As summer begins to come to a close, it’s that time of year where we begin to crave snowy adventures on the slopes and Powder-Magazine reminds us of those magical days at Taos Ski Valley and encourages us to ditch our plans, forget our phones and go full in for a day on the mountain at Taos Ski Valley.
“As we hike out the West Basin, I start to feel like a bum. It’s early January and I’m still beach-tan. My lungs burn hiking above 11,000 feet. Mark drops into Stauffenberg, a steep open chute atop the West Basin ridge (he tells me not to use the full name, the lokes call it Stauffy). And, arcing in after him, I completely forget about my phone, about my plans, about anything but powder snow and keeping up with Mark’s lightning-quick turns. I tell him if I ski as well as he does at 62 when I reach 40, I’ll be pretty damn grateful.
I spend the rest of the day chasing Mark all over Taos, and at the end I’m thoroughly wrecked. I amble back to my room and my stomach drops—sitting right there on my bed is my phone. I chalk it up to how things used to be before cell phones, but still feel stupid for not getting in touch. I text John to apologize, but also tell him how warm and welcoming the locals are. He’s lucky to have this place and I’m lucky to visit. More than that, I’m grateful to unplug and meet someone with whom I never would have connected if I’d walled myself in with earbuds.
It was a good lesson for upcoming ski trips—to keep it simple and just pick a meeting time and place. I want to keep my plans, and I also want to leave my phone behind. But more than anything I want to ski bumps like Mark from Santa Fe,” writes Jake Stern of Powder Magazine.
Plan your winter getaway to Taos Ski Valley here.
