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Arizona/New Mexico Taos just keeps getting better (for me anyway!)

dbostedo

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Taos Gathering 2023 222 ACR Conv Pano.jpg
The view from just above the top of the Kachina Lift, the highest point at the resort at over 12,400 feet.

In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. "Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone", he told me, "just remember that all the people in this world haven't gotten to attend a bunch of Gatherings in Taos like you have."

OK - I stole/paraphrased that from The Great Gatsby... but I have been lucky enough to attend the Taos Mini-Gathering a bunch of times... this one was my fifth, and they seem to just get better. (Maybe it's because my skiing keeps getting better! :) )

The view off the backside, out of bounds, from the top of Kachina. Wheeler Peak, center, is the highest peak in New Mexico.
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History
  • The first Taos Mini-Gathering was in 2018, with very little attendance, and almost no snow. Basically me and @KingGrump and family. I took some lessons, tried a few bumps (there were literally only a few on the mountain), fell a bunch of times, and started to get better​
  • The second Mini-Gathering, in 2019, started to grow even more. Taos had a new high speed lift (their first), we had some legit powder, and almost 30 attendees.​
  • In 2020, the third Mini-Gathering grew again, to about 40 attendees - more people, more lessons, more fun - though I think we might have overwhelmed the ski school a bit!​
  • 2021 was a bad year, only because we didn't hold a Mini-Gathering. I mean, some other bad and weird stuff was going on too, but it was mostly bad because of the missing Mini-Gathering.​
  • The return of the Mini-Gathering in 2022 was pretty darn successful - so much that I've quit counting attendees... it's just a bunch of good people getting together to take lessons and/or ski!​
Which brings us to 2023... It was a week later this year, in the hopes that the Kachina lift would be running. (And it was!) I again took some lessons with a bunch of other SkiTalkers, skied some new terrain I hadn't before, and as I like to say, generally enjoyed the hell out of everything.

Ski-week

As usual, many of the attendees took a Ski-week ... 6 straight days of group lessons from 9:30 - noon. You get sorted in a "ski-off" into groups of similar ability, and go from there. I wound up with the same instructor as last year (just by coincidence) which I was pleased with, as I had great lessons last year. And I did make some more progress this year I think - or will if I keep at it.

I also wound up with @Woodsrider427 and @aveski in my group, and @MarkP 's friend Dave, so that was pretty good too. Several (all?) of the groups had multiple SkiTalkers.

Whitney (@nebraskawhit) and Caitlyn picking up their ski-week tickets
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The ski-off! I went second... I always try to go early and watch everyone else come down
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@Tex!!! We got sorted into the same large group, which then got divided further based on how aggressive with terrain and hiking each group wanted to be... I chose the lowest of those three, as I tend to get over-rated on the groomer, and don't have a lot of experience in steeps and bumps. Tex went with the middle group.
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Some further sorting... @SKI-3PO and Tim Stolt and @MarkP visible here... probably some others I'm not seeing.
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Getting some instruction early at the top of lift 2...Dave on the left, and Rick Baca was our instructor, former Los Alamos electrical engineer... probably why I can relate to him
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More instrruction at the top of lift 4
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@Woodsrider427, Mike, and Dave waiting at the bottom of a pitch
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L-to-R, Mike, @aveski, @Woodsrider427, Dave, and Rick behind the tree, in Hunziker bowl, that we skied several times
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@aveski in the bumps of Hunziker
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Back at the top of Hunziker, with @Woodsrider427 and Dave
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@aveski and the runout after the top of Hunziker on the one soft snow day we had (they reported 3" through the morning)

Taos Gathering 2023 160 ACR Conv.jpg


After doing Hunziker and a few days of instruction, we started to step up the terrain to the top of Pollux, and traversed to the lower part of Blitz, known as Chicken Blitz, since you avoid the steep trees above. Rick here with @aveski and @Woodsrider427
Taos Gathering 2023 171 ACR Conv.jpg


Wider view of the guys coming down Blitz
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Rick showing how it's done... calm, steady, smooth... in Blitz. That's what we were going for - controlled speed and good turns all week.
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@Woodsrider427 here pondering the start of this section
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@aveski in Blitz
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Regrouping further down
Taos Gathering 2023 180 ACR Conv.jpg



The last morning, a couple of groups decided to stop in the same place. From the left, Dave, @Woodsrider427, @Gary Stolt, and Caitlyn (blue/teal pants) in the shot here.
Taos Gathering 2023 210 ACR Conv.jpg


Moguls/Terrain/Scenics

Lessons at Taos generally involve a lot of mogul skiing, and working on skills to ski moguls even when you're not skiing them. This year was no different... I skied some of the steepest mogul runs I've skied, and really started to enjoy them more this year - especially jumping into the shorter and easier pitches and just skiing them without too much thought. (Bumps that were daunting when I first started going to Taos.) I also got up Kachina lift for the first time ever this year... that's pretty great on a bluebird day. It would be really great with a lot of soft snow.

Then again, everything looks good with soft snow... but Taos can be pretty scenic in general - some folks were comparing it to the Canadian Rockies. I just love it every time I go!
View from the base up lift 1... the mogul run under the lift is the infamous "Al's Run"... which I've still never skied, though I did ski some of the stuff to the right during the week
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View up Kachina from the top of lift 4 area
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Sunny view up Kachina
Taos Gathering 2023 019 ACR Conv Pano.jpg


Kachina and the Highline ridge from the top of Lift 2
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Sun starting to peek over the ridge
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View down Hunziker Bowl... I think I took too many pics in Hunziker
Taos Gathering 2023 087 ACR Conv.jpg


View across the hill from the lift going up Kachina... I think this show some of the steepness of the terrain well
Taos Gathering 2023 116 ACR Conv.jpg


Another view of Wheeler... it's visible from a lot of the resort
Taos Gathering 2023 127 ACR Conv Pano.jpg


Foggy view of Kachina
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Entry into Hunziker bowl. You get here after a short-ish sidestep/skate/sidestep/skate sequence. But at over 11,000 feet, it's still tiring. :geek::ogbiggrin:
Taos Gathering 2023 154 ACR Conv.jpg


Another view down part of Hunziker, with a little fresh snow
Taos Gathering 2023 156 ACR Conv.jpg


Dean in the bumps of Tell Glade, which has no trees
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View down Blitz
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@aveski and @Tony S in Rhoda's run
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I think this is part of lower Inferno
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@nebraskawhit and instructor on the backside. Whitney is an experienced snowboarder, learning to also ski.
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Some interesting bumps on Kachina... pretty sure I fell just below these.
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Wider view of the Kachina terrain. The Gazex tubes were installed after they had a fatal inbounds avalanche on open terrain on Kachina in 2019.
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View off the backside after a very short hike up from the top of the Kachina lift
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Part of the view
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Lower part of Hunziker Bowl
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Looking up Rhoda's

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Chair Pics!

I tend to take a bunch of pics on the chair... it's something to do, reminds me who I got to ski with, and is fun to review... though I didn't take nearly as many this year as other trips...
@aveski, Dave, me!
Taos Gathering 2023 014 ACR Conv.jpg


Jess, Lucky, @Pasha, me!
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@MattSmith, Steve, Jess
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Me, @MattSmith, @nebraskawhit, and Steve!
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Jess, Lucky, Caitlyn!
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@Woodsrider427, Dave, Rick, me!
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Riding up Lift 4, Mike, @Woodsrider427, and Rick
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Industry Demo Day

There was an industry-only demo day held for a couple of days while we were in Taos. We couldn't demo any skis, but I took a couple of pics and thought it might be of interest to some which companies were there.
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Lodging/Roommates

Some friends drove down from Colorado, and came out from Rhode Island. And we (as we've done before) rented a house in Arroyo Seco. This puts you about 15-20 minutes drive from both Taos Ski Valley and the town of Taos itself. It's a nice location as long as you don't mind the drive, especially given that the Ski Valley village is relatively small.

The house was wonderful, with a great patio area, hottub, and 4 bedrooms, and worked great for our group of 7.
View in the back yard with fire pit going... and Lucky walking into the shot.
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We had a huge fancy hottub, so had to get a few robe pics... @MattSmith, @nebraskawhit, Me, Caitlyn, Lucky, Jess, Steve.
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Last day, last run - Steve, Caitlyn, Whitney, Matt, Jess
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Food/Drink
Since we had a nice house rental, and people driving in after a Costco and Albertson's run, we ate in most of the time. But we did get out to a couple of favorite restaurants... In Taos, we went Taos Taproom (https://www.taosmesabrewing.com/taos-tap-room)... it's a pizza place with a lot of nice beers on tap, and not too expensive. Get the house focaccia loaf as an appetizer if you're a bread fan. In Arroyo Seco, we went to Aceq (https://www.aceqrestaurant.com/), which I really like. It's a bit pricier, but everything is always really good. And the whole group really liked it I think.

At the resort, lunch was at the cafeteria, or at the Bavarian sitting outside if the weather was nice. That's my favorite - unfortunately, one of the days we planned on it, it was closed for a private event. Good thing we also went earlier in the week.

And après was at a few different locations... Taos Ale House, Rhoda's, Hondo, or a new one, the Rolling Still Distillery. The Distillery is tiny, but has good cocktails and local liquor, if that's your thing, that can incorporate green chile, like everything in New Mexico.​

Happy Hour at Rhoda's with Adele, Maria, Steve (@Lake Louise Steve), Vinny (@Poolskier Vinny), and Pavel (@Pasha)
20230209_154846 ACR Conv.jpg


The Canadian crew at lunch at the Bavarian... they came down from Calgary for this! (For Taos... not just for lunch at the Bavarian, though it IS good.)
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Bavarian again, with Steve, Lucky, Jess, and Matt
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Odds and Ends

Flying from DC, you can sometimes get some nice views
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This is the sign at the top of Kachina if you hike up from the lift
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Requisite SkiTalk sticker shot
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Afternoon skiing... lots of big/random groups... here you see @Unpiste, Steve, Jess, @aveski, @SKI-3PO, @Tony S, @mdf, Caitlyn, @MattSmith, and @nebraskawhit far right on snowboard... probably a couple of others hidden behind them that I can't identify
Taos Gathering 2023 073 ACR Conv.jpg


Caught this group from lift 8... I believe when there's a group like this, we call it a "quiver" of SkiTalkers
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Conclusion

Well it was another fantastic Gathering... and it went way, way, way too fast. My skiing continues to improve, I had a great time with friends, we had terrific snow (despite what some of the spoiled westerners might tell you), and I can't wait to do it again next year!​


One last view from Kachina on the last day, with @Woodsrider427 and Rick
Taos Gathering 2023 245 ACR Conv Pano.jpg
 
Last edited:

Tony S

I have a confusion to make ...
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Super fun trip. Thanks for the pics, the prose, and the gathermeisting.
 
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TS
dbostedo

dbostedo

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What kind of camera are you using? The pics look great.
I use an Olympus TG-5, like this:

https ://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Waterproof-Camera-3-Inch-Black/dp/B0711C1R4X/

And I run all the photos in raw format through Photoshop to adjust exposure, color, contrast, etc. myself. Frankly, most good cell phones are better cameras these days, but they don't usually have optical zoom, and they're more fiddly to use. The Olympus I can use with gloves on, toss around, drop in the snow, or on concrete, etc. without ill effects. It's a little thicker than I'd like, but it works.
 

tch

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Nice write-up, D! Your enthusiasm jumps off the screen.
 

Jim Kenney

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Great to put names to faces with your photos!
 

locknload

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Great photos! Again..sorry I missed you guys. I had locals dragging me all over up hill and dale and hiking like crazy. They were excited to give me their tour of the mtn so I just decided to surrender to that and it was great. I plan to return next year and will take some lessons and ski with you guys. My first visit to Taos and fell in love with it. It has some may things I like in a ski area: soul, steeps, euro vibe and fun food and drinks. Some of my favorites included:
  1. Bavaria house on mtn.
  2. Rolling Stone distillery (maple old fashioned were amazing!)
  3. Paisano's in Arroyo Seco...great pizza, red wine and intimate setting.
  4. Taos Mesa brewing (my buddy's brother is a part owner in it)...great beer and solid food
  5. Azteca mexican restaurant: suggested by a local..it was delicious.
I loved hiking the ridge and find spots to drop in up there. Taos is a very high mtn and you can feel it..sucking wind on the hike..but took it slow and felt good coming down. I really hope to ski this place with fresh POW..it has to be off the hook!
 

Tex

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I took a screen shot of one of D's pix, red line is Nastar, you will not see it marked on the ski map. This was our instructor's (Christine's) favorite Kachina run, forces you to make turns.

Taos nastar.JPG
Christine coming down, right time of day that sun barrels right down it. They call it Nastar because back in the day, it was the beginning of the Nastar course, you had to hike to the top.

Nastar Christine.jpeg
 

KingGrump

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I took a screen shot of one of D's pix, red line is Nastar, you will not see it marked on the ski map. This was our instructor's (Christine's) favorite Kachina run, forces you to make turns.

View attachment 192992
Christine coming down, right time of day that sun barrels right down it. They call it Nastar because back in the day, it was the beginning of the Nastar course, you had to hike to the top.

View attachment 192993

For run out off the peak, my favorite is right under the lift. Don't F* up or your pic will be on the bar backwall before you get there.
 

mdf

entering the Big Couloir
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For run out off the peak, my favorite is right under the lift. Don't F* up or your pic will be on the bar backwall before you get there.
Ah, I was confused. I thought that was Nastar. Except I thought it was Nascar....

We came down that way several times. The last bit is steep.
 
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Tex

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We came down that way several times. The last bit is steep.
Glad to hear you say that lol. The top part not steep, in the middle is were it gets steep and narrow. Bottom not steep.
 

Tricia

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Love reading about this. Just bummed that it always coincides with our heavy work load time period at trade shows.

Keep it rolling!
 

Tony S

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For run out off the peak, my favorite is right under the lift. Don't F* up or your pic will be on the bar backwall before you get there.

Ah, I was confused. I thought that was Nastar. Except I thought it was Nascar....

We came down that way several times. The last bit is steep.

Glad to hear you say that lol. The top part not steep, in the middle is were it gets steep and narrow. Bottom not steep.

You three are still confusing each other. Tex, the run KG and mdf are talking about is not very visible in the pic. It's LITERALLY under the lift. I came down it early in the week with Dean and Olesya and they were not grateful for my route finding.
 

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