Context: I plan to ski Wolf Creek the first few days after New Year, prior to working meetings at Los Alamos on Jan. 8 & 9, after which I'll drove over to Taos for a couple of days. I love Wolf Creek - I learned there, and last January it graced me with my first real powder and tree skiing experience. But there is still much of the mountain I haven't yet skied. It is easy to drive to, relatively speaking, from the Texas coast and I love the San Juan mountains.
Question: is Monarch worth giving up a day from Wolf Creek? I'm not a tourist skier, but would go to a different mountain if it offered enjoyable slopes. I also prefer avoiding crowds and have no interest in ostentation. I'm a modest intermediate skier who sets improvement goals each year, and I know WC is suitable for them. I thought about Crested Butte before WC, but I'm looking to concentrate on difficult blues and easier to modestly difficult blacks this year (where I left off at Taos last season), and CB doesn't seem quite suited for that range - I'm not an advanced skier and not interested in attempting that kind of terrain until I'm ready.
I would be quite happy at WC for several days, but would be happy to make the short drive to Monarch if the runs and experience there are equally enjoyable. I've ruled out other local mountains - Santa Fe & Sipapu - because they don't seem to be as wonderful as WC and Taos, and I want to spend my limited ski time on the best mountains I can reach. That said, I am grateful for suggestions from the much more experienced group on the forum.
Thanks in advance for your advice!
Question: is Monarch worth giving up a day from Wolf Creek? I'm not a tourist skier, but would go to a different mountain if it offered enjoyable slopes. I also prefer avoiding crowds and have no interest in ostentation. I'm a modest intermediate skier who sets improvement goals each year, and I know WC is suitable for them. I thought about Crested Butte before WC, but I'm looking to concentrate on difficult blues and easier to modestly difficult blacks this year (where I left off at Taos last season), and CB doesn't seem quite suited for that range - I'm not an advanced skier and not interested in attempting that kind of terrain until I'm ready.
I would be quite happy at WC for several days, but would be happy to make the short drive to Monarch if the runs and experience there are equally enjoyable. I've ruled out other local mountains - Santa Fe & Sipapu - because they don't seem to be as wonderful as WC and Taos, and I want to spend my limited ski time on the best mountains I can reach. That said, I am grateful for suggestions from the much more experienced group on the forum.
Thanks in advance for your advice!
