Women’s Ski Clinics

[Slow Sarah]

I am going to do this camp the first weekend in April!!

Hello! I am hoping to sign up for the camp at Whistler for 2024. If you did complete the camp do you have any thoughts on it? How might it compare to any others if you have done any? How did it work, were you happy with it and did they offer any suggestions or deals for accommodations? Anything you can share is appreciated.

 

[IKam]

Please remind us what region you live in or like to travel to for ski trips.

Fair to say that most Divas who plan trips for clinics have Ikon or MCP instead of Epic. Or they may have a regional Epic plus Ikon Base. Diva West will be at Taos during the Taos Women's Ski Week.

I know it's early but I'm thinking about the 23/24 Taos Women's Clinic. I'd like to go with my 17 year old granddaughter (they say 14+). Does Ski Diva go during the designated Taos Women's Clinic week or get to schedule its own week? Are dates available yet? Does Ski Diva book lodging together or is that done by individuals? Any other info would be appreciated. BTW, I've never been to Taos and I and my granddaughter are both intermediate skiers.


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[marzNC]

I know it's early but I'm thinking about the 23/24 Taos Women's Clinic. I'd like to go with my 17 year old granddaughter (they say 14+). Does Ski Diva go during the designated Taos Women's Clinic week or get to schedule its own week? Are dates available yet? Does Ski Diva book lodging together or is that done by individuals? Any other info would be appreciated. BTW, I've never been to Taos and I and my granddaughter are both intermediate skiers.


o

For general info about Taos Ski Weeks, check here:

Taos Ski Week, a 6-morning lesson program, 2022-23 notes

Couldn't decide if this topic should be in Skiing Tips or Resorts . . . so General Skiing was simplest. It wasn’t that long ago that I didn’t know much about Taos Ski Weeks or Taos Ski Valley terrain. Going to a resort that requires a 2-3 hour drive after flying to NM didn’t seem worth the...

www.theskidiva.com

What happened for the 2022-23 season is that the annual gathering of Ski Diva members happened at Taos during the Taos Women's Ski Week. Most of the Divas who attended did the Women's Ski Week, but it was optional. That's called Diva West. That gathering moves around every year so it won't be in Taos next season.

One of the advantages of a Taos Ski Week is that they happen every week from mid-December through late March. Intermediates can have a good time and learn a lot any week that's convenient, although most travelers plan to got after early January. Advanced skiers may wait until February or March. For intermediates, a Ski Week in December or January can be a good way to get the season started.

The Women's Ski Week is schedule during a specific week. The dates haven't been consistent and usually aren't posted on the website until late summer or early fall. For 2023, it started in late February.

 

[marzNC]

Does Ski Diva book lodging together or is that done by individuals? Any other info would be appreciated. BTW, I've never been to Taos and I and my granddaughter are both intermediate skiers.

Here's a recent trip report for Taos. There were several intermediates around that week, including a few who were at Taos for the first time.

TR Taos Ski Valley (TSV) Jan. 28 thru Feb. 5, 2023

As Divas who have been following the Jan. 29 MOTH thread know, there is a small group of Divas at Taos for a Ski Week this week. All of us have done multiple Ski Weeks in the last decade. I also have other friends around for a Ski Week, with a few groomer skiers doing a Ski Week for the first...

www.theskidiva.com

Most of the Divas who opted for slopeside lodging stayed at the Alpine Village Suites. That became "Diva Central" a few years ago for assorted reasons. The least expensive approach is to find lodging in town, which is simplest when renting a car for the week. The drive is about 30 minutes. Most people fly into Albuquerque so renting a car is a common approach for getting from the airport to Taos.

 

[IKam]

Here's a recent trip report for Taos. There were several intermediates around that week, including a few who were at Taos for the first time.

TR Taos Ski Valley (TSV) Jan. 28 thru Feb. 5, 2023

As Divas who have been following the Jan. 29 MOTH thread know, there is a small group of Divas at Taos for a Ski Week this week. All of us have done multiple Ski Weeks in the last decade. I also have other friends around for a Ski Week, with a few groomer skiers doing a Ski Week for the first...

www.theskidiva.com

Most of the Divas who opted for slopeside lodging stayed at the Alpine Village Suites. That became "Diva Central" a few years ago for assorted reasons. The least expensive approach is to find lodging in town, which is simplest when renting a car for the week. The drive is about 30 minutes. Most people fly into Albuquerque so renting a car is a common approach for getting from the airport to Taos.

If you don't rent a car, is there another way to get from the airport to the slope?

 

[Jilly]

The clinic at Taos happen to coincide with Diva West. Taos is not a yearly event for Ski Diva.

 

[DebbieSue]

If you don't rent a car, is there another way to get from the airport to the slope?

There is a shuttle business, but it lapsed during covid, and then happened again, but not sure all details.
The timing is not that frequent so you should check with them and select flight arrival and departure times accordingly.

Taos Rides LLC Shuttle Service Serving Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos, Taos Ski Valley, Angel Fire and more!

Taos Rides LLC Shuttle Servicepublic $MetaDesc =

taosrides.com

There may be others.

In the women's week, all participants will be women. There is a ski off to determine class placement so it's possible that you and granddau might get placed in different groups unless you elect to be placed together. That might mean the better skier dropping to the lesser skier level. That is not always good for everyone. If you are in separate groups you could still ski together in afternoons. In a week other than women's week the group would be mixed male/female and young/old based on ability and for better skiers, to some degree, interest . . . bumps, groomers, hiking, chutes/steeps, etc etc.

 

[Jilly]

Diva west for 2024 is Steamboat (?).

 

[ski diva]

Diva west for 2024 is Steamboat (?).

Yes. But we don't have a date yet.

 

[liquidfeet]

There is a ski off to determine class placement so it's possible that you and granddau might get placed in different groups unless you elect to be placed together. That might mean the better skier dropping to the lesser skier level. That is not always good for everyone.

I can testify to the difficulty of a ski week where the skiers are not matched in ability. It takes a very special instructor to give equal attention to all the students, and not all instructors can do that. I'll stick to same-ability groupings in the future.

 

[marzNC]

I can testify to the difficulty of a ski week where the skiers are not matched in ability. It takes a very special instructor to give equal attention to all the students, and not all instructors can do that. I'll stick to same-ability groupings in the future.

My impression from friends who are intermediates and have done a ski-off for a Taos Ski Week that it's not as difficult to end up in a good lesson group from the start. The stories I know first-hand about people changing groups for assorted reasons are about advanced skiers.

@IKam noted that she and her granddaughter are intermediates.

What makes a Taos Ski Week a great deal for intermediates is not only the relatively low cost but also the quality of the instructors who teach Ski Weeks (6 consecutive morning lessons). Some of the oldest instructors really enjoy teaching the intermediate groups. That's one reason it's worth the extra effort to get to Taos.

 

[MissySki]

I've only been to Taos once, but I thought the ski off was spot on! Granted, I was placed in a group with majority of women who I already know and therefore I also knew when we were grouped that we are all very similar in ability, goals, terrain we wanted to ski, etc.. so that helped a ton with comfort from the get go. Even the women we didn't know from the beginning though ended up being a great match all around. I had been worried ahead of the trip about a ski off, but it was perfect leveling wise and then the only choice I had to make was whether I wanted to be in a group hiking everyday to the ridge or one that would go towards the end of the week, maybe. We ended up hiking two days, and that was perfect from my perspective. I was very happy with how it all turned out.