Arizona/New Mexico Taos for New Years?

[sky_chicken]

My wife and I are spending Xmas in New Mexico with a car, and want to do some skiing before going home for the second week of Jan. I've got friends in ABQ who didn't even want to touch Taos for New Years, which leads me to these questions:

1. Is a ski week class at Taos going to be worthwhile during the post Xmas/New Years rush? Or will it be so packed that it won't be fun?

2. We're on Ikon pass, so we could drive up to A Basin/Aspen/Copper or something like that. Better? Worse?

I desperately want to do the ski week but am afraid of half of NM all on the slopes at once in Taos. Thanks in advance!

 

[UGASkiDawg]

2. We're on Ikon pass, so we could drive up to A Basin/Aspen/Copper or something like that. Better? Worse?

I can't answer your other questions concerns but I can answer this. Worse...much mucho max worse

 

[sky_chicken]

Hah! Somehow that doesn't surprise me.

 

[Jerez]

Christmas to New Years storm is at present predicted to go south, so Taos could be a good bet. They have a 53" base, which is enough to get into some mild off-piste, but Taos is very, very rocky, so be prepared for that. This compares to Copper's 29" base (all according to opensnow)

 

[pais alto]

It’s not that half of NM will be there, it’s that half of a Texas will be there. Expect crowds, but I have no idea what ski week will be like. As to whether you should go; what else are you gonna do?

 

[KingGrump]

Taos is having a pretty decent year so far. A lot of trails will be open with the exception of Kachina. They don't usually open that until late Jan. The earliest I have seen it open for the new year in the 15/16 season. There will be more than enough terrain open.

The holiday crowd have no effect on ski week. They have more than enough instructor working. Just remember you can only join the ski week on either Sunday or Monday.
Crowd wise, what @UGASkiDawg said. The ski week will take care of the lines (if there are any) in the morning. Most of the crowd will be groomer zoomers. You are good to go if you can ski non-groom. Midweek afternoons are usually quiet.

Go and have a good time.

 

[sky_chicken]

Go and have a good time.

Everybody left great information, so I booked the last crappy hotel in Taos
Thanks!

 

[KingGrump]

Everybody left great information, so I booked the last crappy hotel in Taos
Thanks!

All hotels in Taos are crappy with the exception of the new Blake. You are not that special.

 

[sky_chicken]

All hotels in Taos are crappy with the exception of the new Blake. You are not that special.

Noice

 

[FlyingAce]

Which crappy hotel did you book?

I expect 50% of TX that arrived this weekend will leave after X’mas and the remainder will go home by NY. Most NM locals either 1. Stay away during X’mas/NY/holidays or 2. They start right at 9am and finish by 11, and they know where to ski. Ski week meets at 10 and by the time you gather everyone, get to where your lesson will be, chit chat a little, it will be time for early lunch for the locals.
If you have never tried ski week before, you should. Totally worth it for $300. You have to join on Sunday/Monday but you don’t need to attend all 6 days. I always take a day off midweek to go to Ojo Caliente. 50% off entrance fee if you show a lift ticket.
As far as being packed, Taos is never really packed if you compare to resorts in CA or CO. There are definitely more people with IKON now but one can still find solitude.

 

[sky_chicken]

All good news and great info. We're staying in Kachina lodge, which doesn't actually look so bad and the price was sure right compared to other "resort towns", if you can call Taos that... I have skied Taos before but never with a schedule that allowed for the ski week. I'll be there the 29th through the 4th if any pugskiers want to meet up.

 

[Jerez]

The good news is new snow for you. Taos is very rocky and that can hide the sharks so suggest you consider taking the rock damage insurance on those demos.

The other good news is the Boeing capsule missed Taos. It's as though New Mexico is a magnet for these things.

 

[Core2]

Texas will definitely be up there. Thankfully they have lots of options this season.