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

[KingGrump]

I'm going to give KG the benefit of the doubt here because he is generally nice to people he's only met a few times. If I were having this dialog with him I would be 100% sure at this point that I'd been conned and that he and Andrew were cracking up on the chairlift talking about how I was going around telling others about the "Shulman hover" that they had just made up on a lark 20 minutes earlier.

 

[Tony S]

 

[LiquidFeet]

I'm going to give KG the benefit of the doubt here because he is generally nice to people he's only met a few times. If I were having this dialog with him I would be 100% sure at this point that I'd been conned and that he and Andrew were cracking up on the chairlift talking about how I was going around telling others about the "Shulman hover" that they had just made up on a lark 20 minutes earlier.

On principle I choose to be gullible instead of suspicious when in the company of people I should be able to trust.
Thanks for the insight .

 

[KingGrump]

On principle I choose to be gullible instead of suspicious when in the company of people I should be able to trust.
Thanks for the insight .

You are safe. We only mess with infidels.

 

[Tex]

Definitely my goal for the coming season to release the savage beast within.

Dang it, I forgot the within part!

 

[Matt Merritt]

Because I'm such a good planner - and today being the first day accepting reservations - I booked my Ikon days today.

And, to ensure @Tex has plenty of time to re-learn the chords for the fire pit:

A D E D A D E
Wild thing.. .you make my heart sing...

D A D
You make everything

E D
Groovy

A D E (G A G)
wild thing...

 

[MarkP]

Made the commitment, plus one friend, plus an option on one other. Lodging in town booked.

Since this will be my first time skiing in NM, I'm considering adding a couple other mountains to the trip. Angel Fire, Pajarito, Ski Santa Fe seem reasonable based on location around the Albuquerque-Taos corridor and raw stats. Any opinions on them?

 

[Snowfan]

Made the commitment, plus one friend, plus an option on one other. Lodging in town booked.

Since this will be my first time skiing in NM, I'm considering adding a couple other mountains to the trip. Angel Fire, Pajarito, Ski Santa Fe seem reasonable based on location around the Albuquerque-Taos corridor and raw stats. Any opinions on them?

View attachment 174576

Consider Red River https://www.redriverskiarea.com/ Not too long a drive from TSV and the town is awesome old school western style. The hill is groomed well with small crowds. Trust me on this. N of Angel Fire and much better.

 

[mdf]

Angel Fire, Pajarito, Ski Santa Fe seem reasonable based on location around the Albuquerque-Taos corridor and raw stats. Any opinions on them?

Ski Sante Fe is the only one I've been to. It is a good hill, and not much of a detour on the ABQ -> Taos drive.

 

[Tex]

Red River and Sante Fe would be my top 2, have not been to Sante Fe but is on my bucket list. Stay at Best Western at Red River, it is right by the lift, and right on the river. Stay bottom floor on the river side. Took both my kids there March 2020..

 

[Gary Stolt]

You are safe. We only mess with infidels.

Apparently, most of us are innfidels.

 

[MattSmith]

in·fi·del
/ˈinfədl,ˈinfəˌdel/
noun
1. a person who does not believe in religion or who adheres to a religion other than one's own.
"they wanted to secure the Holy Places from the infidel"

Don't we all worship at the alter of Ullr in Kachina chapel?

 

[KingGrump]

Apparently, most of us are innfidels.

Took you a while, eh.

 

[pais alto]

Since this will be my first time skiing in NM, I'm considering adding a couple other mountains to the trip. Angel Fire, Pajarito, Ski Santa Fe seem reasonable based on location around the Albuquerque-Taos corridor and raw stats. Any opinions on them?

View attachment 174576

Of the three, Santa Fe has the most interesting and (imo) worthwhile skiing - great tree skiing. The view is pretty good too. Pajarito is okay, a lot of similar runs without too much variety, and mostly locals. Angel Fire is okay too, a little more varied than Pajarito, but it’s kind of out of the way and seems to be mostly second-home owners. I live in NM and rarely feel the need to ski AF or Pajarito, but hey, you might want to check them out to see for yourself.

I worked on patrol and trail crew for some time at Santa Fe and live just down the road. I’d be glad to show you around (schedule depending) if you decide to try it.

 

[mdf]

I bought a Taos weekday pass (which is M,T,W,Th) with the idea that I would fill in 2 weekends with my 7 Ikon days. Depending on how long I stay (I have 3 weeks pencilled in) I might want to try out a couple other places on extra days. Red River looks like an easy drive from Taos (town).

I'd like to ski Santa Fe again, too, but 2 hours is a bit too long of a drive back from Taos. (Last year I stopped in SF for two days on the way up.)

 

[Dean]

My notional plans for next season out west are: Taos ... IKON CO options ... UT gathering. Sante Fe is on the list as well (plan to spend some time there visiting my sister). SF on the way up to Taos is a good thought in terms of acclimation.

 

[Jerez]

Of the three, Santa Fe has the most interesting and (imo) worthwhile skiing - great tree skiing. The view is pretty good too. Pajarito is okay, a lot of similar runs without too much variety, and mostly locals. Angel Fire is okay too, a little more varied than Pajarito, but it’s kind of out of the way and seems to be mostly second-home owners. I live in NM and rarely feel the need to ski AF or Pajarito, but hey, you might want to check them out to see for yourself.

I worked on patrol and trail crew for some time at Santa Fe and live just down the road. I’d be glad to show you around (schedule depending) if you decide to try it.

@MarkP you should def. take @pais alto up on this generous offer! I agree with his assessment.

Ski Santa Fe is highly underrated. It is small but has every kind of terrain you could want except open bowl skiing. Trees are the best and some short steep shots that will get your heart going.

I personally don't like Angel Fire unless you're into terrain parks. Angel Fire in summer is great for mountain biking, but I'd skip it for skiing.

I've not skied Red River but have visited in summer and do like the town a lot.

Pajarito is natural snow only and would require a last-minute decision to see if there is enough base to make it worthwhile. It is essentially a ridge with multiple slopes at pretty much the same angle getting slightly steeper from one side to the other. Great bumps though.

If there is recent snow, Wolf Creek (known for its great powder skiing) is a possible option just north of the state border with CO. About 2-3 hours from Taos to South Fork or Pagosa Springs, the nearest towns to that ski area.

 

[Tony S]

If there is recent snow, Wolf Creek (known for its great powder skiing) is a possible option just north of the state border with CO. About 2-3 hours from Taos to South Fork or Pagosa Springs, the nearest towns to that ski area.

I am going to be in Taos a few days early for the Gathering (Thurs - Sat). I may take a day and do this.

 

[mdf]

I am going to be in Taos a few days early for the Gathering (Thurs - Sat). I may take a day and do this.

Interesting concept.... I've been to Wolf Creek quite a few times, but it has been years. I understand they've changed some things.

 

[Jerez]

They've put in some new lifts. Makes it easier to get back from the Alberta area. And they opened up some superb low angle free-range tree skiing. Perfect for learning to ski powder.