Taos Ski Valley offers full range of experiences for small, big children
With our weather apparently locked into some awful high-pressure system to the northwest that is steering moisture away from us, there’s not much new to report about conditions and openings, but regional resorts do continue to provide new and improved services.
Taos Ski Valley dedicated its entirely remodeled Children’s Center last week, which goes hand in hand with its new little gondola, the “Gondolita,” which moves people from the base area to the kid’s area to the west. Over the summer, the existing building was gutted and entirely rebuilt, including moving elevators and stairways.
When you first approach the building from the circular drop-off driveway or 20-space parking area, you enter the lobby, where you measure a child’s weight and height, and use a computer station to complete and sign the registration form (or you can do this in advance online). Then you move to the cashier stations and say goodbye to the little tykes.
They are given a gear bag for storing all their stuff and divided into one of five color-coded ability levels, running from first-timers (who are issued palegreen markers) to experts.
“This allows the staff to quickly, visually identify where kids are supposed to be headed and to keep their groups intact,” said facilities coordinator Rachel Smith, now in her fourth year at TSV.
The youngest group — from 6 months old to 3 years — head to the Child Care Room, which has a crib room, nap room, play room and kitchenette. With a floorto-ceiling photo mural of an aspen forest in fall, and electric lighting that mimics natural light, it’s a pleasing space and can accommodate up to 25 toddlers and five infants, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Upstairs is the new kids’ rental center, with all new skis, snowboards, boots and helmets, plus a dedicated room for kids ages 3-5 with its own rental gear. With everything barcoded, tracking equipment and kids is now a snap. After gearing up, kids head outdoors onto a radiant-heated deck that faces the slopes and are split into their respective ability groups.
True novices head up a short surface “zipper” conveyor to a slope that has been contoured to a 6 percent to 8 percent grade, with a small hill at the bottom to slow them down and help them stop. Kids with more ability use the second zipper to access a slope with a 8 to 10 percent grade. Kids at the third level ride the new Rueggli triple chair up Strawberry Hill, which was graded this summer to run east to west, rather than south to north, eliminating its tough former double fall line while ensuring a maximum grade of 20 percent.
“The idea with terrain-based learning is to emphasize ‘go,’ not ‘stop,’ ” said Burt Stall, director of TSV’s ski and snowboard instruction.
In the past, ski schools always had to teach stopping and braking techniques first, Stall said, but the new system — including banked turns and a small halfpipe — encourages continuous and flowing motion.
“It allows for faster progression,” Stall said.
It is being developed by a company called Snow Operating and is being adopted at other resorts across the country. Kids who have mastered the basics are taken up onto the mountain itself, skiing the green and blue runs until lunch, when everyone gathers back at the center’s kid cafeteria. After lunch, some kids nap, while others return to the slopes.
Also new this year is an aprèsski program called Taos Bound, which runs 4-8 p.m. Older kids up to age 15 can enjoy guided snowshoeing, while younger ones will be entertained with a low climbing wall, a slack line, toys and other diversions, plus dinner. It costs $40.
The new Leitner Poma gondolita with its six-person units runs from the Children’s Center to just outside the Edelweiss Lodge and Alpine Extreme shop. It is a speedy, 48-second ride and greatly improves the connectivity of the resort center and the Children’s Center, eliminating the need for parents starting their day in the main base area to make a hike with kids over Strawberry Hill to the center.
Taos has an 18-inch base, and Lift 1 operates with access to White Feather and Powderhorn, plus its beginner slopes are open. Ring in the New Year here with a laser show beginning at 5:45 p.m. Sunday, followed by a torchlight parade and fireworks.
Purgatory picked up seven inches of snow Dec. 21 and has 18 trails open.
James Coleman and officials at Mountain Capital Partners, Purgatory’s ownership group, announced they purchased seven parcels of land immediately adjacent to its base area from affiliates of Durango Mountain Resort, which is owned by former U.S. Ambassador Chuck Cobb and his partners.
The parcels purchased, totaling approximately 14 acres between Lower Hades and Pandemonium ski trails, include land for future development phases of Purgatory Lodge, Peregrine Point and other mixed-use projects.
“We’re excited to complete the land purchase that is around the base village area of Purgatory Resort to further our number one goal of enhancing the overall skiing experience. Skiing always comes first for our company,” said James Coleman, managing partner of Purgatory Resort. “Now that we have possession of this land, we’ll be able to build necessary resort and skier amenities, future hotels and condos, and continue to grow the market.”
The parcels were initially included in Coleman’s original proposal to purchase Purgatory Resort from DMR in 2015, but both parties had agreed to hold off on negotiations until after settling the resort operating assets and both entities could properly focus on the real estate portion. No specific details or timeframe have been set for the development of these parcels.
“It’s great to finally complete the sale of these parcels to James,” said DMR’s CEO Gary Derck. “It’s important for the development of these close-in sites to be integrated into James’ plans for the future of Purgatory Resort. We anticipate that James and his team will continue improving the experience in Purgatory Village with these strategic parcels.”
Ski Santa Fe reports a 22-inch base (including five inches of natural snow this season so far), with 12 trails open — about 18 percent of its terrain. Its Chipmunk children center and all services are functioning.