Taos

You don’t typically think of New Mexico when it comes to planning a ski trip, but Taos has been a player for quite a long time. While it doesn’t have the largest or most reliable footprint, the resort has several distinct qualities that the right subset of destination-goers will appreciate.

The snow quality at Taos upends one's prior understanding of north-south geography. On a powder day, accumulation is supremely dry and light, with storms coming in and dropping true fluff. On the right day, one might mistake Taos’ footprint for one in the Cottonwoods. Taos’ snow cover heavily depends on the resort aspect; winds typically come from the southwest, and the best terrain often faces northeast thanks to windswept powder.

But days when it’s not snowing are much more what one might expect from New Mexico. The resort is perennially sunny and can sometimes get above freezing, even during the core season. The mountain can get bare in between storms, with thin cover present across various elevations. Taos is a tough early-season bet; the resort has excellent snow quality, but it doesn’t see quite the same quantity as Colorado competitors and the resort sometimes isn’t truly good until late February or early March. On the other hand, truly incredible storms can hit as late as early April. The resort does have limited snowmaking capabilities, which helps it open by Thanksgiving most—but not all—years.

Taos is quite a unique resort, with a beauty that becomes more apparent the higher you get. The mountain may not look that intimidating from the base, but a ride up Lift 1 reveals the true, strikingly tenuous footprint. And while that lower-mountain lift line may not look that bad from the base, it only seems that way because the line is so steep it hides the upper portion of the mountain. Guests will want to hit Taos’ high-alpine ridgeline for the best views at the resort; those who make it up to this zone will be rewarded with stunning panoramic vistas of the lower mountain, surrounding mountain ranges, and dry, contrasting valley to the west. Taos’ base village has a distinctive charm to it, feeling vibrant but not overly commercialized like many other resorts.

At just under 1,200 acres, Taos is notably smaller than most other Rockies destinations. Despite this, the resort boasts an impressive variety of terrain, as well as a vertical drop measuring over 3,000 feet when conditions allow. Taos is a much more regional destination than Colorado and Utah, with many guests visiting from New Mexico and Texas.

Taos is not for beginners or intermediates, although there is enough terrain to keep the mountain palpable for both ability levels. Most chairlifts offer about one or two green and blue trails each, and they’re consistently well groomed. Lifts 4 and 8 are best for less experienced guests, with a higher concentration of lower-difficulty trails than other areas. True first-timers can choose from two bunny hills near the base. There’s also occasionally a terrain park zone served by Lift 7, but it isn’t always set up, especially during the earlier and later weeks of the season.

Taos begins to become worth it for advanced-level guests. Visitors will find a series of long, trying mogul runs, especially in lower-mountain areas. The blacks served by Lift 1 are some of the lengthiest in the Rockies region and are sure to wear down even the most tenured guests.

But visitors will really want to reach true expert proficiency to properly enjoy Taos. The resort is home to some of the steepest, most perilous in-bounds terrain in North America, with high-consequence lines—several of which hide serious obstacles such as rocks and tree stumps—across all elevations. Chutes, cliffs, and cornices are commonplace; some of these lines require significant straightlining or mandatory air to get down, and are probably best only attempted after a solid storm. Taos’ entire upper ridgeline is reserved for experts only, and a journey to the high alpine means a daunting trip down.

A significant portion of Taos’ expert terrain—including all ridge terrain not served by the Kachina chair—requires hiking to get to. The hike isn’t too bad, however, taking 10-15 minutes up a modestly-sloped path to reach key lines. Once at these non-lift-serviced lines, guests will find much better snow retention than at the rest of the resort—and if temperatures have been consistent, powder stashes can remain for days after a storm.

However, Taos’ toughest terrain is subject to incredibly variable opening schedules. Due to differences in snow aspect, the resort is almost never 100% open. The Kachina lift, which provides the only lift service to Taos’ bowls, seems to only be open once in a blue moon, with this chair spinning just a handful of times each season—usually after the best snowstorms. Upper-mountain bowl terrain is much more consistently open via hiking, but if it’s been a few days since the last storm, the hike may not be worth it.

Part of Taos’ terrain unreliability can be attributed to significant avalanche danger. The mountain’s steep slopes are quite prone to slides, and varying weather just adds to the risk. While the resort does have considerable avalanche control infrastructure, in-bounds accidents have occurred in the past, some of which have been fatal.

Taos isn’t exactly a luxury resort when it comes to on-site facilities, but lodges at the resort are decent. For those who don’t want to go all the way back to the main base, two on-mountain lodges with both indoor and outdoor seating—and occasional live music—can be found. There are also a handful of picnic benches scattered about the resort.

Taos isn’t too bad to get around either. The resort’s modestly-sized footprint is on the narrower side, and there are only a handful of places one can end up in. The mountain is very forgiving, and if you make a wrong turn, it’s typically pretty easy to get back to where you intended. All resort areas feature trails that lead back to the base, although the Rubezahl trail from the Lift 4 pod is a bit flat and catwalky, especially on warmer days. The one meaningful difficulty involves getting to the Kachina chair; reaching its lift line requires a short side step, but this is by design, given the extremely tenuous nature of the terrain it serves.

Taos’ lift infrastructure has historically been a major drawback, but the resort has seen significant improvements in recent years.

The resort’s’ out-of-base Lift 1 was upgraded to a detachable, high-speed quad back in 2018, and it now provides faster access to some solid lower-mountain terrain as well as a speedier gateway to mid- and upper-mountain terrain. Additionally, for the 2023-24 season, the resort replaced its Lift 4 fixed-grip quad chair with a high-speed detachable, cutting the ride time in half and adding a second high-speed lift to the increasingly popular mountain. Unlike Lift 1, Lift 4 serves much mellower terrain, finally making it more desirable to lap some of Taos’s best beginner and intermediate runs. 

On the other hand, Taos still has quite a few slower lifts in its mid- and upper-mountain areas. This can still mean some longer lift rides, and not everyone will love that.

As a resort off the beaten path in a state not often known for its skiing, Taos doesn’t always see the crowds of more popular destination regions. But while the resort isn’t typically crowded, there are a few exceptions. The Kachina lift is a rare treat when it’s open—and just about everyone at the resort knows this, with the chair facing extraordinary waits on the days it’s spinning. In addition, Lift 1 provides the only route out of the base village, and modest lines can build up in the morning. That said, other chairlifts rarely see any lines.

Getting There

Taos is within driving distance of both of New Mexico’s largest cities—Santa Fe and Albuquerque. The resort is about two hours from the former, and three hours from the latter; for most visitors, flights from the Santa Fe airport will probably make the most sense. The ski area is also only a five-hour drive from Denver. While it’s somewhat pricey, Taos actually offers half-decent nonstop flights from select Southwest cities through its self-run Taos Air service.

Lodging

Taos Ski Valley offers various upscale lodging options in its modestly-sized but charming base village. Accommodations range from inns with spas and hot tubs to ski-in/ski-out condo rentals. There are also a handful of accommodations at the base of Lift 4. These stays are not cheap, but they’re worth the price.

Those looking for more economical lodging will find some options down about a half-hour from the resort in downtown Taos. The very cheapest options are pretty bargain-basement, but there are a solid number of charming, southwest-rustic inns as well.

Aprés-ski

Taos Ski Valley has a low-key but fun aprés vibe in its base village. The resort often blasts live music in the afternoon, with village-staying guests congregating below Lift 1 to pound back a few cold ones after a taxing day on the mountain. But after the early evening, the valley significantly quiets down with nonexistent nightlife.

Downtown Taos, about half an hour down the road from Taos Ski Valley, has a walkable town and slightly more lively nightlife than Taos. But it’s nothing too crazy, and things typically quiet down by midnight.

Verdict

So Taos isn’t the biggest or most consistent resort out there, and its lifts could be a bit more modern. The resort is not a substitute for a more conventional fly-to mountain, but if you’re looking for something different on your next ski vacation—and want to enjoy some of the toughest in-bounds terrain the Rockies has to offer—Taos may well be a solid choice. Snow droughts are always a risk, but as long as you’re okay with the possibility of a powder search turning into a sunbathing session, you won’t be disappointed.