Santa Fe and Taos Ski Valley

Let’s go for a ski vacation to New Mexico. New Mexico? Doesn’t NM border Mexico? Isn’t it famous for deserts? Yep, but let’s go anyway.

Cindy and I flew into Albuquerque and then drove with our rental car to Santa Fe. Santa Fe is a unique city. Founded by Spanish colonists in 1610, it is the oldest state capital city and the second oldest city in the US with a population of 70,000. It is situated at an altitude of 7000 ft (2150müM).

The buildings in the town are not tall. They have maximum 3-4 floors so it is easy to see the Sanger de Cristo Mountains as a backdrop. Santa Fe has long been a center for arts and culture. It also has the country’s third largest art market. And there is Opera! The Santa Fe Opera has a July/August season that is completely outdoors. The opera company doesn’t try to compete with the MET. But there’s nothing better than experiencing opera outdoors with the beautiful Santa Fe mountains in the background.

For our trip to Taos and Taos Ski Valley, we took the 56-mile (90km) “Low Road.” This road runs through the valleys along the Rio Grande, winding through high desert, mountains, forests, small farms, tiny Spanish villages and Puebla Indian villages. From the city of Taos, it is about a 20-minute drive to Taos Ski Valley.

Taos Ski Valley was founded in 1955 by a …… yeah by a Swiss. Ernie Blake moved with his American wife, Rhoda, to Taos. People told him in Switzerland, and in New Mexico, that he was crazy to put a ski area in such a remote region studded with steep terrain. But he and Rhoda were sure they wanted to go ahead with it.

Taos Ski Valley is at an altitude of 9200ft (2800müM). The top of the mountain is 12,450ft (3800müM), the Kachina Peak. Taos claims to have some of the most radical terrain in the U.S. Indeed, more than 50% of its runs are rated expert.

Most recently, Taos Ski Valley has invested a few million dollars in a new gondola, new chairlifts, and a new Hotel named for the Swiss discoverer, Blake. Taos Ski Valley claims to be very environmentally friendly. It joined the ranks of 1300 organizations worldwide committed to social and environmental responsibility and transparency. Taos Ski Valley has an average snowfall of 305” (7,7m), compared to Zermatt 105” (2.7m) or Davos 185” (4.7m). However this year it was below that fantastic number.

TSV, as it is known has some fine restaurants, like the Hotel St. Bernhard, run by a French national who has been there since the beginning. They have a unique dining experience where dinner is set around large tables, so you can mingle with visitors from around the world and enjoy an excellent meal. We were sitting at a table with three interesting couples. The Bavarian, another great place to eat and stay, transfers you into the world of Bayern in Germany. The owner Thomas Schulze showed us three rooms in the Inn. They are exceptional. For outdoor lovers a Getaway in all seasons.

One day we drove down to visit Taos and took a tour at Taos Pueblo, which is also a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hugging a small branch of the Rio Grande River, Taos Pueblo is a century old Pueblo Indian settlement. It is a powerful reflection of the cultural interactions between the American Indians and the Spanish and provides insights into the heritage of the American Southwest. Its adobe residences and religious structures have survived since as early as the 13th century. The best preserved of the pueblos found north of the borders defined by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848), Taos Pueblo symbolizes a culture whose traditions originate with Anasazi Indian tribes that once lived in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado. Taos Pueblo is a thriving traditional community of Pueblo Indians with its cultural integrity intact for hundreds of years borrowing from Spanish and Anglo American cultures over centuries of contact. The ancient pueblo is a stunning example of traditional Native architecture.

On our way back to Santa Fe we enjoyed the endless landscape and witnessed the constant weather changes. Dark clouds, snowfall, and a few minutes, later sunshine and blue sky.

Back in Santa Fe, we spent a night with our friends Don & Lynne. They have a beautiful house with a magnificent vista into the mountains.

In less than 4 hours Jet Blue Airlines brought us back home.

Santa Fe and Taos are going to see us again in summer 2019 for the Opera-season combined with hiking and biking.

Click Image to View Slideshow – (Photos taken with a Lumix LX100 and iPhone)