Personal Ski Goal: New Resort Each Season

marznc wrote

raisingarizona wrote

If I could make just one happen it would be Taos.

That's my new mountain out west for this season.  Been thinking about it ever since Taos joined the Mountain Collective Pass.

Also planning to check out a couple other places in NM.  Santa Fe for sure.

Taos is very cool. If you do it, do the ski week school. That's what I'm doing this year. I haven't taken a lesson in years, but found out about the week last year when I stayed at the St. Bernard for a few nights. Six mornings at the best ski school around for about two hundred bucks.

Angel Fire, about an hour from Taos, looked like fun when I drove by it on my way from Texas.

Benny Profane wrote

Angel Fire, about an hour from Taos, looked like fun when I drove by it on my way from Texas.

AF is good for double-blue cruising and beautiful views; just don't go there expecting Taos-level terrain. My visit from 2009:
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7661 

What's the travel routing for Taos.....airport, drive time from airport?

If the snow is good I'll be more than happy to show anyone aroound GP. First chair on Sunday is the day we roll --- sometimes it's as early as 7:15 other dayz it's 8. If it's that man_0_made hard pack crap I'll be on my sled BRAAAAP but will meet you in the bar  

JTG4eva! wrote

What's the travel routing for Taos.....airport, drive time from airport?

Albuquerque, then about two hours north by car. It's not the easiest place to get to. If you're flying from the east, you'll probably be doing that drive at night, after collecting baggage and getting your car, so, add snow, like I had the one time I flew in, and, it's an adventure.
Do not be tempted to stay in the town of Taos. It's a struggle every morning to drive up that canyon. The new owner of the resort is building more beds, which that place desperately needs. Some are coming on line this winter. The St. Bernard is about as classic and old school I have ever experienced at a ski hill, still run by the same family since inception, but, it's pretty pricey, and, well, a little musty, for that money. Incredibly convenient, though. All three meals included, and situated right next to a main lift. They take your car and park it somewhere, because you won't need it. The place has very concentrated soul seeping out of every crack. A lot of history in that place.

Beyond the skiing New Mexico is just a strange and unique place to travel and I like that. The uniqueness isn't all good either but it's real. You can forget about that fluffy fake utopia you find in your typical wealthy and nearly all white mountain town destinations. New Mexico is gritty as f@&k and in this weird way I find that refreshing. It's the wild west and by that i don't mean like the wooden sidewalks of Jackson or the image of Billy the Kid skiing Steamboat powder in a cowboy hat, it's wild like you better watch your shit or you might end up buried out in the desert.

raisingarizona wrote

it's wild like you better watch your shit or you might end up buried out in the desert.

raisingarizona wrote

Beyond the skiing New Mexico is just a strange and unique place to travel and I like that. The uniqueness isn't all good either but it's real. You can forget about that fluffy fake utopia you find in your typical wealthy and nearly all white mountain town destinations. New Mexico is gritty as f@&k and in this weird way I find that refreshing. It's the wild west and by that i don't mean like the wooden sidewalks of Jackson or the image of Billy the Kid skiing Steamboat powder in a cowboy hat, it's wild like you better watch your shit or you might end up buried out in the desert.

NM was awash in heroin well before it became a white people problem in the rest of the country. Yes, there is an edge to that state, for sure. I have an acquaintance in the town of Taos that lives in a middle of the road neighborhood, and has been burglarized twice. The town is pretty dead in the winter, too, which makes the village up on the mountain a more attractive place to stay.

Beautiful state, though. Just, lock your car.

campgottagopee wrote

If the snow is good I'll be more than happy to show anyone aroound GP. First chair on Sunday is the day we roll --- sometimes it's as early as 7:15 other dayz it's 8. If it's that man_0_made hard pack crap I'll be on my sled BRAAAAP but will meet you in the bar  

Your a good guy there camp. Hell, I had a free beer for MC and he was such an A hole he stiffed me.

I just didn't really want to do a group road ride that day (especially for $75). I had a good mountain bike ride, though, so I was happy.

Benny Profane wrote

Taos is very cool. If you do it, do the ski week school. That's what I'm doing this year. I haven't taken a lesson in years, but found out about the week last year when I stayed at the St. Bernard for a few nights. Six mornings at the best ski school around for about two hundred bucks.

Angel Fire, about an hour from Taos, looked like fun when I drove by it on my way from Texas.

Yep, planning to do a Taos Ski Week after warming up and acclimating to the altitude for a few days.  So is one of my friends flying in to Albuquerque for a week.  I'll ski with other friends before and after the ski week.  Looking forward to checking out the area.

I try to do the same as well, but I whiffed last year.

This year's short list: Smuggs, Wildcat

This year's long list: TAOS, or maybe somewhere in Utah...

(Didn't read the whole thread at first. Lots of like-minded skiers on here wanting to ski Taos!)

Might not be a Taos year.  

It's been real warm so far. We are still highs in the 60's here every day across the board for the ten day. It's a bit colder up in Taos but it's looking high and dry for the SW as of now.

The first week of February last season would have been prime to be there.

Modest goals: Gunstock is the last of the fairly close by <1 hr NH ski areas I haven't skied yet. They've got night skiing.....should be a no brainer but for some reason I haven't made it happen.

And after driving by the little Northeast Slopes place over on the VT side of "the upper valley" I really wanna go support that place for at least a day.

I've been working on an eastern oriented list since 2010 with a few arbitrary benchmarks and exceptions. It is getting very challenging for me to tick off new areas without heading north of the border or taking the long drive over to New York. It has been a few seasons since I checked a new area off the list but I suspect this season will see a few cross offs since I pre-bought 50% fewer VT tickets than I normally do.

snoloco wrote

I have the same goal.  This year, my new mountain will be Smugglers Notch.

I am surprised that you would be interested in Smuggler's Notch. It seems like everything you don't like about ski areas, no? Slow fixed grip doubles, narrow trails, not a ton of snow making or grooming.

A few mentions of Smuggs in this thread... I am more than happy to give a tour of the trees if we happen to be there the same day. Smuggs is the real deal when it comes to trees, one of the best (perhaps the very best) in New England. Jay pales in comparison even though many people consider Jay's trees to be the best... which perhaps they are for folks that aren't up for a challenge.

Smugglers Notch is a Clarkson School trip that they do every year.  It's completely free.  If I get offered a free ski trip, I'm taking it.

snoloco wrote

Smugglers Notch is a Clarkson School trip that they do every year.  It's completely free.  If I get offered a free ski trip, I'm taking it.

I'll give you a free ticket to Dynamite hill.

riverc0il wrote

snoloco wrote

I have the same goal.  This year, my new mountain will be Smugglers Notch.

I am surprised that you would be interested in Smuggler's Notch. It seems like everything you don't like about ski areas, no? Slow fixed grip doubles, narrow trails, not a ton of snow making or grooming.

A few mentions of Smuggs in this thread... I am more than happy to give a tour of the trees if we happen to be there the same day. Smuggs is the real deal when it comes to trees, one of the best (perhaps the very best) in New England. Jay pales in comparison even though many people consider Jay's trees to be the best... which perhaps they are for folks that aren't up for a challenge.

Cool. This might be my first year there. Are the glades marked?