Eric escaped from the shop the first weekend of February and headed south to Taos - here's his report (I know, it would be better with pictures - but everyone's always too busy having fun to remember the camera!)
It has been a great winter so far, especially in the southern mountains. Taos Ski Valley is having their best winter in about ten years and I hadn't been there for a few years, so it was time for a road trip. It's about 5 1/2 hours southwest of Denver, nestled in a high valley about 15 miles from the town of Taos. There is plenty of free parking (and free RV parking) and the base area is a lot more pleasant than the usual "resort" feeling of the bigger ski areas.
The first lift ride takes you straight up over a steep and intimidating mogul field. Although Taos is known for its challenging terrain there are plenty of intermediate and beginner runs to entertain all levels of skiers. Riding the next lift to the top of the mountain provides a perfect view of the runs off of the West Basin Ridge. This is what Taos is all about: steep long runs, both tight and technical and wide open. Most of the rocks were hiding under the 100+ inch base with several inches of new snow that morning. The first run didn't disappoint, with just enough fresh snow to let your skis run as fast as you want. A short hike to the top of the ridge rewarded us with a run down Suaza, a steep gully in the trees with even more snow and plenty of rocks and cliffs to drop off of. The back side of the mountain was just as good and we had all the fresh snow we could handle all day.
The next morning we woke up to more snow. Saturday was great and Sunday was even better. The official report was 5 inches, but the wind blew enough snow in that I spent plenty of time in snow up to my knees! It was definitely the best day of the season, and in my top three days ever. We spent the morning charging down some tight chutes and glades on the back of the mountain. Just before lunch we hiked farther out on the ridge and I had about the best run of my life. The top was scary steep with a mandatory air to get into the gully. Once in it was still steep enough for the snow to slough down around me on every turn! I found a few cliffs on the way down and the landings were pillow soft. On the next run we skied over to a bigger cliff we had been looking at all day. We figured that with all the new snow the landing would be as soft as it ever would be. The takeoff was good, but I tumbled on the landing pretty good. It provided good laughs for my friends and everyone watching. We were completely exhausted by the afternoon and stopped a little early.
I had one more day to enjoy, so I decided to head north to Salida and ski at Monarch on Monday. Monarch is another great little area that gets tons of snow. The runs are short, but there are no lift lines so you can wear yourself out easily. They had recieved 24 inches of snow that weekend and 10 more that night. It was another knee deep day. I wanted an easy fun powder day and that is just what I got: soft, fluffy moguls and surfing between the trees. That was three days of the way that skiing is supposed to be.
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