krejci (Base of Lift #1)
9.30am—11.30am: Ski & Ride Bumps Clinics (Base of Lift #1)
1.00pm—3.00pm: Afternoon Clinic TBD (Base of Lift #1)
1.00pm—3.00pm: Women's Free Ski & Ride Meet Up (Base of Lift #1)
3.00pm—4.00pm: Apres-Ski Yoga (Martini Tree, Taos Ski Valley)

*Clinics and events are subject to change

Pre-registration is $65 for the weekend and is open online until January 11th at 11.59pm MST. Day of registration is $75. Discounted lift tickets are available to participants.

Missed it by thiiisss much. Not getting on snow until the 13th!! oh well. (and this will be determined by tomorrow if Taos remains the destination for January 12. My dh is a commitment- phobe when it comes to ski trips.)

 

[Susan L]

@marzNC I am still catching up on the posts about Taos but did notice a few ladies talking about being here in Jan/Feb for ski week, and there is a plan to meet up? But I don’t have enough points to see any information about it.
I will be spending 2 full weeks every month plus every weekend up here until Texas Spring Break! Would love to meet up with any ladies visiting!
My favorite part of the mountain is the back side because it gets the sun in the morning and is usually less windy than the frontside. My favorite bumps are at Tell Glade and Lone Star, favorite groomer is Lower Stauffenberg, and if I feel like challenging myself, I go to Hunziker Bowl, Zagava, or Psycho Path. Everything else is above my comfort/skill level.
TSV also offers Private Ski week. It is quite pricey but if you can put together a small group to split the cost, it will be worth it. I did a private ski week with my husband last year and requested an instructor who teaches both ski and snowboard, and we had a blast doing both in one week!

 

[marzNC]

@marzNC I am still catching up on the posts about Taos but did notice a few ladies talking about being here in Jan/Feb for ski week, and there is a plan to meet up? But I don’t have enough points to see any information about it.

Look for a PM (Inbox in top right corner).

I will be spending 2 full weeks every month plus every weekend up here until Texas Spring Break! Would love to meet up with any ladies visiting!

I would expect you will be at TSV at the same time as other Divas.

For me and my friends who fly to ABQ, the regular Ski Weeks are fine. We aren't all at the same ability level. Also can be helpful for making new friends. For me personally, I learn a lot when an instructor is giving advice to another student. When I do a private lesson at a destination resort, I usually get a friend of similar ability to join me. I've enjoyed Taos blacks but will need to learn more before a double-black with trees and big bumps is going to be something I would want to do without an instructor. Ended up on a couple the first trip when there was excellent coverage. Also enjoyed the easiest way down off the Kachina lift since the snow was soft and the bumps were relatively small for that area.

 

[Gidget415]

Look for a PM (Inbox in top right corner).

I would expect you will be at TSV at the same time as other Divas.
.

SusanL, it would be great to meet you up there this coming weekend/week with some of the other Divas. I've had several friends come back from Taos last weekend just glowing with how great it was. More snow is coming.... I am like a kid waiting for a snow day!!! I've only been to Santa Fe so far this year and they have been getting great snow, too. I'm not going to hold myself out as a Taos/black diamond skier, though. I've been down some blacks at SF, Wolf Creek and Loveland in the last year and am getting more comfortable on them, but I'm going to keep an open mind about Taos and see where Ski Week takes me. Time to get over my fear of Taos, the four letter word for "steep."

 

[Susan L]

@Gidget415 I will be there this weekend - will look for @marzNC on Saturday morning (between 8-9am) in the locker room and planning to meet @alison wong on Sunday after her first lesson. Are you starting on Saturday or Sunday? Where are you staying? Snow has been GREAT at Taos! I just spent 12 days there and only returned home because I needed to run some errands! Otherwise I’d still be up there! It snowed last Sunday, well more like freezing rain and it froze on the goggles so visibility was bad. Only stayed an hour and 30 mins of that was trying to get OFF the mountain safely. Monday was a great powder day, then bluebird for Tues/Wed/Thurs, then snowed again Friday/Saturday! It snowed last night and another storm coming on Friday! Woohoo! As usual, Taos is very conservative when it comes to their snow report, so I am sure we are heading into a great weekend/week! I have not been to Santa Fe this year but they seemed to have gotten alot of snow from the last 2 storms! But the drive up there can be dangerous when snow is on the ground.
You are going to have a great time at Ski Week! Make sure you speak up if you feel you are not in the right class. You will improve at the end of the week and Taos won’t feel as steep anymore;) Hope to see you this weekend!

 

[marzNC]

I have not been to Santa Fe this year but they seemed to have gotten alot of snow from the last 2 storms! But the drive up there can be dangerous when snow is on the ground.

I know what you mean about the road up to Santa Fe. Checked it out as our first ski day a couple years ago. Even though it hadn't snowed for a while, there was still snow on the road on the shady corners.

How is the road up to Taos after a snowstorm? We'll be driving up from town on Sat morning. I did rent an SUV so should be AWD. At least that's what happened before.

 

[Susan L]

Taos is really good at clearing the roads so it should be fine driving up on Saturday morning. It is relatively flat compared to mountain driving to Santa Fe.

 

[Gidget415]

As I recall, it's much more of a straight shot and they take care of the road. I was there in a storm a few years ago and it was fine. It's important to have AWD, for sure, just in case and watch out for the drivers all around you who may not have your common sense. I once defended a lawsuit in which a woman suddenly stopped on the road to TSV to let quail cross the road and she got rear-ended... That was an interesting deposition.

 

[marzNC]

Taos is really good at clearing the roads so it should be fine driving up on Saturday morning. It is relatively flat compared to mountain driving to Santa Fe.

Good to know. Thanks! There wasn't any new snow when I was driving before. Last year my ski buddy who lives in Albuquerque was doing all the driving. He has plenty of experienced on snowy roads. Came in handy when driving up to the Bavarian.

I've driving up to Alta when it was snowing lightly a couple times. But not at the beginning of a ski day. The road to TSV is certainly easier than going up Little Cottonwood Canyon.

 

[Susan L]

There is only one steep downhill right when you get in the valley. Just go slow and leave extra room in front.
@Gidget415 I’d have stopped for the quails too!! So, what was the verdict of that case? Who was at fault?

 

[Gidget415]

They are cute. It was her fault in the end because traffic was heavy and really tight together, so the other driver couldn't avoid it. :(