docb said:
Is this just like this in the last 10 years or so? I've skied in Taos and Ski Santa Fe in the past and besides one year at Ski Santa Fe I thought it was ok. Maybe it was 20 years ago?
30-40 years ago you could almost always count on respectable to incredible snow year in year out. The climate in this area has definitely changed in the last 25 or so years. When I say we have no snow it is this year and this moment. And it doesn't look promising for later in the year. Last couple years weren't bad but they ranged from very good to moderate. Taos and Santa Fe are usually the ones with the better snow yearly due to location and elevation. NM isn't as well known and is at the southern end of the Rockies so it's more temperamental.
I've lived and skied in two Winter Olympic cities (Sapporo, Grenoble) and skied most big resorts (and smaller ones) in the Rockies, Japan, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Taos can hold its own in. Some of the smaller NM places like Sipapu are as fun as can be for family. Now, disclaimer, I think people who like apres ski scene are doing it right and having fun, but my friends and I are entirely about the skiing. My Euro trash friends and I will ski at a place in Austria and after a long day, it's a hot soak, big dinner at the house/hotel, maybe a few beers and visiting around a fire and early to bed, early to breakfast and at the lift when it opens. The kids are the same way. I'm amazed at the skill level of some of the group's kids at 10 years old. Rinse, repeat.