Skiing in Taos Ski Valley

Right before they shut down the lifts for the season, I went to Taos Ski Valley with a friend for a day on the slopes. Apart from my not-so-fun encounter with one of their black runs, skiing in Taos was lots of fun! The mountain is so much bigger than Santa Fe and you can stay much closer to the slopes. Don’t get me wrong, I loved skiing in Santa Fe, but Taos is much more like the Alpine skiing I am used to from Europe. Many more lifts, more runs, ski-in ski-out resorts, different lunch places, and beautiful views up the mountain. I spent most of the morning on the back side of the mountain going up lifts 4 and 7 and enjoying the long, windy runs back down. My friend was in ski school in the meantime and had only good things to say about it. We met around noon on Rhoda’s deck where we had an amazing lunch for very little money. My turkey-avocado-bacon sandwich was delicious! Since the snow was really slushy in the afternoon (what do you expect in April?!) and after my not so wise decision to hit one of the blacks slopes I made myself feel better with a hot chocolate from Chocolate Extreme in the afternoon and took it easy. And get this, my hot chocolate was a white hot chocolate. I’ve never had that before. They actually used hot milk and white chocolate chips to make that delicious concoction. So good! I should remember that for next winter and try it at home.

For dinner we went to the Bavarian which is actually at the bottom of one of the lifts I was using all morning long, lift 4. Marco and I went there years ago when it was totally snowed in and that really added to the atmosphere. It was still good without all the snow this time around. Lots of German food and beer Even though it wasn’t the best German food I have had in the US (that one goes to Fredricksburg, TX for sure), it was pretty good. After we got back to our hotel, the Amizette Inn, we relaxed in the sauna and hot tub with some beer. Aaaah! Life is good! The Amizette Inn is a really great little bed and breakfast. Most hotels have a hot tub, but the fact that they also have a sauna was one of the reasons we booked it. That, and the made-to-order breakfast which we found out was not only delicious (huge burritos with homemade green chili or French toast or whatever your heart desires), but also served in a room overlooking the small river behind the house. And the owners were super nice as well. I would totally stay there again and recommend it to anyone!