Taos Drops Snowboarding Ban and It’s Not a Practical Joke
Has Jake Burton’s moral outrage directed toward skier-only resorts had an effect? It’s pretty to think so.
After years of discussion and planning this exciting new chapter in Taos Ski Valley history and putting many of the pieces in place, the time is right. We are excited about this change and look forward to welcoming a whole new group of snow enthusiasts to our mountain.
I bet they open Taos to snowboarders from March 19, 2008 through Halloween of 2008 and then restrict access to only skiers until the next spring.
via Denver Post
By- rockythompson
This entry was posted on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2007 - 5:28 P.M. and is filed under Story, Snowboarding. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
December 15th, 2007 at 12:48 am
March 19th 2008 will be a sad day for the world of skiing. it’s sad that Taos had to give in to all that pressure instead of sticking to tradition and making the right decision.
December 15th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
I used to go to Taos every year before I got married 10 years ago. The place was great, pure skiing. You had to want to get there. As a child I learned to ski in New Mexico and kept returning. My wife & I had a bad experience with boarders at Whistler and will she not go anywhere that they are. I do not really care for them either. It looks like now I will never return to Taos. I guess its Deer Valley forever.
December 15th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Tradition? Too funny. Bet it takes days to get there by wagon train…
I like skiers. Never understood the silliness. Just a different style and for some of us with bad knees, snowboarding is the only way we can ride.
I emailed them and ask if it was for this season only. The response is below:
Yes we will be open to snowboarding from March 19th forward. That does include all up coming seasons.
Maureen
Taos Ski Valley, Inc.
Bryant
December 16th, 2007 at 9:09 am
Janko
Yeah its real sad, people around the world are shaken over this. Maybe the pressure that they gave into was actually wanting to have people show up, Unless I am wrong a snowboarders dollar is worth the same as a skiers.
Oh and I fully expect you to show your support for an all ski nation by not going to Taos any more, thats if you have ever been,with the extra cash you save on lift tickets you can by some more tissue to wipe your crying eyes.
December 16th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
Hell I’ll still go, I’ve had some of the best ski days of my life at Taos and I’m not fool enough to think that a couple less “protesting” patrons are going to make Taos’ management change their minds. I just thought it was admirable for Taos to hold on to its founding principles for that long, no matter how “draconian” they might have been. It’s not like there were many skiers out hiking Kachina Peak thinking “man, I really wish there were somw snowboarders her right now” though.
December 16th, 2007 at 11:40 pm
taos caves in. i remember the ‘free taos’ several years ago written in large rocks.
guess they brought in boarders to make up for people who go elsewhere due to ticket costs.
i know skiers collide but its that snowboarder attitude. my wife nearly got injured when a snowboarder hit her from behind.
i plan to be at taos after Xmas one more time before the boarders hit. the blakes might be watching the boarders closely.
December 17th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
that image is priceless.
December 20th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
One plankin’ or two plankin’ at least they’re still plankin’. If only they would start banning Texans…
December 21st, 2007 at 9:56 pm
My wife was hurt by a snowboarder…he totally ruined it for me.
Two fists man…Two whole fists!!!
December 21st, 2007 at 9:57 pm
Taos- a four letter word for SNOWBOARDING!
December 23rd, 2007 at 2:14 pm
It is really curious to read the reactions to this change. It’s not the sliding equipment, it’s the person.
I’m a rider and a skier. My first day on tele skis was at Taos, and several effing jerks on twintips terrorized me as I was learning my new sport. One ruined my day by forcing me into some trees. Does that mean all twintip skiers should be banned? Hardly. Jerks ride all kinds of equipment. Adding riders to the mix at Taos won’t change the proportion.
Claiming that it is riders who ruin the ski area is just silly. It is transparent bigotry.
TSV is making a good decision; I can now take my kids, who only ride, to Taos, a place I really like. They know not to sit in the middle of cat tracks or below rollers.
December 25th, 2007 at 5:21 am
I snowboard & tele ski- you read that right. Diversity & acceptance of others differences is the strength of a nation, corporation, and a ski resort. The average age of a snowboarder is very young- maybe 15. Youth (lack of matruity) is what makes snowboarding look so horrible to some. Being a teenager is a right of passage to adulthood. When I was a teenager (28 years ago) I was on skis & I bet the older skiers had the same problem with me that some older skiers have with Snowboarders (teenagers) today. Try a board & become a kid again, its never to late.
January 1st, 2008 at 7:52 am
The only tradition I here janko talking about is beeing a hatefull person and looking for a good isuue to hang his hostility on. Labeling a group of people by the actions of 1 is wrong.
I am a famly man with a 9 to 5 job, 4th generation Taoseno, run a cherity breakfast here in taos, basicly a good person , and by the way a snowboarder. So please open minds beacouse the mountain is already open.
January 8th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Will someone please open a snowboard only resort so we can ride without all the bigot crybaby skiers. I don’t know why any snowboarders care about riding at Taos, Deer Valley, Alta, or MRG, anyway. Think about it kids, the good mountains are open.
January 24th, 2008 at 10:27 am
I have skied and boarded. I can tell you I turn into a different person when I strap on that board. I have troubles not terrorizing all the skiers, its like I’m possessed. Lame. There are more douchey skiers than there are boarders. Snowboarders don’t sit at home and plot how to exclude skiers, its fun and its not going away. Deal with it.
February 27th, 2008 at 6:22 am
Congrats, Taos! I hope this will start letting people know that just because we ride one fat ski instead of two doesn’t make us assholes that should be banned from a resort.
Thanks to all the peaceful poachers out there, even if they do get tackled by ski patrol.
March 20th, 2008 at 11:50 am
I’m a 41-year-old snowboarder with friends in Taos, and I’ve been looking forward to being able to use my board when I’m visiting them.
I’ve been reading the skier comments on this site (and others) with a combination of amusement and dismay. “My wife was ALMOST hurt by a snowboarder, and now we never go where they are.” “My little boy was HIT by a snowboarder!” What the hell is wrong with you people? I skied for years, and actually find that I’m MORE in control with a snowboard then I ever was on a pair of skis. I’m no more of a jerk on a board than I was on skis, and I get down the mountain safely and in control. The jerks are the whiny, old-fashioned bigots who watch, eagle-eyed, for any reason to hate snowboarding.
I buy a season pass to just about every Colorado resport, and pay a lot more to spend time on the mountain than most skiiers I know.
Last year I was hit by an out-of-control teenaged skier. I tore a ligament, but rather than apologize or see if I was hurt, the kid picked himself, flashed a scared glance my way, and tore downhill as fast his skis would carry him. Does that mean that I’m scared of skiers now? How stupid.
As a previous poster pointed out, snowboarding isn’t going away. Learn to share the slopes, or sit at home and whine about the good old days. I’ll be having fun on the mountain. My sister has a friend who complains about snowboarders when I’m around: rude, noisy, scrape the snow off the mountain, etc. “How many times have you been skiing this year?” I asked her a few weeks ago after listening to her usual complaint. “Oh, I went once last year, but haven’t gone at all this year. No time, and it’s so expensive!”
Whatever.
March 25th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Only issue I have with snowboarders is at every resort I have to dodge a group lingering in the middle of a run. Really annoying. It’ll be interesting to see how many people get hurt boarding at Taos seeing that ~50% of the mountain are advanced level runs. Taos needs to money to stay open so I say do it, its the only good place in driving distance from Austin. Yes, I’m from Texas, but I can ski with the best of them.
April 9th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
On the 19th, the staff was handing out bumper sitckers that read 3/19/08, the day hell froze over. Ride Taos. Everybody seemed to be getting along great up there. I don’t understand why so many people would want to somehow prevent the happiness that was shared up on the mountain that day by the staff, boarders, skiiers, media etc. over such a silly/selfish reason… Because someone wants just skiiers up there. I heard it sold out that day and the crowds weren’t bad at all. I didn’t even bump someones wife down a chute breaking all of her bones for no apparent reason since I’m such a dangerous person on, “the snowboard.”
There are so many different types of people who snowboard now that to box them into one personallity type is just stupid. I heard from a parent in Taos that skateboarding is still illeagle in the town of Taos… Pretty archaic and stupid right? Well, it’s that same mentallity that thinks a specific personallity goes along with someone who rides a skateboard. The worst thing about all these sour grape skiiers is that at least 90% of them aren’t even from Taos and only spend a week or less there a year. I hope they do all start going to deer valley, its the best thing they can do. At least the people who live near Deer Valley who snowboard have dozens of other world class resorts to choose from. Here in New Mexico, there’s only 1 in the state. Sorry Sante Fe.
Finally, I get to go back to my home town mountain all next season with my skiier wife and son who will probably start off on skis and then if he decides he wants to board later on, so be it. If I can bring in money to my home town and enjoy time with my family then I’m happy to see the ski valley bring in profits. Nice doin’ business with the Blakes on the 19th and 21st. We’ll be getting the family passes for 08/09 as well.
November 20th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
08/09 Is the year of boarders ride on. http://taosrider.blogspot.com/