If you remember, Taos was the first “yes” I felt sparkly-excited about. Our first trip was spontaneous and quick, but this time we returned for a family ski weekend. I wanted to see if that sparkly feeling was sustained during a holiday weekend during peak tourism season.
In short, yes – I still love Taos. We had two very different but both very good ski days. Despite meeting people on the lifts from Colorado, Texas, and New York all visiting for Presidents Day, neither the slopes nor the town felt excessively crowded. We always found easy parking, we never had to wait for a restaurant (although we probably would have the first night at Taos Inn if we didn’t have a reservation), everyone was really friendly, and the town had a nice bustle to it.
Everything about our trip was great. The skiing was fun, everywhere we ate was tasty, and I had no problem shopping for a gift. Most importantly, I can picture my life here. Whether we live in a little adobe walking distance to town, or an Earthship on the other side of the Rio Grand Gorge, or we build a house en route to Taos Ski Valley, I have a mostly clear idea of my day-to-day. Regardless of which scenario we end up with, I’m happy about it!
Maybe I’m looking at Taos through rose-colored glasses, but I think this is it. We’ve spent the last two weeks perusing real estate apps and there have been at least three homes I’d categorize as my dream home. If Cameron weren’t insistent on waiting until after our taxes are dealt with, I’d be a Taos resident already.
Taos Ski Valley is a well-renowned expert resort, and Cameron said it has a lot of favorable similarities to his childhood ski area in Canada.
The ski area’s village is cute. It has a Spanish Colonial/Native American style and it’s carbon neutral!
We took the record-breaking Kachina lift up to 12,450 feet of elevation. The elevation was noticeable, but the skiing was excellent.
Skiing day 2 was a different vibe. Visibility was minimal, but we had fresh powder all day. Cameron and I hiked up to the Highline and West Basin ridges and now are officially “ridge heads.”
Enough skiing pics! We had fun in town too. There was live music in the lobby of the Taos Inn on Friday night.
I also had an excellent green chili margarita at the Taos Inn. In fact, I had multiple tasty green chili cocktails while in Taos.
We had other yummy treats in town. Rather than ice cream, we opted for mousse cups at Chokola.
Although I’m happy to report you can get year-round ice cream across the street at Manzanita Market. Fun flavors, too! Plus they sell my favorite Albuquerque-made deodorant.
Cameron didn’t get to walk around town last time, but he finally did this time around and was impressed.
I just love the wood-and-adobe vibe of Taos.
This is inside a restaurant, but I want this style of architecture in my house. One of the reasons Taos beats out other “yes” towns is because we probably can afford a home with charm and interesting architectural features.
Anyways, Taos is great, and New Mexico is a great state that I’d be happy to move back to.
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