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Taos Ski Valley Inc.
Category: Hotels & Travel Ski Resorts Ski Resorts [Edit]
116 Sutton PlTaos Ski Valley, NM 87525
(575) 776-2291
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 9 am - 4 pm
15 reviews for Taos Ski Valley Inc.
15 reviews in English
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Review from Aron Y.
Austin, TX
My family came here for a ski trip around Christmas time and this place looked gorgeous. The view was stunning even from the bottom of the mountain, better than any other ski locations I've been to.
There's a wide range of courses to try out and it'll take several days to take advantage of the whole place. One thing to note is that this place is definitely geared more towards people who already have a decent skiing background. About half of the courses are for pros (single/double black diamond). But with that said, there are also many facilities for people who are new to the sport. Instructional courses for people of all levels are provided everyday starting at 9:30am lasting till 3:30pm. I took the introductory snowboarding course and found it to be helpful but kind of slow paced. We stayed on the same beginner hill for the whole time. My instructor, James, was very nice and I would recommend the courses to anyone who's new to skiing/snowboarding.
You can rent all the equipments you need here but I would recommend checking out the smaller rental places within the area. We got our equipment at Cottam's Ski Shop and it was significantly cheaper than the main rental place for the Ski Valley. Renting your equipments in town before coming up to the Ski Valley is also a cheaper option. Lastly, make sure to buy the right lift pass according to your skill level as there's a big difference in price. A novice pass is about $25 and a full pass is about $75. If you're new to the sport, you definitely don't need the full pass at least until the second day. -
Review from Joey C.
Houston, TX
1/1/2012
Powdery small mountain resort.
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Review from Dave S.
Plano, TX
3/28/2011 4 Check-ins Here
Taos: 24% Beginner, 25% Intermediate, 51% Expert. Know what you're getting into.
I would not recommend Taos as a place to learn, but if you can ride the advanced terrain it is lots of fun. We had a good time around Lift 8, partially because the Lift 8 crew was lots of fun. We also spent a day in the terrain park, which is as good as it gets. I even prefer the Taos park over Breckenridge.
Unfortunately, we also got to experience Taos Ski Patrol after my buddy dislocated his shoulder in the terrain park. They did a great job getting him down the mountain so the docs could patch him up.
If you grab lunch at Tenderfoot Katie's, I recommend the "New Mexican" section - I had the adovada burrito both days because it was so good. -
Review from Rachel A.
San Francisco, CA
2/19/2011
I enjoy skiing Taos, but this review is for the Ernie Blake ski school and particularly our instructor Terry Su. Terry Su made sure we had a great time during our lesson, and at the end we were better skiers. Best of all, we found his wise words helpful when skiing on our own ... Definitely request Terry Su if you can!
The mountain itself is a lot of fun, and most importantly not crowded. -
Review from Kelly P.
1/11/2009
Had an amazing time skiing here on New Year's day.
I hadn't been skiing in about 10 years (took a 5 year hiatus from all snow sports then dabbled in snowboarding a bit) so I was definitely nervous going up the first lift, which is quite steep. There's a nice sign at the bottom of the hill that reads, "DON'T PANIC - this steep slope only represents 1/30th of the runs at Taos, there are beginner runs." (which may be true, but I wouldn't consider this resort a go-to for those who have never skied before.) It also didn't help that the people in my group considered themselves 'expert' skiers who were psyched to tackle all the black diamond runs. But once I touched down on the dry powdery snow it all came back and I was flying down the hill with joy.
Conditions here were fantastic, combined with a ton of blues, black diamonds and semi-hidden bowls that required some hiking but was well worth the trek. We talked to a local on one chairlift ride who was super friendly and recommended several long runs that had a diverse terrain through trees and stayed on the sunny side of the hill.
It did get pretty chilly after about 2pm when the sun shifts, although it was still tolerable and the snow stayed soft vs. icy. For being a holiday, the hill was fairly empty and there were plenty of runs to explore even when it did get a bit busy on the mountain. Lift lines were pretty nonexistent, the most we waited was a couple minutes at the main chair at the bottom of the hill. This year was the first year that they allowed snowboarders, which was apparently a huge deal according to the locals we chatted with, although those I saw were respectful and blended fine with the rest of the skiers.
We brought our lunch and ate on the sunny deck of the lodge at the base of the mountain, although there were several food options available that looked good and seemed reasonable. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to stop for a bloody mary at the bar after a full day on the slopes, but settled for a quick beer in the parking lot. Next time, for sure.
I've skied at a lot of different places in Tahoe, Idaho and at Mammoth, but I'd rank Taos right up there with all of them, if not better. And for $65 a ticket for adults, it was worth every penny! Probably my favorite thing about this resort is that it feels like a family-run place. It reminds me of what Northstar at Tahoe was like in the early 80s when I was learning how to ski. A bit remote, challenging terrain, beautiful scenery, with a down home, relaxed, rustic, no-frills, friendly atmosphere. -
Review from Laura R.
New York, NY
12/29/2008
This is the best place to ski in the west. It's a big resort, but has plenty of trails - LOTS of black diamonds, if those are your thing, and some great (albeit challenging) green and blue trails too. It's steeper than a lot of other places, so if you enjoy speed, you'll have a great time.
The BEST part is Taos' ski school though. No 16-year-old punk ski instructors here. Most of the instructors are seasoned (40-year-old+!) badass skiers who are really amazing teachers - patient, pushy when they need to be and really awesome at giving you practical knowledge that you can actually apply. -
Review from Drew B.
Minneapolis, MN
4/12/2008
Quiet and remote
Shoosh in fluffy white powder
Bastard snowboarders
(As of March 2008, the family running Taos caved and will now allow snowboarders. It was truly a privilege to be able to ski this mountain, which can guide you safely down OR kick your ass, depending on where you go. All good things must come to an end...) -
Review from Lindsey H.
Redwood City, CA
1/4/2009
I'm only giving Taos 4 stars for now, mostly because we didn't get to hit a lot of the black diamond terrain the resort is known for due to avalanche danger. But aside from that, we did get to do some of the famous hike-to runs and were very satisfied with our experience.
I look forward to the day I get to return and ski everything!!
PS - the pizza at the Whistlestop Cafe mid-mountain is to die for. Considerably better than most pizza I've had anywhere else!! What's up with the pizza in the Southwest? It's damn good!!! -
Review from Bob K.
Santa Fe, NM
6/22/2010
I just have to comment on the "gestapo" ski patrol. I've been skiing Taos for over 20 years, most as a season pass holder. It is, hands down, the best mountain around.
Taos' ski patrol errs on the side of SAFETY, yours and others. If it's roped, it's for a reason. The same goes at other mountains with similar terrain, such as Telluride, Crested, etc. I'd wager that most of the skiers at Taos (myself included) have no business second-guessing the snow conditions vis-a-vis avalanche hazard.
My $0.02. -
Review from Vester c.
Gilbert, AZ
1/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Really cool ski venue...
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Review from Rob H.
El Dorado Hills, CA
2/10/2007
One of the hardest places to ski in the west. Check out with the patrol, start hiking and ski Kachina Bowl for some of the best steeps in the country. They allow snowboarding now North Face Masters take note.
Comment from LoriAnn R. of Taos Ski Valley Inc. 8/12/2009
Rob, Thanks for your comment. I wanted you to know that we… More » -
Review from Tho T.
Elk Grove, CA
2/6/2011
A ski resort comparable to what Tahoe has to offer. I've been to ski resorts in Utah and Colorado and Tao is a mammoth resort. A huge mountain that definitely gives you a good bang for the buck. From what one of the workers said Tao was once rated as best in the world. I can see now why that is. This place has a ton of double black diamond runs to satisfy the adrenaline junkie. I like to stay clear of these because I'm not that gungho about careening down steep mountain sides with tons of moguls. It does offer plenty of blue and green runs and the lifts are easy to get off. The trails are lengthy at some point and require some navigation to find the right lifts that will take you up to the top. I had an awesome time here except for the bummed knee I got from trying to race my buddy down the mountain during the last run. Lesson learn.. when the sunsets its best to take it easy cause that snow get icy and hard. Highly recommended resort if you're in the Santa Fe area to check out Taos.
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Review from Gregoire V.
New York, NY
3/3/2011
Taos is beautiful and very challenging - but the culture is unwelcoming. Sure - you have some very friendly staff, but the ski locals are scrooges and need to take a chill pill. I skied the first 2 days and everyone was very friendly. The second 2 days I boarded and was surprised at all of the old bearded skiers that cut in line, are rude, and literally do not talk to you unless they want to lecture you on how to ride the mountain. Taos is 95% roped off - meaning every groomer is lined with rope and if you cut under a rope to access trees or powder that is fair game you have to follow the rules and find a gate or opening. If you miss a turn and want to duck under a rope beware - the local skiers are tattle tales and will ski to the nearest lift operator to tell on you. This happened to us and the liftie said "we have eyes in the sky - next time we will cut your ticket" -- eyes in the sky - give me a break - you have rat skiers everywhere looking to get another boarder off the mountain - that is what you have! Enjoy your mountain Taos - you might have opened it up to boarders because you realized you were loosing too much money but you can't change the bully, ski culture. Also - if you are traveling with a family definitely do not come here - it is not family friendly. I only saw one family the whole time I was skiing / boarding and it is not set up properly for families - they have no skiier drop off so you have to lug everything up a long hill. i don't even know if they have a daycare and you will definitely be the only family that picked this destination. Its an old man - scrooge - burnout - I don't like change and outsiders mountain.
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Review from Richard G.
Santa Monica, CA
1/20/2010
We've skiied all over the West, but Taos is the best resort in the US. Excellent skiing for all ages, terrific ski school, wonderful for the whole family. The resort has a reputation of being only for expert skiers, but that's not true - - there are lots of runs for everyone. We bring our young kids here and they love it.
If you want luxury lodging, the Edelweiss Lodge and Spa is by far the best place to stay. Ski in and ski out, right on the mountain. As nice as any place in other high end resorts and they make you feel right at home. -
Review from Aaron H.
Seattle, WA
2/2/2010
What a frustrating ski resort Taos is. After getting excited to ski at Taos with my family I was extremely disappointed with what the mountain had to offer. Looking on the trail map all you see is chutes and expert terrain (Taos says that they are 50% expert) only to find that you have to hike to all of it. There is only about 20% expert terrain available from a chair lift. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind hiking to some great POW and steeps, but even when I climbed to it the short runs still left me wanting more. Next, why does Taos rope off all of their tree runs? No access??? Come on now... a local told me that the ski patrol at Taos are like gestapo and they have to control everything. Finally, my wife took a series of lessons for the weekend and I would absolutely rave about the high level of instruction that she received. After only skiing once before in her life she was comfortable skiing the mountain on her own (mainly green circles, but ready for the blue squares next time). All in all...it is a mountain with promise, but I would rather go to Tahoe or Colorado for some great skiing.
