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JCHIL

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Everything posted by JCHIL

  1. Still skiing! Today makes 20 days this year…season ends tomorrow…already scheming to make 25-30 days next year!
  2. My buddy sent me this pic from this morning - his car is on the right ❄️
  3. Sometime in next 2 weeks - Road trip!
  4. Yeah...I think TSV has a public use agreement with Carson National Forest that sets a limit on the amount of user days in a ski season so since Taos chooses to open on Thanksgiving weekend every year, the days run out by first week in April every year. I have seen them extend the season on some years by a week when the snow is good and this year it would seem like they would,,,,,
  5. Taos is getting a serious dumping! Glorious powder skiing yesterday - I was maybe 30th person in lift line at 9 am for fresh tracks and I made fresh track runs on backside blues and easy access blacks for over an hour before those runs got tracked out….Snowed all day yesterday (too bad I had to leave) and all night - too bad it’s only open 2 more weeks ….
  6. Classic spring skiing in Taos this week- higher elevation runs still holding up well. Lower trails turning to mash potatoes after lunch …..strong and cold storm supposedly headed to Rockies on Sunday
  7. IMG_4030.MOV Top of Kachina Peak today
  8. Yes. Main Street is most straightforward run on Kachina and less steep for most of the run than the other ridge runs...As always, photo doesnt show how steep it really is...There are a couple of choke points at midway point and lower part of run where it gets steeper where you cannot traverse out of it and if you fail to execute several tough turns, you will slide for awhile - that is what makes it double black for the most part - those 2-3 choke points...otherwise, like skiing Al's Run....
  9. Yeah it was windy - bummed that I lost my last ski day of this trip but after 4 beautiful springlike days, yesterday would have been a beating even if not windy as it was overcast and the hard pack would not have softened up like last few days with the sun….on positive note, several waves of storms coming in March ! Main Street off of Kachina:
  10. Sunny springlike conditions in Taos - snow still holding up well considering no snow in last 10 days but def needs a refill. Looking like Monday thru Wed another much needed storm is coming ! Photo 1 - Signage at entrance to Kachina Lift which was open today. Photo 2 - Hunziker Bowl
  11. Received this as a gift this past weekend. Haven’t opened it yet. Apparently only available in Japan….anyone tasted it ?
  12. Taos - 34” storm and almost 70” base - prime time !
  13. Another free refill day today in Taos! The ski gods are smiling on me this year!
  14. This is back of Snakedance Condos - the back door is a ski locker room where you keep your skis boots etc. Boot up in the locker room and walk out this door and ski or walk 30 yards to Lift #1 (see new construction of St Bernard Hotel on right…soon to be the most luxurious lodging in TSV with the best location)
  15. A few Legit Ski In/Ski Out starting with more affordable to more expensive : Kandahar - Located on kids slopes, all individually owned, some nice units, some not so much.... Snowbear - dont know much other than ski in/out Powderhorn - condos - dont know much about Sierra del Sol - not technically ski in/out but very close - basic looking condos - nothing special but close Snakedance Condos - Legit ski in/out - Solid 3 star property with 5 star location - maybe best value in TSV Alpine Suites - not technically ski in/out but very good location - 50 yds from "beach" Edelweiss Condos - Legit ski in/out - very nice, expensive The Blake Hotel - owned by TSV Inc. - nicest place in TSV - 5 star - 25 yards from "beach", expensive with many amenities like outdoor heated pool/hot tub, spa etc. Other options - several VRBO houses with access to the Rubezal connector ski trail in TSV A very good compromise are the rental homes in "Los Altos" neighborhood located just off the hwy 150 after passing thru the tiny enclave of Arroyo Seco going up to TSV at base/foothills of mountain about halfway between town and ski valley - very cool adobe homes about 9-10 miles away from both the Town and Ski Valley
  16. Cold = extra slices of alfalfa and infrared heaters turned on.
  17. Big Sky is great but damn it can be frigid! I skied there on New Year's day three years ago or so and it was -8 - the coldest temp Ive ever skied in - I could ski about 1.5 hours before having to take a break to warm up. 25" base is thin for there but I think more snow is on the way. I have skied there 4-5 times and love the mountain - still havent even covered half of the mtn it is such an expansive resort - have fun and post pics!
  18. Yes we have a place there.
  19. Very well put - especially the distinction between vacation homes and second homes! Having owned both second homes and vacation homes, distance is key but not a deal breaker for me because my vacation home is easily reached by airlines and is in a managed rental pool and maintained by a management company. This relieves the distance factor for me because I am not actively having to maintain it but the trade off is obviously not being able to go as often and someone else is using it when you are not there. I have found if you are super passionate about the location/activities to be had where your second home/vacation home is located, it is easier to overlook the slightly imperfect situations you may encounter or certain nagging costs that come with ownership. In the case of my vacation home, a slope side ski property carries the intangibles of having Owner closets to keep your personal items, alcohol, dry goods/foods, guns, ski gear and fishing gear, hiking gear, camping gear so you do not have to lug it around on planes or in your car or have to go shopping as soon as you arrive there. The rental income roughly covers 2/3 of the bottom line costs each year. In all cases of vacation/second home properties I have bought, the appreciation has been off the charts after 7 years of ownership which ultimately makes the bottom line work if you have the extra cash available to sustain and keep them afloat long enough to allow appreciation to build. Again, my approach has always been my passion for the place/activities and I never went into it with high expectations of profit margins, appreciation or financial gain - if any of these happen, which fortunately for me a few of these have ...well great! I have always taken the approach that they would just break even at best and the number of days I stayed and enjoyed the place with friends and family was my profit.
  20. Wow! Winds are crazy and brutal temps - negative mornings and single digit highs the next several days - Ouch. I'm headed back to TSV in two weeks so hopefully gets some snow and more normal temps/winds by then....
  21. Well, the wind must be the reason our JSX flight cancelled this afternoon. JSX is really convenient until it isn’t as they really have no options if they cancel- you are basically on your own. Sitting in ABQ now, got a SW flight to Dallas (I hope we make it out - high winds in Dallas too?). Anyway we did have some fun skiing this am until noon when the wind picked up and we headed to ABQ. Just like I thought, they did not open the ridge or backside until almost noon. They did open Al’s, Longhorn, and Jeans glade up again on the front side….Still not too crowded , They were lined up for the ridge…
  22. My strategy on major pow days like tomorrow morn will be to ski the frontside blacks first, early and often until they get carved up (for some reason everyone heads to backside or ridge first thing and the touristas stay in the greens and blues which leaves frontside blacks (arguably some of the best runs on the mtn.) wide open - this is a locals strategy. They will probably be dropping some ropes on frontside tomorrow as well so will be on lookout for new openings then head up higher - ridge will be afternoon. Ridge and backside might be closed for a few hours anyway since it is still puking at 6 pm here which is pretty common when they have dumps overnight and don’t have time to safety check them
  23. Lift Lines non existent on a pow day! Every run is a playground . Snowing hard since this am and still puking.
  24. Storm skiing in Taos today. Today and tomorrow should be fun !
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