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Taos Ski Week in 2020, what week fits in your schedule better?

Ski Sine Fine

Angel Diva
Hmm. I can actually do Feb 2 - 7. Not ideal. But doable. Especially if I can find shared lodging.

Last week in Jan I’m assuming solo because of Diva West.
 

Susan L

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I’d suggest Feb instead of Jan. Last year I took race week during MLK week. The 2 main groomed runs under chair 8 were closed and everyone not in race week had to ski elsewhere in the morning. I have been in touch with the instructor and he said for next season, he is planning to move race week to before/after MLK (to avoid crowds) but nothing is comfirmed yet. A few instructors I know weren’t too happy that they weren’t able to give lessons under chair 8 because of the closure.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I’d suggest Feb instead of Jan.
Although later is always better, planning a big trip months in advance is always a bit of a risk when it comes to snow conditions. My friends and I were at TSV for the second week of Feb 2018. That happened to be a historically low snow winter. There were essentially no black trails open at all that week. There was a storm that dropped 9 inches of powder snow midweek. The only completely ungroomed terrain was where the terrain park usually is under Lift 7. Lift 4 never opened. However, since we went for a Ski Week, we had no regrets.

TR Taos Feb. 10-16, 2018
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Hmm. I can actually do Feb 2 - 7. Not ideal. But doable. Especially if I can find shared lodging.

Last week in Jan I’m assuming solo because of Diva West.
General question for either week . . . are you thinking about flying Sat-Sat? That's pretty common for people doing a Ski Week. Many people can get to Taos/TSV the day of arrival. At the end of the week, many people stay overnight at an airport motel before flying home.

While most people fly to ABQ, also possible to fly into Santa Fe. Last season my friend found a cheap fare from DC to Santa Fe. I flew Southwest to ABQ, rented a car, and picked him up at Santa Fe on the way to Taos. I stayed in town for a couple nights so wanted a car. He didn't need one during the week. But he would've had to rent a car in Santa Fe because the arrival time didn't match up well with the shuttle schedule. So he was happy to split the cost with me even though he didn't use the car except for getting to/from the airport. We left TSV on Friday afternoon. I dropped him off at a motel in Santa Fe and then went to a motel near ABQ.

The Santa Fe airport is TINY! One little building. A gravel parking lot. The luggage is taken off the plane and pushed through a hole in the back of the building onto a conveyor belt.

I took the rental car back that evening because the airport car rental is a separate building for ABQ. Then in the morning, I took the free airport shuttle from the motel directly to the terminal. Much easier than dealing with ski bag and luggage on an airport shuttle bus.
 

Ski Sine Fine

Angel Diva
I’m actually thinking of flying in on Friday and stay overnight in ABQ in a hotel with an airport shuttle for altitude adjustment, and also if I decide not to have a car, to catch the ABQ-TSV shuttle the next day. Coming back, it’s either leaving TSV Saturday morning on the shuttle and take a late afternoon/evening flight out, or stay in ABQ Friday overnight and fly out Saturday if I have a car.

I don’t intend to ski on Saturday however.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
This is desirable for me. I have never been able to ski more than 3-4 hours, especially at high altitude.
In that case, start looking around the base condos. My friend found a deal on Hotels.com for Powderhorn for his first early Feb trip. It was about $150/night for a 1BR. I've also seen listings on AirBnB.

Have read recommendations for the Twinning Condos but have no idea about the pricing.

Looks like Alpine Suites has a few small units for under $200/night. Those are really close to the base of Lift 1.

If you can find a 2BR and 1BR with loft or sofa bed and can go the same week that works for others, then may well be able to find a condo mate. That's the advantage of discussing possible date for an informal Diva "meetup" well in advance.
 

alison wong

Angel Diva
Want to comment on lodging:
1) VRBO / AirBnB have properties with subject lines: ski in/out from lift 4, Bavarian Chalet, Rubanzel trial (green). Properties along these places require 4WD in winter. Some VRBO posts mention about 4WD, others reviewers mentioned it..... If you are unsure, ask before making reservations or, look at map to see if it is off Rubanzel trial, Bavarian... (Just be mindful: Not all posts mentioned it)

Reason for mentioning this, when I was looking for lodging, I came across few properties very reasonably priced and they are ski in/ out. Upon looking further at the map, I realized they are near that areas, since I wasn't planning to get a 4WD, I removed those properties off the list for consideration.
Our car (2 WD) got stuck in snow last year at Taos (different reason), it wasn't a pleasant experience. Give y'all heads up as I don't want such experience happen to others.

2) Snakedance is right behind Hotel St.Bernard. A popular lodging option for ski clubs. A good option for someone wants ski in/out but don't want to pay the premium price of St. B or The Blake.

3) Powderhorn is also good I think, not as close as Snakedance though, but it is within short walking distance.

4) Columbine Inn - it offers last year's price for next season if you book early. Email to find out. They are responsive.

5) I did snatch a good deal last year, booked through AirBnB, it was located right across from Columbine Inn. Lesson learned from that experience, I did not read the fine print on AirBnB, did not realize it had strict cancellation. It worked out ok since I was able to get time off that week, otherwise, I would have forfeited the deposit.

My point is, read the fine print, if unsure, email owner before making the reservation. VRBO has better cancelation than AirBnB. I prefer VRBO these days.

Misc thoughts:
1) Better to sign up ski week, waiver the day before (i.e. Saturday). If MCP, you need to set that up too. Recommend to get all these done the day before. As long as you arrive to TSV before 3:30 pm (office closes at 4 pm), you should be able to set all these up for Sunday (1st day of ski week).

2) Ojo Caliente Hot springs - consider visiting this place before heading back ABQ or SF. Very relaxing and soothing after ski week. Even better if you can have an overnight stay there.

3) I prefer to fly out on Friday evening after work, arrive to ABQ the same night. That way, it gives Saturday to do some sightseeing either Santa Fe or Taos town. Last season, not only we did that, we also managed to get our groceries, set up MCP pass and signed up ski week. All these completed in 1 day.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
That reminds me, Taos doesn't do direct-to-lift for MCP or Ikon. Or at least didn't last season. For Ikon it was possible to get a multi-day lift ticket that was good for 5 days. But had to go back for the last 2 days if had Full Ikon. They may get that fixed for the 2019-20 season. For the MCP, get a 2 (or 3) day lift ticket to start with. Then have to get a new discounted ticket for each additional day.

With a new building going up, hard to say exactly where the Season Pass office where Ikon/MCP will be. There were big signs on the walkway last season. Plus plenty of hosts where the parking shuttle "tram" stops who are happy to answer any questions.
 

diymom

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I’m also planning on doing the ski week again this year. I haven’t looked at the calendar too closely yet, but most likely in February. My new 16-month calendar arrive in the mail tomorrow, so I’ll be sitting down and filling in things soon to get an idea of what dates look best.
 

Susan L

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I’m also planning on doing the ski week again this year. I haven’t looked at the calendar too closely yet, but most likely in February. My new 16-month calendar arrive in the mail tomorrow, so I’ll be sitting down and filling in things soon to get an idea of what dates look best.

Funny I just ordered a 16-month wall calendar too! :thumbsup:But it is for planning golf trips since I am staying in Taos this season.
 

Susan L

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Same condo complex as last season? That was a good location if you had a car.
Yes, same place! Great location for us. There is a bus stop right infront of the restaurant we ate at - will try taking it this season!
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Yes, same place! Great location for us. There is a bus stop right infront of the restaurant we ate at - will try taking it this season!
I skied a few runs two years ago with a man over 75 who would take the bus from town for a ski day. Wore his ski boots on the bus and carried his skis, no backpack. He and his wife rented a place in town for a month, but she wasn't skiing any more because of RA. What was intriguing to me was that he only skis groomers . . . really fast. Had never learned to ski bumps even after multiple trips to Taos. They were from the midwest and had skied lots of places. I guess she liked the town of Taos better than anywhere else for a winter stay.
 

Susan L

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I skied a few runs two years ago with a man over 75 who would take the bus from town for a ski day. Wore his ski boots on the bus and carried his skis, no backpack. He and his wife rented a place in town for a month, but she wasn't skiing any more because of RA. What was intriguing to me was that he only skis groomers . . . really fast. Had never learned to ski bumps even after multiple trips to Taos. They were from the midwest and had skied lots of places. I guess she liked the town of Taos better than anywhere else for a winter stay.
I have stayed in a cabin near the base for a week before and almost got cabin fever, so I can see why it’d be nicer to stay in town if someone is spending more than a week skiing there.
Should be easy for me to take the bus since I have a locker for my boots and skis and won’t be carrying anything with me!
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
While I'll continue staying at the Columbine Inn, wanted to mention that The Austing Haus is another option for reasonably priced lodge rooms a mile from TSV. New owners did a thorough renovation before the 2018-19 season. It's billed as a "boutique mountain lodge" and from the pictures, the rooms are pretty nice and prices are under $175/night.

Turns out that the man who built The Austing Haus also built the Columbine Inn. The Austing Haus is the largest and tallest timber frame hotel in the United States, completed in the mid-1980s. Paul Austing was also a well known chef. Unfortunately he died relatively young in 2008.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
@Susan L : do you think TSV gets busier towards the end of the week before Pres. Day weekend? Meaning would people start showing up on Feb. 12 or 13 when Pres. Day is Feb. 17?

When I was there that week in 2018 the snow levels were so low, it wasn't a normal situation at all in terms of the number of people on the slopes.

I'm thinking about the pros and cons between the first week of Feb and the second, which runs into the holiday weekend.
 

Susan L

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@Susan L : do you think TSV gets busier towards the end of the week before Pres. Day weekend? Meaning would people start showing up on Feb. 12 or 13 when Pres. Day is Feb. 17?

I was there the week before and after MLK and Pres.Day last year. It started getting busy on the Friday before the holiday. Saturday and Sunday were a nightmare, and the crowds died down by Monday.
 

Susan L

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@Susan L : do you think TSV gets busier towards the end of the week before Pres. Day weekend? Meaning would people start showing up on Feb. 12 or 13 when Pres. Day is Feb. 17?

When I was there that week in 2018 the snow levels were so low, it wasn't a normal situation at all in terms of the number of people on the slopes.

I'm thinking about the pros and cons between the first week of Feb and the second, which runs into the holiday weekend.
So I think Feb 12/13 might be too early for the holiday crowds to show up but I personally would avoid overlapping a holiday weekend.
 
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