Taos, anyone?

I'm being forced to go to Taos this spring break, and was just wondering how it is. I want to know about the mountain, not if it is busy or not because my spring break is the week that everyone else has school. Thanks!

[1stTrack]

Taos is a great mountain for expert and advanced riders. There's a small park with rails, jumps and jibs, but for me the real shit is offered up on the "The Ridge". The Ridge is a free riding mecca, with no end of gnarly steep chutes, drops, and trees. To give you an idea of the terrain, the first week of March, Taos is hosting the Salomon Extreme Freeride championships, which is a world qualifier event. The same terrain that the pro's ride is available to anyone with the balls to drop in.. Check out this you tube ditty on the event YouTube - Salomon Extreme Freeride Championships in Taos this should give you an idea of some of the crazier terrain at Taos!

The Ridge is accessed via a short hike from the top of lift #2 or #6, and then you can choose which side of the ridge you want to ride, West Ridge or The Highline Ridge. The Highline Ridge passes innumerable chutes and leads up to Kachina Peak, the highest point on the area. The West Ridge offers some of the steepest chutes on the mountain.

In addition to the Ridge, Taos is known for it’s moguls, lots of moguls... The first thing that greets you in Taos is Al's Run, an intimidating bump run you can scope out on the first lift up the mountain. There are also a handful of blue and green runs, but not many. The official line on runs is; Expert 51%, Intermediate 25%, Beginner 24%. I'd swear that all the beginner runs are nothing but cat tracks for experts to move around the mountain!

Like any mountain, conditions depend upon how much snow drops on the area while you're there. After 4-5 days without snow, the steep stuff at Taos gets pretty crappy and you’re forced to hunt for good soft snow. The hunt itself can lead you into some pretty crazy areas, part of the fun for sure!
So read-up on the trail map, pray for snow, and watch where you drop in. Keep in mind that you can always head over to Angel Fire for a little more mellow riding. Check out Tim’s Stray Dog Cantina at the base for a little après, I just left there about an hour ago… Have fun.

Good Riding

thanks a lot man, this helped a lot! One more thing, are there any runs that are somewhat mellow at taos? I'm going with a friend who is a little rusty and it would be great to warm up on.

[killclimbz]

There is plenty of beginner and intermediate terrain there. You'll have no problem finding more "mellow" terrain.

[1stTrack]

Originally Posted by iboardbreck

thanks a lot man, this helped a lot! One more thing, are there any runs that are somewhat mellow at taos? I'm going with a friend who is a little rusty and it would be great to warm up on.

Yes, there are plenty of runs to "warm up" on in Taos.

However, if you're staying in the town of Taos and you consider yourself, or your friend, an intermediate rider, it's worth looking into Angel Fire. It's almost equal distant to either the Taos Ski Valley or Angel Fire, about a 30 minute drive from the center of Taos town. In my opinion Angel Fire is better suited for beginner and intermediate riders. The stats for Angel Fire: 26% Beginner 50% Intermediate 24% Advanced. Now, if your staying in the Taos Ski Valley, near the base of the mountain, Angel Fire would be about an hours drive, maybe not worth it? Check out the online trail maps for both areas to see for yourself..
Have fun wherever you go..