Taos, NM

Dec 26, 2008 – Jan 2, 2009

Take the Austin Skiers’ quiz to find your New Year’s Week winter vacation:

1. What resort has the best combination of skiing at a family-oriented resort, world-class lessons, gourmet Southwest cuisine, art galleries and book shops galore, and live music somewhere every night?
2. What is one of the few remaining family-owned and operated ski resorts in North America?
3. Where will you find Joseph’s Table, Apple Tree, Doc Martin’s, Bent Street Café, Eskes A Brew Pub, Monets Kitchen, Tim’s Stray Dog Cantina, Guadalajara Grill, Casa de Valdez, Daylight Donuts, Bavarian Restaurant, Adobe Bar, or my favorites, Blake’s Lota Burger, Michael’s Kitchen, and Taos Pizza Out Back?

Check out http://www.taosdining.com/ for more reviews. You won’t go hungry in Taos, and you won’t be disappointed.  Taoseños like their red and green pepper muy caliente, as in huevos rancheros at

Michael’s kitchen.  And unlike Tex-Mex, hot, fresh soapapillas and honey are a dessert staple.

Taos Ski Valley and Taos, New Mexico. First let’s talk about the skiing.  Oops!  It’s skiing and riding, now that Taos opened its steeps to boarders. The runs are legendary: Al’s, Porcupine, Bambi,

 Powderhorn, Honeysuckle, Lone Star, Patton, Hunziker Bowl, Stauffenberg, Rhoda’s, Inferno, and more. It’s an intimate, low-key atmosphere, with an emphasis on the pure mountain experience.

Download a trail map.

The stats: 1,294 acres, 305 inches average annual snowfall, 2,612 feet of vertical, 9,207' base elevation, 11,819' highest lift, 12 lifts with 15,000 riders per hour capacity.  110 trails, with 24% beginner, 25% intermediate, and 51% expert. 100% of the beginner and intermediate trails have snow making.

If you want to learn how to ski better, then you need to join one of the Ernie Blake Ski School’s famous Ski Weeks. Five and Six-day programs include two morning hours of small-group instruction, so you have the afternoon to practice what you learned in the morning.

Travel. You’ll depart Austin Friday, December 26, 2008, on a morning flight to Albuquerque (with a transfer in Dallas). From there you’ll travel by private motor coach to Taos. You’ll return from Albuquerque the following Friday, January 2, 2009.

Lodging. You’ll stay seven nights at the El Pueblo Lodge, double occupancy. It’s a short walk to the Taos Plaza, with its shops, restaurants, and galleries. The Chili Line shuttle stops right across the street. All rooms have full baths, refrigerators, HBO, telephones and WI-FI. The price includes a complimentary light breakfast. Yep, there’s a spa. http://elpueblolodge.com/

The City and Pueblo. There’s a reason Kit Carson chose to live there. Taos is a favorite and frequent year-round destination for many, and it fits Austinites like a favorite pair of jeans. You could spend the entire week just visiting historical sites and galleries, and there are about 150 places to eat and drink.