• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

2023 Taos Mini-Gathering: February 4th - February 11th, 2023

Olesya C

Always learning
Skier
Joined
Feb 21, 2016
Posts
429
Location
East Coast
I skied Juarez yesterday, and coverage was good and you’re right, the bumps were soft and well formed. Wish you were here @Olesya C !
Heyy, that is awesome, glad to hear you skied it already, I wish I was there too! :) Can't wait to ski with you again. I am always hoping and thinking for more snow at Taos (and stalking the webcams lol), fingers crossed for a few more good storms before the end of January.
 
Last edited:

pais alto

me encanta el país alto
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 11, 2015
Posts
1,940
Location
I will likely check out Ski Santa Fe thurs 2/2 - the conditions don't real great at the moment, but am hopeful.

I haven't seen anything in the way of discount lift tickets - anyone know any better?

Anyone interested in meeting up (assuming my plans hold)?
PM me when you’re a day out. It’s storming here as I type.
 

Tony S

I have a confusion to make ...
Skier
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Posts
12,635
Location
Maine
I will likely check out Ski Santa Fe thurs 2/2 - the conditions don't real great at the moment, but am hopeful.

I haven't seen anything in the way of discount lift tickets - anyone know any better?

Anyone interested in meeting up (assuming my plans hold)?

SSF tix are already pretty cheap. If I am in town I'd be happy show you around. @pais alto would be a better guide however as he was ski patrol there for years.

PM me when you’re a day out. It’s storming here as I type.
Following.
 

Tex

Yee-haw!
Skier
Joined
Feb 8, 2020
Posts
1,781
Location
Texas
I went ahead and booked my ski week yesterday. I called today to see how they pair/group you with other students, sounds like they just figure all that out that first morning. And thru the week, if you want to move up to a more advanced group or move to a less advanced group just tell your instructor and they adjust the groups, make sense to me...And as discussed on this thread, you can ask to be in certain groups. My preference would be to be grouped up with skitalkers... If you guys need someone to join your group or want to group up with me let me know. My level is I ski black run moguls fine, but I'm not zipping down. I'm like one turn at a time, especially steep runs. I might string together several turns depending on conditions. I'm hoping by the end of ski week, or end of season, I'm making non-stop runs down the modals, in control, not fast, nice easy turns all the way down, old man style. :ogbiggrin:
 
Thread Starter
TS
dbostedo

dbostedo

Asst. Gathermeister
Moderator
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Feb 9, 2016
Posts
18,097
Location
75% Virginia, 25% Colorado
I called today to see how they pair/group you with other students, sounds like they just figure all that out that first morning.
It's the ski-off!!

I really need to start updating the opening post of this thread... I didn't realize I left it so sparse.

The first section of my 2020 and 2022 Gathering trip reports talk about the ski-off and Ski Weeks. I tend to like to go early, and watch everyone else.

 

Tex

Yee-haw!
Skier
Joined
Feb 8, 2020
Posts
1,781
Location
Texas
The current one is kinder and gentler when compared to the old one ran by Jean. The old one was brutal on the ego for most male participants.
Is that this Jean? I’m pro-brutal btw.
7BCBEB5B-E7FB-4DEC-986B-D0498DAD4BC4.jpeg
 

Ogg

Skiing the powder
Skier
Joined
Jun 3, 2017
Posts
3,484
Location
Long Island, NY
The current one is kinder and gentler when compared to the old one ran by Jean. The old one was brutal on the ego for most male participants.
I'm with @Tex on this. Brutal can be quite effective. I learned to ski from my father who was also trying to get me to drop a lot of weight at the time. Think drill sergeant with an out of shape recruit. I learned fast.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tex

KingGrump

Most Interesting Man In The World
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
12,209
Location
NYC
The old ski off area was the flat section below the off load of current chair #1. It was accessed by the old chair #5.
A instructor would be positioned at the unload area facing the the unloading skiers. He/she would say "crazy and wackos on the right.
Normal people to the left." That is the first split. Performed by the skier themselves.

Taos ski school split the skiers into 10 levels. Splitting for level 5 to 10 are on the top of chair #5. Each numerical level is subdivided into 3 sections. Front, mid & back. So level 8 would consisted of 8-front, 8 and 8-back. The front being the higher level group.

The skiers are released into the ski off area one at a time. Jean would be at the bottom yelling out a number with the suffix. The waiting instructors would intercept the skiers and shepherd them into specific spots in the forming conga line at the side of the trail. There are no mistakes where one belongs on the food chain. At the end of the ski off the conga line is chopped into groups of 4 to 7 skiers.

I always found the ski off to be informative and entertaining. Evidently, many found the induced performance anxiety troubling. With the boarding of the new SSD in 2016/2017 season, they abolished the ski off. Instead, they ask the skiers to self evaluate. Men usually over rate themselves by couple levels while the women usually couple levels lower. Clusterf*** ensured. Massive horse trading through out the week between the instructors were the norm.

When the new SSD took a break to attend to family business in late Feb that season. The ski off was reinstituted. Order in the universe was restored.
They keep working on the format of the ski off to make it kinder and gentler since then. The current is splitting into loose groups rather than the original conga line. People now feel better about themselves.
 
Last edited:

mdf

entering the Big Couloir
Skier
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
7,220
Location
Boston Suburbs
They keep working on the format of the ski off to make it kinder and gentler since then. The current is splitting into loose groups rather than the original conga line.
It's not all that different. They clump people by similar ability and sometimes when they get enough they send off a group before everyone comes down. So true, you don't wind up with a universal rank ordering. But you are judged.
 

KingGrump

Most Interesting Man In The World
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
12,209
Location
NYC
But you are judged.

Yes, definitely judged. But softly. Lot less ego bruising. I have tons of ski week stories of how fragile a skier's ego can be.
Self evaluation definitely does not work.
 

Sponsor

Top