Flying into the ski season
We suspect that everyone is thrilled about the abundant snow we’ve received in November and December. For us, this ski season is shaping up to be one of the best ever for a lot of reasons, including Taos Air.
As you may have heard, the town of Taos has been working hard for decades to secure the funding and regulatory approvals necessary to expand the Taos Regional Airport. When we learned that effort was successful, we partnered with the town and invested in a new service: Taos Air. Starting today, Taos Air will provide round-trip flights between Taos and Dallas and Austin.
Taos Air is much larger than skiing. It’s designed to be an economic jump-start for all businesses in the region that need a seamless connection to large metro areas. Anyone can fly to or from Dallas and Austin, and we hope it helps bring new economic opportunity to the people of Northern New Mexico.
Just and equitable economic development is at the heart of everything we do at Taos Ski Valley because we are the nation’s first and only B Corp ski resort. This designation, which is only achieved after a rigorous audit, compels us to conduct business with three critical things in mind: environmental sustainability, social responsibility and just economic development.
Taos Air is one expression of this philosophy. It’s a collaborative partnership that offers economic opportunity for everyone in the region. It creates well-paying jobs, and we have committed to an extensive carbon reduction program with NativeEnergy to offset the planes’ emissions.
Additionally, we are proud of a variety of other activities that happened over the summer and fall that will help to build a better mountain resort, and more important, a better ecosystem and thriving community.
This year we collaborated with the U.S. Forest Service and invested in restructuring the beloved Williams Lake trailhead, so the majority of the trail is on U.S. Forest Service land and has an alignment that is much more user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing. Not only is the trailhead better marked and more aligned with U.S. Forest Service standards, but the trail itself now begins at a pristine forest and takes hikers directly into the nature they crave.
Along with the investments in community assets, Taos Ski Valley also created jobs by continuing to upgrade and refurbish the resort. We installed a new, modern lift, remodeled the Bavarian and the Phoenix and began work on creating some 2019 summer amenities including two new mountain bike trails.
These investments are intended to help drive local economic development not only in the winter but also throughout the year, so our local community can have steadier businesses yearround.
We’re committed to supporting our community through responsible business and thoughtful investments. Taos Air and the ongoing work in the region demonstrates that. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating the inaugural Taos Air flights this week and welcome this step in uplifting our community.
Inaugural Taos Air flights begin today (Dec. 20) to Austin and Dallas.