Taos Ski Valley

History

In the 1800s, present-day Taos Ski Valley was the site of a small copper mining town called Twining, New Mexico, which was later abandoned. In 1955, Ernie and Rhoda Blake founded the area as a ski mountain. The first ski lift, a J-bar, was installed in 1956. Until 1957, the ski resort featured only one ski slope, Snakedance. In 1957, the resort installed a second lift—a Poma (platter) lift. The Blakes lived in an eleven-foot camper in the absence of any buildings in the area except the almost-completed Hondo Lodge (now Snakedance Condominiums). Even after moving into the lodge, they lived without power until 1963. Ernie and Rhoda had been living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Ernie managed the Santa Fe Ski Basin. Ernie was for a time involved in the day-to-day management of the Taos resort, answering the phone and telling prospective visitors whether the skiing was expected to be good in advance of weekend trips. The village was incorporated in 1996. In 2006, Taos Ski Valley had 110 trails with 24% beginner, 25% intermediate, and 51% advanced/expert. It was home to the Ernie Blake Snowsports School, one of the highest rated ski schools in North America. In December 2013, the Blake family sold Taos Ski Valley, Inc. to billionaire conservationist Louis Bacon. In 2018, Taos Ski Valley started Taos Air, a virtual airline which operated scheduled public air charter service at Taos Regional Airport during ski season. Summer flights were added in 2021. Taos Air ceased using its own brand identity in December 2022 when flight operations were transferred to JSX, and it effectively terminated operations permanently in April 2024 when Taos Ski Valley allowed its airline service contract with the town of Taos to expire.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land. Taos Ski Valley is one of the highest municipalities in the US, sited at an elevation of ; however, the village limits reach and the highest residential dwelling is at . Kachina Village, also at over 10,350 feet, houses Bavarian Restaurant and two condo complexes and accommodates six permanent residents and visitors in 30 condo units; 70–80 home sites are planned for development. Wheeler Peak, the tallest mountain in New Mexico at , overlooks the village. The village is completely surrounded by Carson National Forest, including bordering designated wilderness. Taos Ski Valley receives around of snow a year. Taos Powderhorn is a SNOTEL weather station situated in the Taos Valley ski resort, near Kachina peak, at an elevation of . Taos Powderhorn has a subalpine climate (Köppen Dsc).

Most-observed species

• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  2,314
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  2,024
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  1,705
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  1,594
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,510
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,479
• Pine Siskin

  Spinus pinus (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  1,463
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,269

Largest nearby schools

• RED RIVER VALLEY CHARTER SCHOOL
  Elementary · RED RIVER · 81 students · 9:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2026-08-06
  15 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
• M 3.4 — 2026-07-27
  31 km S of Weston, Colorado
• M 3.7 — 2026-07-06
  32 km SSW of Segundo, Colorado
• M 3.8 — 2026-07-06
  33 km SSW of Segundo, Colorado
• M 2.8 — 2026-07-02
  14 km S of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
• M 3.1 — 2026-06-25
  18 km SSW of Weston, Colorado