TR Taos Feb. 1-7, 2020

[Susan L]

I saw quite a few ski week groups on the mountain today and they all have 7+ students in the group, (which I think is too many people). I am doing a private ski week this week and strongly suggest it if you can find a few skiers with similar skills/interests to share it.
A private week is $1440 this year after tax and it is good for up to 4 people, but I know others have done it with more people.
You can also split the week with others instead of skiing as a group for 6 days, so everyone gets 1:1 time with the instructor.
Another option is to do a 4-pack for $240 if you don’t want to commit to lessons for 6 days. They will assign the same instructor for all 4 days if you like him/her. 4-pack lessons are 2.5hrs each and you get to choose am or pm.

 

[mustski]

Were you videotaped? It's fun (?) to watch as we were videotaped on a groomer and a bump run ..... We also skied lots of trees and some were quite steep ! No video there... good thing !

Yes. We were videotaped and it was very informative. More than that, I was impressed with my instructors MA. He could stop the recording at exactly the right moment and point out what I was doing that was throwing me off. We were also recorded on a groomer run and a bump run. We didn't ski trees much. I think we all wanted to improve on bumps more before moving into the trees.

We started as a 7 and ended up a 6. It didn't feel like too many. Next year, I would like to get my own group together. I would also like the same instructor.

 

[marzNC]

Next year, I would like to get my own group together. I would also like the same instructor.

I would highly recommend a Request Ski Week with 3-5 people. The ability level should be about the same, but it's more important that everyone is fine with being patient with someone who needs to take their time, or being willing to go on an adventure with the support of the instructor. Doing a Ski Week with friends that's more likely to be the case than with a random group of people who start out as strangers.

I requested one of the instructors I had last season. So for me, I was able to the add onto what I learned before. In particular going to the same black trails that I learned about from her before. The chemistry for four friends who had experience skiing together before was much better by Day 2 than with the Ski Week group a year ago. By the end of the week in 2019, the chemistry was pretty good. But it took 2-3 days.

 

[santacruz skier]

Yep have to admit we had a pretty awesome group of four with similar goals and wanting adventures .......

 

[Olesya Chornoguz]

Yep have to admit we had a pretty awesome group of four with similar goals and wanting adventures .......

We sure did! I had a great time too. For me the ski week was mostly tactics, doing garlands, pole planting in bumps, getting the ok from the instructor of doing a wedge or whatever I needed to do to turn in more challenging terrain where it was either steep or tight or both.

I also got to ski off Kachina and off the Ridge, which I have been wanting to do for a while! So I feel good about my skiing even though I got scared while skiing Corner Chute off the Ridge.

 

[santacruz skier]

We sure did! I had a great time too. For me the ski week was mostly tactics, doing garlands, pole planting in bumps, getting the ok from the instructor of doing a wedge or whatever I needed to do to turn in more challenging terrain where it was either steep or tight or both.

I also got to ski off Kachina and off the Ridge, which I have been wanting to do for a while! So I feel good about my skiing even though I got scared while skiing Corner Chute off the Ridge.

And I had you encouraging me on the hike when I wasn't sure I'd make it to the top!!! Have to admit to a tad side slipping and garlands in the Corner Chutes! But it was all fun and we made it!!!!

 

[liquidfeet]

As a ski instructor I'm always curious about what skiers want from a lesson. I've heard one seasoned instructor say of ski camps that participants want fun, fun, fun, and that comes first. Feeling safe comes second, or maybe it's a prerequisite. Third, they want good weather. If the weather is good and the sun shines, or if it snows and they are happily skiing powder, the evaluations will be high at the end of the camp. Last on their praise list comes learning to do something new as a skier. Fun, safety, and good conditions look more important in the end-of-camp evaluations than the educational component. I've wondered if that last bit is really true.

I am focused on learning, both in my own skiing and in my teaching. Sometimes bad conditions can provide a better learning environment than hero snow. Safety is a given. Fun is good, and also a given. Unhappiness is a no-go. But fun and safety and good weather are not why I go to the PSIA camps. At the last camp I skied in the rain for two days. Real rain, all day. Maybe (for me) those things are all prerequisites, without which the learning wouldn't happen ... as well. It's definitely the learning-something-new that motivates me the most.

Something tells me that participants of camps find it difficult to describe what they learned, even when they are learning a lot. The particulars aren't accompanied by words in their memories, so they say things like "I got better" rather than "I learned to ski with separation for the first time ever and it enabled me to make the shorter turns required on narrow steeps and tight tree runs." Or something like that. Maybe this is part of why the learning sometimes doesn't get talked up as much as I'd expect.

Comments???

 

[Bookworm]

I don't have to pay someone to have fun! I can do that on my own. I want to learn, which is what I was able to do at Taos. I learned to ski powder, have a better sense of how to ski bumps (though I need more practice and confidence on the steeper ones). Since I learned to ski in the 70s, carving and upper body separation comes more naturally to me and I needed to learn to feel more comfortable steering on flat skis, which is another thing I learned to do - though I need more practice in that to get better steering in bumps. I love lessons. I can't imagine how to progress without them.

 

[mustski]

I think it depends on the reputation of the ski camp. Taos is known for having one of the best instructional programs in the nation. I don't think it matters that skiers can't articulate what they are doing better. We are not instructors and so not necessarily up on the lingo. Fun is always a goal but so is expansion of the playground. If the playground got bigger, it was a worthwhile week of instruction.

 

[Ski Sine Fine]

I did my first Taos Ski Week the last week in January. I was in a group of 4 women (first day was 2, second day was 3, third day and thereafter was 4) taught by a woman instructor. I was/am level 5, working on speed control on steeper blues. I was definitely more interested in skills than having fun. Though I wouldn’t turn down fun.

It’s difficult to articulate exactly what the instructor said or did or demonstrated that put it all together for me. She emphasized feeling the feet and especially the ankles. She went through several tips before finding one that would help me to better release edge on my left ski to initiate a left turn (lift my toes!). So she had a big bag of tricks to find the one sentence or picture or movement that made it work for me. I think it was also that at my stage of progression, after hearing all the same points from different instructors since last year (perhaps not altogether understanding), and trying to effectuate the necessary movements by different ways, something clicked and I FELT the proper turn from beginning to end and linking them. I had the best day on the last day at Taos, skiing blues and FEELING good turns and in control. I am trying to hold onto that feeling and replicate it at my local hills (though my head is still messing with me). When a turn doesn’t have the same feeling, I am more able to understand why and try again. I don’t know if the Ski Week instructor was solely responsible for bringing it home for me, but it happened on her watch, and I am convinced the repetition over consecutive days with the same instructor was essential for it to happen. I will do another Ski Week next year for sure.

 

[santacruz skier]

I think @liquidfeet you should try a ski week! They are very addictive and now I'm thinking I need to go back next year. Also want to do Euro 2021 so we'll see how that shakes out.
It's very hard to say "I did this and now I can do that." Our instructor said we were all good skiers but were given different tools to work with to make our skiing more efficient. Does that make sense?

 

[marzNC]

As a ski instructor I'm always curious about what skiers want from a lesson. I've heard one seasoned instructor say of ski camps that participants want fun, fun, fun, and that comes first. Feeling safe comes second, or maybe it's a prerequisite. Third, they want good weather. If the weather is good and the sun shines, or if it snows and they are happily skiing powder, the evaluations will be high at the end of the camp. Last on their praise list comes learning to do something new as a skier. Fun, safety, and good conditions look more important in the end-of-camp evaluations than the educational component. I've wondered if that last bit is really true.

Based on what I've read about "ski camps," a Taos Ski Week doesn't qualify. A regular Ski Week is a multi-day lesson program with no perks, just 6 consecutive 2.5 hour lessons with the same instructor and group. Note that changing groups after Day 1 or even Day 2 is always an option. The goal for Taos Ski Week is for the student to feel like it was a worthwhile and enjoyable experience. In some ways, it has more in common with multi-week programs that have a group of students working with the same instructor for 4-8 weeks, once a week.

Someone who wants to invest the time for a Taos Ski Week gives it a try for assorted reasons. I know advanced beginners, intermediates, advanced, and "experts" who have done a Ski Week in recent years. These are people who were doing a Ski Week during a week where I was around TSV. All of them have taken away some noticeable change that has made a difference after the Ski Week was over. I've seen the differences first hand. Haven't found anyone yet who said it was a waste of time or money, which isn't always the case even with a private lesson. All I've been hearing is that people want to do another Ski Week.

I've been saying since my first Ski Week that they are addictive. Have talked to several people who have been doing a Ski Week annually for 10+ years. Some ski a lot, some only ski during the Ski Week.

There were several "hard chargers" from another ski forum who did a Ski Week for the first time last season. While they had some concerns and small complaints, bottom line is that most of them did it again this season. Especially true for the skiers over 45.

Taos Ski Valley and the Ski Week is unique from what I've experienced. I've taken lessons in the last decade from about 15 different Level 3 instructors (or Level 2 with 20+ years teaching experience). The quality of instructors at TSV is impressive. Terrain is a factor for learning bumps, but it doesn't really matter. I learned a great deal during the Ski Week in 2017 when no black terrain was open the entire week due to low snow conditions. My instructor focused on technique for the group of advanced/expert women (it was a Women's Week group). Last season I was in a "black/double-black" group when it snowed a fair amount. The focus was on tactics more than technique. Last week in the Request Ski Week with the same instructor, we did a mix of technique and tactics, depending on snow and weather conditions.

For those who think Park City or Snowbird is among the best ski resorts in the west, they probably won't like Taos. Someone who prefers Alta over Snowbird or Grand Targhee over Jackson Hole or Kirkwood over Heavenly, is more likely to enjoy the vibe and terrain at TSV.

 

[marzNC]

Something tells me that participants of camps find it difficult to describe what they learned, even when they are learning a lot. The particulars aren't accompanied by words in their memories, so they say things like "I got better" rather than "I learned to ski with separation for the first time ever and it enabled me to make the shorter turns required on narrow steeps and tight tree runs." Or something like that. Maybe this is part of why the learning sometimes doesn't get talked up as much as I'd expect.

Since I'm not an instructor, I'm not interested in tell friends or people I meet what I've learned from a lesson in any detail at all. I rarely know their skiing well enough to want to provide any advice. What I emphasize about a Taos Ski Week is that it's not a full day, it's 6 consecutive mornings, and everyone I know who has done one has learned something that they have retained after the Ski Week was over. Plus the price can't be beat, $300 plus tax and tip is an incredible value for someone interested in improving their ski experience in the long run.

 

[liquidfeet]

Taos Ski Week sounds great! I didn't mean to imply anything negative with my question. Did it sound like I was doing that?

 

[santacruz skier]

Taos Ski Week sounds great! I didn't mean to imply anything negative with my question. Did it sound like I was doing that?

Honestly, sort of without you probably even realizing it. Good intentions I know !

 

[vickie]

I didn't read it as negative because I knew you had intended to go this season but had to cancel and, as an instructor, you are interested in cause-and-effect from the student's perspective.

I learn differently, though. If I can't articulate it, I didn't 'get it' ... and will likely only do 'it' by accident.

 

[marzNC]

Fun is always a goal but so is expansion of the playground. If the playground got bigger, it was a worthwhile week of instruction.

Exactly!

I just had the most amazing day at Alta ever. I've been skiing Alta annually for about ten years. So I know exactly what terrain I used to ski. I know what terrain I would only do once a day as an "adventure run." What I can enjoy now is a result lessons as an advanced skier. There is no question in my mind that the four Taos Ski Weeks (in three seasons, three different instructors) have made the most difference.

 

[TNtoTaos]

Based on what I've read about "ski camps," a Taos Ski Week doesn't qualify. A regular Ski Week is a multi-day lesson program with no perks, just 6 consecutive 2.5 hour lessons with the same instructor and group. Note that changing groups after Day 1 or even Day 2 is always an option. The goal for Taos Ski Week is for the student to feel like it was a worthwhile and enjoyable experience. In some ways, it has more in common with multi-week programs that have a group of students working with the same instructor for 4-8 weeks, once a week.

Someone who wants to invest the time for a Taos Ski Week gives it a try for assorted reasons. I know advanced beginners, intermediates, advanced, and "experts" who have done a Ski Week in recent years. These are people who were doing a Ski Week during a week where I was around TSV. All of them have taken away some noticeable change that has made a difference after the Ski Week was over. I've seen the differences first hand. Haven't found anyone yet who said it was a waste of time or money, which isn't always the case even with a private lesson. All I've been hearing is that people want to do another Ski Week.

I've been saying since my first Ski Week that they are addictive. Have talked to several people who have been doing a Ski Week annually for 10+ years. Some ski a lot, some only ski during the Ski Week.

There were several "hard chargers" from another ski forum who did a Ski Week for the first time last season. While they had some concerns and small complaints, bottom line is that most of them did it again this season. Especially true for the skiers over 45.

Taos Ski Valley and the Ski Week is unique from what I've experienced. I've taken lessons in the last decade from about 15 different Level 3 instructors (or Level 2 with 20+ years teaching experience). The quality of instructors at TSV is impressive. Terrain is a factor for learning bumps, but it doesn't really matter. I learned a great deal during the Ski Week in 2017 when no black terrain was open the entire week due to low snow conditions. My instructor focused on technique for the group of advanced/expert women (it was a Women's Week group). Last season I was in a "black/double-black" group when it snowed a fair amount. The focus was on tactics more than technique. Last week in the Request Ski Week with the same instructor, we did a mix of technique and tactics, depending on snow and weather conditions.

For those who think Park City or Snowbird is among the best ski resorts in the west, they probably won't like Taos. Someone who prefers Alta over Snowbird or Grand Targhee over Jackson Hole or Kirkwood over Heavenly, is more likely to enjoy the vibe and terrain at TSV.

I agree with @marzNC -- in my experience with almost 20 yrs of Taos Ski Weeks, I think everyone I've met in them was there primarily to improve their skiing, and hoping/expecting they'd have fun in the process; but I have other friends who are also ski instructors at areas other than Taos, who have made similar comments to me as those from @liquidfeet -- but that's exactly why Taos is so different from other places.

 

[teppaz]

Taos Ski Week sounds great! I didn't mean to imply anything negative with my question. Did it sound like I was doing that?

I didn’t take it that way. It felt like a straightforward query about what people take out of instruction.

 

[teppaz]

Since I'm not an instructor, I'm not interested in tell friends or people I meet what I've learned from a lesson in any detail at all. I rarely know their skiing well enough to want to provide any advice. What I emphasize about a Taos Ski Week is that it's not a full day, it's 6 consecutive mornings, and everyone I know who has done one has learned something that they have retained after the Ski Week was over. Plus the price can't be beat, $300 plus tax and tip is an incredible value for someone interested in improving their ski experience in the long run.

I loved the Taos women’s ski week and would do it again in a heartbeat but for me as a skier it’s the Alta Lodge women’s ski camp that made a radical change. It may simply be that I was really “getting” the Alta instructor. I was also the lowest skilled and slowest in my group at Alta so I really had to push myself to keep up, and force myself to confront very challenging terrain — the long-lasting impact was mental above anything else. At Taos I was the fastest and most confident in my group, and I wasn’t tested as much. I did love the many bump drills we did, which were very useful. I had a fantastic week.

All this to say: lessons are not just for technique, they help with the mindset.