Open slopes: Taos lets snowboarders, skiers mingle on the mountain

Jason Auslander | The New Mexican

3/19/2008 - 3/19/08

TAOS — If the significance of the day was lost on anyone at the Taos Ski Valley parking lot Wednesday morning, one of the resort's shuttle drivers clued them in at the start.

"You are watching Taos Ski Valley history in the making," he said over a loudspeaker.

History indeed. After 53 years of allowing only skiers to slide down its notoriously steep slopes, the Blake family, which has operated the ski valley since its inception, opened the gate for snowboarders to join their two-planked brethren.

And while some longtime Taos fans are in mourning — a ski valley bartender played "Taps" while standing on the roof of a venerable slopeside bar at the end of the day Tuesday — snowboarders are now a permanent fixture at Taos Ski Valley.

"People are being real positive," Alejandro "Hano" Blake, grandson of the ski area's founder, said Wednesday. "No question it's bittersweet for some people, especially some who've been skiing here a long time. But I think they would have to admit they were spoiled to have it all to themselves for all those years."

A festive atmosphere — mostly free of grumbling skiers — reigned throughout the brilliantly sunny day as more than 4,400 winter recreation enthusiasts gathered at the ski mountain. Blake said he didn't have an exact breakdown of the skier-to-snowboarder ratio but reported it was close to about 60 percent skiers and 40 percent boarders. No major problems were reported Wednesday, he said.

The Blake family has said the main reason behind the decision to allow snowboarders was to make it easier for some former Taos vacationers to bring family members. Skier numbers had been down in recent years, and many at the ski valley seemed to embrace the new policy, even if for some it was about economic benefits.

"We felt the niche marketing thing had run its course," Blake said. "There are over 1,000 ski areas in the world, and only four of them don't allow snowboards."

The day began a bit earlier than planned when lift attendants, perhaps caught up in the hooting, hollering joy, started loading snowboarders and skiers on Lift No. 1 about 8:50 a.m., 10 minutes before its scheduled start time. After that, the mountain — which features more than 50 percent black diamond or expert runs — yielded some of the finest and warmest spring skiing conditions yet this season.

"This is a great mountain," said 29-year-old Matt LeGate of Santa Fe, making his first visit to Taos Ski Valley. "I really had no idea this was up here."

The only thing that could have made it better?

"I'm really hoping it will snow in the next two weeks," LeGate said. "(If that happens), it's gonna be amazing."

Steve Dwyer came down from Denver. He said he hadn't been to Taos for 20 years because he became a snowboarder. However, he said he had taken up skiing again in last few years and wanted to do two days of skiing Monday and Tuesday, then two days of snowboarding Wednesday and today.

"I've heard so much gloom and doom from people in the last couple days," Dwyer said. "The majority of skiers think this is the end of the world."

Still, it was difficult to find a skier Wednesday to criticize the addition of snowboarders. One ski area employee, who did not want to be identified, admitted to being "very bummed" that snowboarders were being allowed onto what he called a "jewel" of a mountain. The employee also said skiers are worried about changes in the surface of the ski runs — moguls, mainly — and about their personal safety.

However, Wednesday was all about snowboarders, and Kitrick Myers of Minneapolis was typical of those — many of them students on spring break — who were on the mountain.

"I've just been amped for this," he said. "I bought my ticket months ago. It's history."

Jonah Salloway, owner of Taos Mountain Outfitters in Taos, said the inclusion of snowboarders at Taos is "awesome" and that he plans to expand his business to include sales of snowboards.

"I'm psyched," he said. "I think it's like a dream come true for this community."

And what would a story about the first day of snowboarding in Taos be without a snowboarder joke? Dwyer, the Denver resident, had one ready to go.

"What's the difference between a vacuum cleaner and a snowboard?" he said. "It's just different attachments for the dirtbag."

Contact Jason Auslander at 986-3076 or jauslander@sfnewmexican.com.