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

diymom

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My doc says no bumps. I just want to get better on steep groomed runs. Does that mean I’d either get pushed into harder terrain than my comfort level, or drag the class down and disappoint the others in the group? It would be bad either way.

I also cannot do a full day lesson. Tried it at Liberty and bailed in the afternoon every day.

No worries, they want you to have fun and learn at whatever level you are at. When you get sorted into groups at the ski off they ask what you ski. Myself, this year I am planning on telling them blue but no bumps. Last year I played it safe and told them blue, but happy on greens. I was in the same group as Eunice. Yes, the instructor gave us some pointers for bumps, and gave us the chance to try them if we wanted to, but it was not mandatory. He never took us on a full bump run, it was just bumps on the side of a blue. And I was the one in my group who always opted out, taking the line next to the bumps.
 

Ski Sine Fine

Angel Diva
Is your doc a skier? The term "bumps" means different things to different people. In the mid-Atlantic, a bump run usually means bumps that would be considered blue bumps at TSV. Except for a tiny section in the beginner area at Roundtop, I've never seen a green bump run in PA.

I don’t get the sense he’s an enthusiastic skier. I never learned how to ski bumps and my one and only ski injury (torn ACL) came from trying 20+ years ago. At my lesson at Massanutten, the instructor did take me to some green soft bumps on the side of a run (can’t remember the name) and that was okay. But I was really hesitant.

No worries, they want you to have fun and learn at whatever level you are at. When you get sorted into groups at the ski off they ask what you ski. Myself, this year I am planning on telling them blue but no bumps. Last year I played it safe and told them blue, but happy on greens. I was in the same group as Eunice. Yes, the instructor gave us some pointers for bumps, and gave us the chance to try them if we wanted to, but it was not mandatory. He never took us on a full bump run, it was just bumps on the side of a blue. And I was the one in my group who always opted out, taking the line next to the bumps.

Glad to hear! That would probably be my verbiage — want to do blues, but happy on greens.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Post #1
Although it may seem early to some people, I’ve been thinking about which week to head back to Taos Ski Valley (TSV) in NM for another Ski Week. Anyone else interested in a Ski Week during Jan-Mar 2020? The idea behind this thread is simply to help narrow down which weeks might work for two or more Divas. For my trip to TSV, I have a week in mind but will share the dates later. When pre-season approaches (Aug-Oct 2019) each potential week can have it’s own Meet On The Hill (MOTH) thread for discussing details about sharing lodging and/or rental cars.
. . .
For those just noticing this thread, a reminder that the idea is to provide general info and discussion about Taos Ski Week in order to narrow down which week(s) will work for 2+ Divas in Jan-Mar 2020. Once there is a week, or two or three, that is of serious interest, we can have a Meet On The Hill (MOTH) thread for discussing details related to sharing lodging and/or rental cars for a particular week. Of course, always possible to reach out via PM for travel planning.

The weeks that have been mentioned so far are in late January or the first half of February. The first week of Feb seems to have the most interest. With a few people waiting to hear if the second week of Feb will be the Women's Ski Week that only happens once a year. Regular Ski Weeks run from mid-Dec thru March. No reservations required.

Women's Taos Ski Weeks - comments based on experience 2018
 

Susan L

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My doc says no bumps. I just want to get better on steep groomed runs. Does that mean I’d either get pushed into harder terrain than my comfort level, or drag the class down and disappoint the others in the group? It would be bad either way.

I also cannot do a full day lesson. Tried it at Liberty and bailed in the afternoon every day.

Don’t worry, they are usually very good in putting students in the correct level/interest so you will have fun while learning.

Common misconception that skiing bumps makes you a more “advanced” skier than whose who doesn’t ski bumps. Actually, level categories does not mean much other than within a ski lesson. Many choose to ski groomers only for whatever reasons and you can still be an “expert” skier. You need just as much techniques and skills to ski groomers but most people choose to focus their time on bumps. To each their own.

If you want to improve your skills on groomers and to learn what carving really means (no, it is not what you think you are already doing), then I’d suggest race week. It is going to be the week of 1/12/20. It is about learning GS and SL turns. You can ski gates/go fast if you want to, but the week is more about techniques. How to use your edges like you have never thought of and how to ski with them effectively. You do have to already be skiing parallel and know what edging is. What you learn will help you on groomers and will also help on bumps if you choose to do them.
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Does anyone know if Taos gives discounts to instructors coming from other mountains? The senior pass is on sale for $475, and I qualify. But for 5 days of skiing, that's still $95/day. Looking for a better deal....

@Susan L, do you know?
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Does anyone know if Taos gives discounts to instructors coming from other mountains? The senior pass is on sale for $475, and I qualify. But for 5 days of skiing, that's still $95/day. Looking for a better deal....

@Susan L, do you know?
Haven't heard of instructor perks, but Taos didn't get discussed as in that regard as for more clustered resorts such as around Tahoe, SLC, or in New England.

Why 5 days? A Ski Week is 6 days. Although there are people who start on Monday or take a day off midweek. The people who skip a day midweek are often on a ski club trip that only provides lift tickets for 5 days. I had a man in my group last Jan who said he wasn't coming but then showed up because someone from the club gave him a lift ticket to use.

Maybe @santacruz skier remembers how much she paid for senior tickets from getskitickets. Not guarantee, but that's the ticket outlet that's handled TSV the last few seasons. Hasn't been on Liftopia.
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
Haven't heard of instructor perks, but Taos didn't get discussed as in that regard as for more clustered resorts such as around Tahoe, SLC, or in New England.

Why 5 days? A Ski Week is 6 days. Although there are people who start on Monday or take a day off midweek. The people who skip a day midweek are often on a ski club trip that only provides lift tickets for 5 days. I had a man in my group last Jan who said he wasn't coming but then showed up because someone from the club gave him a lift ticket to use.

Maybe @santacruz skier remembers how much she paid for senior tickets from getskitickets. Not guarantee, but that's the ticket outlet that's handled TSV the last few seasons. Hasn't been on Liftopia.
I was just thinking that maybe tickets averaged about $70 per day... @liquidfeet check out getskitickets.com
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Might be something in the 2018-19 Taos thread about discounted tickets. I know info was posted but don't remember where. I was using MCP and Ikon Base for last season. Got 5 days on Ikon and 2 days on MCP to cover the first week since I skied the Sat before Ski Week, then 50% off the 6 days for the second week.

As I remember getskitickets didn't have the Taos tickets until relatively late in pre-season. Pretty clear people around Taos don't really get going for the winter season until October. The website wasn't updated for the next season dates for special events until November I think.
 

VickiK

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I am going to Vail on Feb 22nd so the last week of January or first week of February would suit me best. I realize conditions might not be optimal then, so if a different week meets more diva needs, c'est la vie. I cannot do back-to-back ski vacation weeks.
 

diymom

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Does anyone know if Taos gives discounts to instructors coming from other mountains? The senior pass is on sale for $475, and I qualify. But for 5 days of skiing, that's still $95/day. Looking for a better deal....

@Susan L, do you know?[/QUOTE

When I met up with a friend from Lis Alamos last year, I think she paid around $70 on getskitickets.

Also, when I did the ski week last year I got there on Saturday morning and skied. It was nice knowing the mountain a bit before the lessons started. So I ended up using all 7 days I had on the IKON.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
That reminds me, Taos season passes are on sale for a few more days. It's a summer sale for about 10 days total. Along with the Military & 1st Responder and Senior passes, there is also one for adults ages 18-35. I think the prices are the same as during the spring. Presumably will go up when sales open again in the fall.
 

nopoleskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Makes sense to me. Ernie Blake and Jean Mayer knew what they were doing when they went with the Taos Ski Week as the unique element to a TSV ski vacation. Ernie founded TSV, but without Jean at the head of the TSV Ski School and the St. Bernard, hard to say if TSV would still be around today.

Considering that the long-time regulars who do a Ski Week year in, year out, aren't going to switch, the market for a Power Weekend would be limited. I can't think of too many people who would want to travel to TSV for a long weekend that is mostly 2.5 days of lessons. JH and Alta have intense multi-day programs like that but only a few specific times per season.

Feb 2016, Santa Fe New Mexican article about a Ski Week with Derek Gordon
Learning from the best at Taos Ski Valley

Derek is one of the longtime instructors who is also a trainer. I've been lucky enough to free ski with him for a few runs. He is soooo smooth. Just following him on an easy groomer is useful to try and mimic his pace. Every turn is completely round and unhurried. He's well over 70 now. Have heard that he realized in recent years that he needs to work on his technique even more deliberately to make adjustments for being an older skier who isn't quite as strong and flexible any more.


Wonder is this Derek We had as instructor? @Olesya Chornoguz ?
 

alison wong

Angel Diva
Wonder is this Derek We had as instructor? @Olesya Chornoguz ?
Never did a ski week with you guys, but I doubt he taught you guys?
Derek was my ski friend, Eunice, instructor when we went out 1st time in 2018. Last year he was doing a private ski week with his regular client the same week we went out (2019). We (Eunice and I) skied with him couple mornings for warm ups before lessons.
Pretty sure he also taught @RachelV 's BF in 2018 when they did ski week.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Never did a ski week with you guys, but I doubt he taught you guys?
Pretty sure there is only one Derek at TSV. It's fair to say that Derek can teach any ability level. @Olesya Chornoguz got a recommendation from her favorite instructor since he was out for medical reasons. While these days you aren't supposed to be able to choose your instructor, it can be done. I guess the risk of picking by name is that the instructor may be assigned to teach a group that isn't the best level for you.

When I was paying for Ski Week on Sunday morning last Feb, I learned that they were not going to be able book any private lessons for Sunday because they needed more instructors for Ski Week. There was more than one ski club, who were expected. I think the folks from the other ski forum there that week included 15+ people who did a Ski Week, mostly for the first time. Plus 8 Divas.

Can you see all the instructors in yellow jackets waiting for the Ski Off to start? This groomer is roped off until the Ski Off is finished. The two senior instructors in the middle are watching skiers and pointing them to where they should go. The instructors on skier's right are in ability order, with the "expert group" highest up. There are additional instructors on the left who can be assigned for groups that need to be split. The max is 7 students. That means 2 full chairs on the quad lifts.
TSV ski off instructors 03Feb2019 - 1.jpg
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Yes, I think it is our Derek, that we had for ski week - an excellent instructor.
Did he have a South African accent? :smile:

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/s...cle_1023e5a4-7398-58ab-9757-728652acc269.html
" . . .
This is what Gordon has done for 36 years. Originally from Zimbabwe, he was living in London in his 20s and went on a ski vacation to a small resort near Innsbruck, Austria.

“It was not a particularly classy trip,” Gordon recalled. “We had to push start the bus we were on, but I was mind-boggled with the whole skiing thing from Day One. If I’d had my smarts, I would have packed up then and gone to a ski area, but it was many years before that happened.”

He began teaching in the U.S. at Powder Puff, a tiny ski area at Red River that no longer exists. His first winter at Taos was the season of 1980-81. Does he find it difficult to maintain the passion for his work?

“No. It doesn’t get boring, and that’s fascinating, perhaps because you never seem to get it exactly right,” Gordon said. “There’s more elements than just the physical component, and it’s always a challenge to work with a wide range of skiers and people.”
. . ."
 

nopoleskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Did he have a South African accent? :smile:

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/s...cle_1023e5a4-7398-58ab-9757-728652acc269.html
" . . .
This is what Gordon has done for 36 years. Originally from Zimbabwe, he was living in London in his 20s and went on a ski vacation to a small resort near Innsbruck, Austria.


“It was not a particularly classy trip,” Gordon recalled. “We had to push start the bus we were on, but I was mind-boggled with the whole skiing thing from Day One. If I’d had my smarts, I would have packed up then and gone to a ski area, but it was many years before that happened.”

He began teaching in the U.S. at Powder Puff, a tiny ski area at Red River that no longer exists. His first winter at Taos was the season of 1980-81. Does he find it difficult to maintain the passion for his work?

“No. It doesn’t get boring, and that’s fascinating, perhaps because you never seem to get it exactly right,” Gordon said. “There’s more elements than just the physical component, and it’s always a challenge to work with a wide range of skiers and people.”
. . ."


Yes! Same Derek!
 

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