Taos 2021-22, conditions and more

[marzNC]

Once again, there are Divas planning to do a Taos Ski Week, mostly in early February but also in late January 2022. I've been watching the weather in the NM mountains for a few weeks. Partially because I was close by at Wolf Creek in December.

Taos managed to be open the last few weeks, but with very limited terrain. They are undoubtedly very happy that a Christmas storm has already delivered about a foot of few snow.

For Divas with enough posts, look in Meet On The Hill (MOTH) threads for Divas who are set to do a Ski Week this season.

If you are curious about past seasons:
https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?threads/taos-2018-19-conditions-and-more.23139/

Taos 2019-20, conditions and open terrain

Since I'm returning to Taos in February with friends, I'm already watching the weather in the NM mountains. It's snowed a few times at TSV but hasn't stayed cold enough to start building any sort of base. That's supposed to change by late October. According to the Ikon Open/Close webpage...

www.theskidiva.com

 

[TNtoTaos]

TSV has already gotten >18" from this storm system, and snow is predicted for almost every day this week
I'm in NM now, and planning to check out TSV and possibly also Wolf Creek after holiday blackouts (and winds!) are over, 1/2.
Meanwhile, here in Las Cruces it's 70* and very windy.

 

[Susan L]

TSV has already gotten >18" from this storm system, and snow is predicted for almost every day this week
I'm in NM now, and planning to check out TSV and possibly also Wolf Creek after holiday blackouts (and winds!) are over, 1/2.
Meanwhile, here in Las Cruces it's 70* and very windy.

If they did get 18”, it is not on whatever is opened. It does look better than a few weeks ago but far from enough to open anything in the upper mountains. High wind is an issue this week. Lifts were closed on Friday and today. Supposed to snow but very windy for the rest of this week. If any of the snow sticks, it will be a great time to come next weekend!

 

[marzNC]

Wind is certainly going to be high for a few days at Taos. Early January could be quite fun though once the storm system moves out.

According to OpenSnow, there was 3" on 12/24 and 6" on 12/25.

 

[TNtoTaos]

If they did get 18”, it is not on whatever is opened. It does look better than a few weeks ago but far from enough to open anything in the upper mountains. High wind is an issue this week. Lifts were closed on Friday and today. Supposed to snow but very windy for the rest of this week. If any of the snow sticks, it will be a great time to come next weekend!

Well, if the weather reports are correct, by next week all the storms should be over and there should be some good snow - let's keep fingers crossed for TSV and all the Western ski areas.

 

[marzNC]

Starting to pay attention to Taos weather forecasts again. Know people who will be skiing TSV next week. Looks like they will have some fresh snow to play in.

 

[RJ*]

Starting to pay attention to Taos weather forecasts again. Know people who will be skiing TSV next week. Looks like they will have some fresh snow to play in.

View attachment 17625

Heading there on Friday too and will report back!

 

[marzNC]

I have a friend doing a Ski Week starting today. Looks like he'll have a pretty good week in terms of snow conditions. 91 of 110 trails are open. Most of the closed trails are double blacks. The snowpack is still a bit too low for the steeper terrain, only about 50 inches. Some people say there needs to be at least 75 inches while others claim it's better to wait until there is 100 inches. All the lifts were open today except Kachina. For people willing to hike the Ridge, everything off the West Ridge was open.

 

[marzNC]

Always interesting to see people getting in line 10-15 min before the lift opens at a place that isn't going to be particularly busy on a midweek morning.

Can easily see why TSV is known more for bumps than powder. There are plenty of good skiers to bump up terrain when it hasn't snowed in a while. Even though snowboards have been allowed for a while, there aren't many boarders who are good enough to want to spend the day on bumps. So the bumps are more skier-shaped than in some other resorts with a higher percentage of off-piste boarders.

8:50am on January 24

 

[marzNC]

The line for Lift 1 cleared in about 5 minutes this morning. Makes a big difference that it's a high speed detachable quad now. Plus it's been around for a few seasons so both the lifties and the skiers know how it works for loading.

 

[TNtoTaos]

The line for Lift 1 cleared in about 5 minutes this morning. Makes a big difference that it's a high speed detachable quad now. Plus it's been around for a few seasons so both the lifties and the skiers know how it works for loading.

I noticed that when I was there in early Jan and it was much busier, the lifties still did a great job directing traffic to load Lift 1, blending 3 lines, the singles line, and the Ski School line to fill each chair. Everyone cooperated, which made things go very smoothly. Even in the busiest times, I've found that the "rush minute" that occurs at lift opening is usually cleared within about 15 min. In 22+ yrs, I've never waited more than 10 min on a lift line at TSV.

 

[marzNC]

Only time there was a noticeable problem loading the Lift 1 was the first season after it was installed. I happened to be at TSV over MLK weekend that season. It was clear that few lifties and many of the customers had little experience with a detachable lift. People were all over the skis of the people in front of them. The singles line wasn't used effectively when it was busy. It was the worst on Sat and Sun morning before about 10:00 when locals were out skiing along with holiday travelers.

My impression is that there are days in March during Texas spring breaks that can be on the busy side for Lift 1 in the mornings.

Finding times to ski TSV when there isn't a lift line wait of more than 10 minutes will probably continue to be relatively easy with just a little planning for people not tied to a school schedule.

 

[marzNC]

Got an email from TSV declaring a "powder day." Doesn't require a foot of fresh snow to be good fun there if you know where to go. Fair to say that there won't be much melting even when the sun is out.

 

[Bookworm]

My snow dance seems to be working.

 

[santacruz skier]

A powder day?

 

[marzNC]

Will definitely be a powder day or three this week. At least for people who know how to dress for frigid temps and/or don't mind skiing during a snowstorm. During a storm a few years ago, we had a good time lapping a blue groomer to make fresh tracks every run because it was snowing so heavily. Most people didn't ski after lunch. So we had the place to ourselves.

 

[marzNC]

Since the question came up in the MOTH thread, here's an article about the purchase of Taos Ski Valley by Louis Bacon several years ago. Bottom line is that the founder's family didn't have the financial resources needed to move TSV forward in order to retain it's status as a destination resort in the 21st century. They were lucky that Bacon was interested. He has a long history of skiing at TSV as well as working with the Blake family on conversation projects in the area.

The goal is to retain the vibe of TSV while turning it into a sustainable 4-season resort. Joining the MCP in 2017 and later Ikon was part of the transformation. What hasn't changed is the importance and uniqueness of the Taos Ski Weeks to take full advantage of the unique terrain that includes baby bumps, blue bumps, and expert bumps and steep (really steep!) trees. And that's when the Kachina Peak isn't open.

Bacon loves to ski powder. He pops in for a day or two whenever he feels like it. Usually skis early in the day with one of the very experienced instructors as a guide.

December 2013

Colorado Hedge Fund Billionaire Louis Bacon Buys Taos, New Mexico, Ski Resort

Louis Bacon, the 55 year old founder and Chief Executive Officer of Moore Capital, a man Forbes estimates is worth $1.4 billion, recently completed a deal to acquire New Mexico ski resort Taos. Bacon, who attended college at Middlebury in Vermont, has a long history of involvement in...

www.forbes.com

 

[marzNC]

Official storm total is 37 inches in 48 hours, Feb. 1-2!

 

[liquidfeet]

Here's a question.
Will there be tree wells with that much snow?

 

[marzNC]

Here's a question.
Will there be tree wells with that much snow?

Tree wells are not an issue at Taos. Combination of the snow not being that deep and the type of trees.

As of Feb. 3, the total at mid-mountain is only about 70 inches. The soft snow is about 3 feet, with a very hard packed base underneath where people ski the trees. There are plenty of advanced/expert skiers who ski all sorts of tree terrain at TSV after a rare powder storm, including stuff that looks impossible.