Travel Guide // Taos, New Mexico

Taos has been on my husband’s ski bucket list FOREVER. The terrain is legendary, and in an increasingly commercialized ski landscape, Taos is a rare mountain that proudly maintains its original character. It’s a skier’s mountain, a place where people flock for love of the sport & a time machine back to simpler, sweeter times. There are no lift lines, no fur-bedecked patrons, and no f**king sushi bars. In a sport afflicted by $300+ lift ticket prices and disaffected corporate management, Taos is so pure. 

Here are Priss & Vinegar’s tips for planning a ski trip to Taos, New Mexico:

STAY
❄️ The Blake is tastefully decorated, ideally located, and has guest rooms ginormous enough to comfortably accommodate a family of five. (Really.) Look, you may be kicking it old-school in Taos, but you can still enjoy creature comforts like a ski valet, a well-regarded spa, and multiple hot tubs and a warm pool for defrosting apres ski. Now that my children are old enough to not need naps or early bedtimes, I vastly prefer ski in/ski out hotels to condos where I end up doing all the same bo-ring chores I do at home.

DO
⛷ Duh, go skiing! The terrain at Taos is notoriously challenging, and uh, challenge accepted. To help you get acquainted with the mountain, a family ski guide is a savvy option. We booked the Private Snowsports Week option, where you get six consecutive half-day family lessons with the same instructor. We’ve skied with a lot of guides, and Tony is the first one who made every single one of us a better skier!. 10/10 recommend.

Visit Taos Pueblo, a living Native American community & UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Check in advance for seasonal closures, like the one occurring annually during late winter so I sadly did not have the chance to visit. Next time!

Depending on where you fly into, swing through Santa Fe on the way to the mountain!  We enjoyed shopping at Collected Works Bookstore, Mediterrania for Spanish antiques, Wild Life for elegantly-curated tabletop, Chainé for macarons, and High Noon General Store for le coolest edit of beauty, home, and women’s & children’s apparel.

Cornbread two ways with housemade lemon rosemary and pomegranate butters at The Love Apple. I mean!

DINE
Taos Ski Valley at the base of the mountain is a petite village. You sacrifice some dining optionality for frictionless access to the mountain, which IMHO is totally worth it, especially when skiing with children. That being said, there are some gems to be found:

🍩 The cutest little made-to-order donuts at  Loteria Paleteria.

🥨 You must visit The Bavarian at least once (optional snowcat sleigh rides for weekend dinners, which we did & loved!)

🌶 Red Chile beef nachos & skinny margs at Rhoda’s 

🍺 Well-executed bar bites (omg the wings!) at Taos Ale House

🍸 Cocktails, live music & good vibes at Martini Tree Bar

🍽 Terrific pasta & negronis that Larsen deems “correct” at 192 at The Blake

In Taos proper (about a 30 minute drive from Taos Ski Valley), dining options abound and range from New Mexican classics to hipster bakeries. I’d recommend driving down the hill a couple of times to try some of these wonderful spots:

🍞 Breakfast & San Franciscan-approved sourdough at Bread Club.

☕️ Cappuccinos at World Cup Taos.

🥣 Spicy chicken bone broth & and so many other gorgeous, nourishing dishes at Manzanita Market.

🍎 Every single dish at The Love Apple. A truly exquisite meal we will remember always! (cash only)

🥃 Drinks & live music at Adobe Bar at the Historic Taos Inn, regarding as “the living room of Taos.”

SHOP
There is no shopping of note in Taos Ski Valley, so if I were you, I would kick off early one afternoon & head into Taos proper for some truly distinctive local shopping:

Chic handcrafted leather goods (that shibori valet tray!) at Made Solid.

Gorgeous & v.v.v. well-priced textiles at Common Thread.

A tiny-but-mighty new & used book selection at op.cit. books.

A truly original clothing boutique owned by the coolest proprietress (she also handmakes tumbleweed chandeliers!) at Perdido en Taos.

Award-winning chocolate treats at  Chokolá.

*To note, this trip was not sponsored in any way. These opinions are all Priss & Vinegar’s own!