floridakeysskibum
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Chris Erin Sarah and Nina from my class. I wanted to and now kicking myself for not going …
-
Women skiers, this is the place for you -- an online community without the male-orientation you'll find in conventional ski magazines and internet ski forums. At TheSkiDiva.com, you can connect with other women to talk about skiing in a way that you can relate to, about things that you find of interest. Be sure to join our community to participate (women only, please!). Registration is fast and simple. Just be sure to add webmaster@theskidiva.com to your address book so your registration activation emails won't be routed as spam. And please give careful consideration to your user name -- it will not be changed once your registration is confirmed.
Taos Ski Valley (TSV) in late February 2026, photos and notes
- Thread starter marzNC
- Start date
Denverokie
Certified Ski Diva
One look at Kachina peak made me quizzy. Maybe if I spend the next 50 years in ski week instruction I might tackle it!! LOL
Yeah wish I would have known earlier! Heard soft snow and great. I’ve been up there a few times in varying conditions! We did see our instructor as we were skiing down near 4 pm and she said lots of rocks were being uncovered. Jason heard the same thing.
SarahXC
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Definitely had to go in for a tune after hitting some of them…
RCL
Certified Ski Diva
lol
I bet but kind of kicking myself because I heard the snow was amazing that first day.
Exshell
Certified Ski Diva
Exshell
Certified Ski Diva
It was so nice to meet such a wonderful group of skiers!
@Exshell so fun to meet and ski with you!
The ones on the person with the red jacket in the forefront? I see the same thing with fading and also wondered if it was an effect of lighting or my camera. I like that ombre look if that is what it is. @santacruz, I love the colors/style of your HH jacket.
Her name is Mia and she wants to join skidiva! Those are ombré pants she is wearing. I think Descente…
Thank you! I only wore the HH jacket one day as warm temps
Exshell
Certified Ski Diva
Thanks Shelly! So glad I got to meet you this trip!
Michellezil
Certified Ski Diva
Women’s Ski Week Review:
For my first ski week and first ski lesson since I was a small child I couldn’t be happier with the instructor (Sarah T) and women in our group. After the first day we had a couple people move to an advanced co-ed group (they wanted more moguls and a faster pace), and three more women move up into our group. (For reference, we were in the advanced women’s ski week group but it sounded like there may have been a co-ed ski week group or two that was more advanced/faster paced.) It was such an encouraging atmosphere with everyone rooting eachother on and having great conversations on the lifts.
Some of us (like myself) were learning mogul technique for the first time and others were skiing more adventurous terrain like runs off the ridge for the first time. Some had experience in both. The first day, after the ski off, was mostly group management and assessment of everyone’s skill levels and some basic but fundamental technique like turn initiation. Day 2 we took the opportunity to hike the ridge after a couple of runs in the morning. (Two of us had scoped it out following our instructor after the lesson concluded on Day 1, which I think helped her feel confident taking the whole group there the next day since she could send us ahead and be the sweeper). That was super fun adventure as a group! Day 3 was mostly focused on drills, which were very helpful. Day 4 was building/integrating what we had practiced in drills the day before in our general skiing. Day 5 highlight was Kachina shortly after the lift opened for the season, and a group lunch after, and Day 6 was a wrap up where we received individual feedback and got to ski a hurrah Kachina run together a last time.
Since we ended up with a rather large group (7 women on days 2-5), I think it was harder to receive a lot of individual feedback since there was a lot of people for our instructor to keep track of. I had plenty of new information about technique and pointers on specific issues I had to work on though. On the last day I specifically asked for our instructor to ski behind us for a run or two to provide feedback on what we could each improve, and that was very helpful for everyone. We were down to 5 people that day so it was more achievable. All the feedback had come up before in the week but it was good to know what were the key pieces that each of us should continue to focus on. Based on the tricky group management dynamics for our advanced group I may choose to do a private ski week with 3 or 4 people in the future when I want to fine tune and get more individual feedback. But the group women’s ski week was perfect for me this year and I loved our instructor regardless!
The first day our instructor sent us down a blue mogul run on our first trip down the mountain and I remember saying “She assumes we know how to ski moguls? What am I getting myself into!?” I went from anxiety and survival mode down those runs to confidence that I can get down most anything by the end of the week, as long as I take my time. By Tuesday when I was skiing a mogul run with nice soft snow I realized I was actually having fun, which I never thought I’d say about moguls! The Taos Effect was pretty quick to take shape! The ski week was also an excellent way to learn the mountain and be introduced to advanced black/double black runs that I would have been nervous to check out myself without a guide. Our instructor was also on the same page as me about fun being a priority and looking for the nice snow. If we ended up skiing down an icy or rocky mogul run she wouldn’t take us back there again. When I asked for advice on translating the technique we had been learning all week to skiing Main Street off Kachina in the softer snow, her first tip was to have fun with it! And then she gave a couple of technical pointers too, but I appreciated her taking me back to the reason we are skiing in the first place!
Several group members had done ski week before and one offered to pick up a card for us all to sign and collect cash for our instructor’s tip to place in the card envelope, and we gave it to her at lunch. That was a super streamlined way to do it and our instructor really appreciated the card!
Regardless of your level I would heartily recommend women’s ski week to anyone! All the other divas I talked to in other groups had a great time and learned a lot as well! In addition it was amazing to be on the mountain at the same time as many of the divas on this forum to be able to socialize in the locker room in the morning, meet up at lunch, and pair up or group up with others at a similar level and ski together in the afternoon. Not to mention all the excellent advice long-time Taos divas gave us through the forum and in person (especially Lorraine and Meimei) and the hosts of pizza night (thank you Julie and Barb!)
P.S. Here are a few more photos that a gal from our ski week sent us. Pure joy coming down our first run off Kachina around 10:30 on opening day.
For my first ski week and first ski lesson since I was a small child I couldn’t be happier with the instructor (Sarah T) and women in our group. After the first day we had a couple people move to an advanced co-ed group (they wanted more moguls and a faster pace), and three more women move up into our group. (For reference, we were in the advanced women’s ski week group but it sounded like there may have been a co-ed ski week group or two that was more advanced/faster paced.) It was such an encouraging atmosphere with everyone rooting eachother on and having great conversations on the lifts.
Some of us (like myself) were learning mogul technique for the first time and others were skiing more adventurous terrain like runs off the ridge for the first time. Some had experience in both. The first day, after the ski off, was mostly group management and assessment of everyone’s skill levels and some basic but fundamental technique like turn initiation. Day 2 we took the opportunity to hike the ridge after a couple of runs in the morning. (Two of us had scoped it out following our instructor after the lesson concluded on Day 1, which I think helped her feel confident taking the whole group there the next day since she could send us ahead and be the sweeper). That was super fun adventure as a group! Day 3 was mostly focused on drills, which were very helpful. Day 4 was building/integrating what we had practiced in drills the day before in our general skiing. Day 5 highlight was Kachina shortly after the lift opened for the season, and a group lunch after, and Day 6 was a wrap up where we received individual feedback and got to ski a hurrah Kachina run together a last time.
Since we ended up with a rather large group (7 women on days 2-5), I think it was harder to receive a lot of individual feedback since there was a lot of people for our instructor to keep track of. I had plenty of new information about technique and pointers on specific issues I had to work on though. On the last day I specifically asked for our instructor to ski behind us for a run or two to provide feedback on what we could each improve, and that was very helpful for everyone. We were down to 5 people that day so it was more achievable. All the feedback had come up before in the week but it was good to know what were the key pieces that each of us should continue to focus on. Based on the tricky group management dynamics for our advanced group I may choose to do a private ski week with 3 or 4 people in the future when I want to fine tune and get more individual feedback. But the group women’s ski week was perfect for me this year and I loved our instructor regardless!
The first day our instructor sent us down a blue mogul run on our first trip down the mountain and I remember saying “She assumes we know how to ski moguls? What am I getting myself into!?” I went from anxiety and survival mode down those runs to confidence that I can get down most anything by the end of the week, as long as I take my time. By Tuesday when I was skiing a mogul run with nice soft snow I realized I was actually having fun, which I never thought I’d say about moguls! The Taos Effect was pretty quick to take shape! The ski week was also an excellent way to learn the mountain and be introduced to advanced black/double black runs that I would have been nervous to check out myself without a guide. Our instructor was also on the same page as me about fun being a priority and looking for the nice snow. If we ended up skiing down an icy or rocky mogul run she wouldn’t take us back there again. When I asked for advice on translating the technique we had been learning all week to skiing Main Street off Kachina in the softer snow, her first tip was to have fun with it! And then she gave a couple of technical pointers too, but I appreciated her taking me back to the reason we are skiing in the first place!
Several group members had done ski week before and one offered to pick up a card for us all to sign and collect cash for our instructor’s tip to place in the card envelope, and we gave it to her at lunch. That was a super streamlined way to do it and our instructor really appreciated the card!
Regardless of your level I would heartily recommend women’s ski week to anyone! All the other divas I talked to in other groups had a great time and learned a lot as well! In addition it was amazing to be on the mountain at the same time as many of the divas on this forum to be able to socialize in the locker room in the morning, meet up at lunch, and pair up or group up with others at a similar level and ski together in the afternoon. Not to mention all the excellent advice long-time Taos divas gave us through the forum and in person (especially Lorraine and Meimei) and the hosts of pizza night (thank you Julie and Barb!)
P.S. Here are a few more photos that a gal from our ski week sent us. Pure joy coming down our first run off Kachina around 10:30 on opening day.
floridakeysskibum
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
So glad to have met you. Hope to see you again
Great write up @Michellezil .... and glad you were able to hike the ridge and get some runs off Kachina. This year (my 5th at Taos) our class really focused on technique in all aspects of skiing (bumps, groomed, etc). Irene was our instructor and I've had her before in a more advanced group (skied Kachina, Rhoda's). I was quite happy with our group and the focus of the ski week. There was ALOT of individual attention (7 in our group too) that was so helpful. And the camaraderie was unprecedented !
I'm already planning on going back next year.
SarahXC
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Wow! @Michellezil! Thanks for taking the time to write that great trip report! @Exshell and I were in Maggie’s group and I thought she did an excellent job of balancing the fun and technical aspects as well. It was great skiing with everyone in the various afternoons! I am definitely looking forward to going again next year!
Fun dinner Saturday night with @TNtoTaos, Rita and @Exshell
Fun dinner Saturday night with @TNtoTaos, Rita and @Exshell
Attachments
Pamtryingagain
Certified Ski Diva
Pamtryingagain
Certified Ski Diva
As a recently returning skier, (tryingagain) I had a great time at my first Taos Women's Ski Week and it was great to meet so many wonderful women who ski! I really needed the lessons after so many years and also never really taking more than a few hours of group lessons.
I was so grateful there was white stuff on the runs and I learned a lot! I was moved down to a new group after the first day, and some others moved up and we formed a perfect group of four with our instructor Aubrie. She is a recent grad school graduate and a Structural Engineer, and still aquiring her certification but she was great and a lot of fun. Just my opinion, but studying and understanding physics seems to work well with understanding how to teach skiing.
One little note about the weather; I've never skiied in weather quite that warm; even my spring skiing years ago was in the 40's. I sort of fell/sat down on a snow bank in the shade on the last cat track for the day, and it was actually like what I imagine igloos feels like. White solid ice!
These pics may be blurry; not sure what will happen when they upload.
I was so grateful there was white stuff on the runs and I learned a lot! I was moved down to a new group after the first day, and some others moved up and we formed a perfect group of four with our instructor Aubrie. She is a recent grad school graduate and a Structural Engineer, and still aquiring her certification but she was great and a lot of fun. Just my opinion, but studying and understanding physics seems to work well with understanding how to teach skiing.
One little note about the weather; I've never skiied in weather quite that warm; even my spring skiing years ago was in the 40's. I sort of fell/sat down on a snow bank in the shade on the last cat track for the day, and it was actually like what I imagine igloos feels like. White solid ice!
These pics may be blurry; not sure what will happen when they upload.
